While the Northwestern Wildcats have faced formidable opponents in their previous four games, they encounter a new level of competition in today’s match up against the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue has used its longest win streak (10 games) in more than a decade to catapult themselves to the top of the Big Ten standings and take a one-game lead over second-place Wisconsin. The Boilermakers are lead by Freshman, and Big Ten Player of the Week, Robbie Hummel, as well as Freshman E’Twaun Moore, who is second on the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game. The Wildcats come off an 18 point loss to Ohio State. Craig Moore contributed 15 points and 5 assists and Michael Thompson added 12, but it wasn’t enough as a second half run by Ohio State helped them earn a 65-47 victory. Today, the Wildcats look to avoid their fifth straight loss in Big Ten Conference play and NBN will liveblog the game starting at 3 p.m., so check back for updates!
Pregame
A spirited crowd fills the seats today. A large number of Purdue fans have come to the game to support their Boilermakers as they constitute the majority of the of fans. As a result of the sizeable Purdue fan base which fills Welsh-Ryan Arena, the Boilermakers are treated in a much more welcoming fashion as they head onto the court than Northwestern’s own Wildcats. You know something is wrong when the home team is accompanied by a smattering of boos as they step onto the court. One player to watch for today is Northwestern’s Jeremy Nash. After battling injuries throughout early portions of the season, the sophomore guard has become a regular part of the rotation in recent weeks. Nash grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds against Michigan State on February 9th and then posted nine points and eight rebounds against Ohio State Wednesday. Look for his energetic play to help the Wildcats grab a win today.
First Half
20:00 – Surprise…Northwestern gets on the scoreboard first as Ivan Peljusic hits a running lay up. Purdue’s Keaton Grant quickly counters with an 18 ft. jump shot. The Wildcats have come out playing aggressive defense and have only surrendered 4 points in the first four minutes.
16:00 – Michael “Juice” Thompson hits a three pointer from the right wing to put the ‘Cats up 7-4, but Purdue responds with a quick two courtesy of E’Twaun Moore. Ivan Peljusic, a player that quite frankly i’ve heard little about before today’s game (he only plays 5.4 minutes a game), has collected a quick four points. The ‘Cats head into their first timeout down 11-9.
13:30 – Northwestern’s suffocating defense has forced the Boilermaker’s into their second turnover, and their offense isn’t bad either – sharpshooter Craig Moore hits a three from deep to put the Northwestern up 1. Northwestern is looking to put the ball on the floor and penetrate the lane as Mike Capocci lays the ball in to increase his team’s lead to 3.
12:00 – This might be the most exciting Northwestern game all year. Bodies are flying left and right in active pursuit of loose balls. Michael Thompson dives in his team’s bench to save the ball and almost wipes out a referee in the process. Northwestern takes its second charge of the game. The ‘ Cats defense looks revitalized today as they head into their second timeout with a 3 point lead.
10:00 – Northwestern’s offense is running like a well-oiled machine today as they run circles around Purdue’s defense. Michael Thompson dashes into the lane and lays it up with ease, and then comes down the court and knocks down a three pointer on the ensuing possession to give the ‘Cats a 6 point lead! Purdue has turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 5 times already today – they only turn it over an average of 13 times a game.
7:30 – The Wildcat fans are really getting into it as their team takes hold of an 8 point lead due in part to the offensive production of Michael Thompson who is 3-5 from the field with 8 points. However, Purdue is keeping things close as they head into the third timeout down 24-20. Purdue’s Chris Kramer converts a 3 point play to bring the Boilermaker’s within 1. But not to fear, Ivan Peljusic is here! Ivan hits a 3 from the top of the arc to put the ‘Cats up 4. What a game so far!
4:00 – Purdue has utilized a number of their guards to “attempt” to guard the Michael Thompson. I say “attempt” because Thompson is running the ‘Cats offense with the greatest of ease, blowing by his defender and kicking it to teammate Kevin Coble for two. Coble has 4 points as the Wildcats head into their fourth timeout up 29-27. As predicted, Jeremy Nash has provided his team with energy on offense and defense, but Northwestern has missed a number of easy layups, and their two point lead could just as easily be 6 or 8 right now.
