After Northwestern tumbled to its fourth conference loss Thursday to No. 12 Michigan State, coach Chris Collins was frustrated by his team’s inability to knock down 3-pointers.
“I can still shoot it — my team would need that out there,” Collins quipped. “I would make some of those threes.”
In the 76-66 defeat, the Wildcats (8-7, 0-4 Big Ten) went just 6-for-26 from long range, blowing a seven-point halftime lead. In the second half, NU shot a mere 2-for-12 from beyond the arc as the Spartans (14-2, 4-1 Big Ten) outscored them 48-31.
But as Collins’ guards flubbed open looks, it’s hard to share his irritation because his sniper was sitting on the bench.
All sophomore guard K.J. Windham, who has shot 35.5% from behind the 3-point line this season, could do was watch as the ’Cats crumbled in crunch time.
Windham, who provided a spark with three triples during a 70-47 win against Mercyhurst to open the season, has not played in NU’s last three games. Despite Collins’ cries for 3-point shooting — which the ’Cats rank last among Big Ten teams at 30.8% — his third-best outside shooter by percentage has been sent to the doghouse with little explanation.
“Just a gut feel,” Collins said about Windham’s benching after beating Howard, 80-60. “I believe in K.J. … I’ve said it all year. It’s hard to play 6-7 perimeter guys.”
Yes, Collins is right that NU can’t roll out all of its wing players, but Windham has been more impactful than he is giving him credit for. Among players with 200-plus possessions, his 2.78 Bayesian Performance Rating — a measure of how impactful a player is expected to be per possession when on-court — ranks third on the team.
Should Collins have defensive concerns regarding the Indianapolis native, Windham actually ranks second in Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating at 1.66. And even if that is not fully representative of his lack of defensive abilities, it shows that he can hold his own, at least.
Windham’s offensive firepower should not be ignored.
While scoring has not been NU’s main concern this season, it cost them Thursday, as the team has scored more than 75 points in 11 of 15 contests.
Collins mentioned after the loss to Michigan State that opposing teams would have to loosen up their defense on star senior forward Nick Martinelli if the ’Cats could shoot the ball better. But as Martinelli faced double and triple teams at the Breslin Center — still managing to score 28 points — his relief sat on the bench.
“We gotta help him offensively,” Collins said. “We just didn’t make the shots.”
So help him, Collins.
Email: [email protected]
X: @kamran_nia
Related Stories:
— Men’s Basketball: Northwestern’s second-half lead evaporates in 76-66 loss to No. 12 Michigan State
