![]() ![]() I’m not sure what exactly that means but it has to mean something. Northwestern was punched in the mouth early and fought back admirably to regain the lead after its early sputters. That’s the difference between a team that makes the NCAA Tournament and one that does damage once they arrive. ![]() What did Northwestern do? Get boxed out, get beat for the rebound and give up an uncontested layup to put the game away. What do second weekend NCAA Tournament teams do in that situation? They rebound the ball, call a timeout and get in position to go into overtime. With a 10-second shot-clock remaining, Northwestern then forced a tough three-pointer that barely grazed the rim. On the next play, Vic Law, who finished with a game-high 30 points, blocked a shot and attempted to save the ball but couldn’t. With 58 seconds remaining, Scottie Lindsey drained a three-pointer that brought the Wildcats back within three. Maybe most importantly you could look at the moments that decide games - to be more precise, rebounding plays where effort and fundamentals usually mean the most. We’re a blue-collar, defense-first program and tonight it was great we put up 88 or whatever but they put up 92. ![]() “This was a program game, an opportunity to show everybody what we’re about and we did the opposite. Guard Bryant McIntosh, who finished with 24 points, knows that too. He feasted and finished with 17 points, two of which included a late-bucket putting the game out of reach. In a first half in which Creighton led by as much as 15 points, there were three times where Greg McDermott’s team got wide-open rim runs with no Northwestern player in sight. Collins mentioned his team’s defense a total of 12 times in the postgame press conference - a lot of that was found (or not found) in the paint. More specifically, consider how the Bluejays got those points in the paint. You could also look at points in the paint as another key indicator - Creighton with 48 of them and Northwestern with 26. It typically can’t be and it wasn’t for Northwestern on Wednesday. The answer usually isn’t four of five starters playing over 25 minutes. Still, you know what happens to teams that advance in the NCAA Tournament? They have injuries. It has so far loomed larger than once thought, given that his partial replacement in sophomore Aaron Falzon has been slowed by injury. The departure of forward Sanjay Lumpkin from last season has been a big blow. Collins lamented about his shortened bench, and he has a point. You could start by looking at bench points because it told the story of the evening - 33 for Creighton and four for Northwestern. Northwestern Showed Some Elements of a Hangover Last Night (credit: Chicago Tribune) ![]()
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