2:00 – Northwestern has limited Purdue’s leading scorer, Robbie Hummel, to a mere 5 points and 3 rebounds. Purdue leads the game by 4 approaching the last minute of the first half, but they seem to be controlling the pace of the game as they continually get to the free throw line and get easy points inside the lane.
1:00 – Oddly enough, the Purdue fans erupt into a “Go Boilers” chant even though their team is up only four points to the Wildcats, the last place team in the Big Ten. It sure doesn’t look like a match up of two teams on opposite ends of the Big Ten standings as the ‘Cats are holding their own against the Boilermakers.
0:30 – Michael Thompson drives to the basket to no avail, as his shot is blocked by Purdue’s big man Nemanja Calasan. The Wildcats go into halftime down an impressive 35-31. However, Northwestern has a penchant for getting down big pretty quickly, so they must maintain their high level of play to stay with the Boilermakers in the second half.
The First Half in a Glance:
(1) Northwestern, a team that has been brutally out-rebounded in almost every game this year, has 12 rebounds to Purdue’s 14. They must continue to get to the boards if they want to keep this game close.
(2) Northwestern has forced Purdue into 8 turnovers. As a result, they have attempted 6 more shots and have been to the line 3 more times. These extra shot attempts are enabling to stay with Boilermaker despite only going 12 for 28 from the field.
Second Half
20:00 – Ivan Pelijusic has let me down – he misses an uncontested lay-up to start off the half. But wait…he quickly regains my support by knocking down a jump hook in the key. Sterling Williams collects his first point of the game from the line and bring the Wildcats with 3. The Wildcats are aggressively trapping the Purdue players in the corners, but Purdue’s Martin Scott finds his way to basket and converts a 3 point play to put Purdue up 4.
17:00 – E’Twaun Moore hits a three to put the Boilermakers up 7. He has a game high 21 points. Northwestern needs to slow this game down and, as ironic as this sounds, take the Purdue crowd out of the game.
14:00 – Purdue’s Keaton Grant hits a three off an offensive rebound. The Wildcats must do a better job of limiting second chance points. Craig Moore hits a three to bring the Wildcats within 7. Jeremy Nash almost comes up with a steal as the ‘Cats continue to defend the Purdue ball handlers closely and disrupt the flow of Purdue’s offense. Kevin Coble hits a baseline jumper cutting the deficit to 5, and Purdue’s head coach, Matt Painter, quickly signals for a timeout sensing a Northwestern comeback.
12:00 - A Purdue win would give the Boilermakers a 21-5 start, their best start since the 1997-98 season. Northwestern is putting up quite a fight though. They force Purdue into yet another turnover and regain possession of the ball. Coach Carmody calls a quick timeout. He knows that the next couple minutes are crucial.
10:30 – Kevin Coble has caught fire! He has scored the Wildcats last six points. Jeremy Nash steals the ball and sprints down court for a lay-up. THE WILDCATS ARE DOWN 1!
9:30 – Kevin Coble hits a three pointer to put the Wildcats up two, and the Northwestern fans go nuts! But Purdue counters with a layup and a 2 three pointers from Keith Grant to silence the Wildcat fans and give rise to the even louder cheers of the Purdue fans. Northwestern goes into their timeout down 56-50.
7:30 – Purdue has really stepped up its defense and is forcing the ‘Cats to go deep into the shot clock on offense. Out of frustration, Jeremy Nash picks up a technical foul which leads to two more Purdue points as the Boilermakers go up 8. Maybe this will light some fire under the suddenly passive Northwestern offense.
6:00 – Robbie Hummel scores out of the timeout to give the Boilermakers a ten point lead. Nikola Baran takes a an ill-advised three, but makes up for his offensive blunder by taking a charge on defense. Ivan Pelijusic replaces Nikola Baran off the bench, but misses a Jabbar-esque skyhook from inside the key.
4:00 – Jeremy Nash returns to action after cooling down on the bench. Northwestern’s scoring drought is ended by two free throws from Jason Okrzesik. Northwestern is down 64-52 and the game is quickly falling out of reach. Purdue’s Marcus Green misses two free throws, but E’Twaun Moore’s three pointer on the next possession rattles in, giving him a game high 24 points and Purdue a 13 point lead.
2:00 – And here come the reserves…5 new players enter the game for the ‘Cats as they concede defeat. Tonjua Jones hits two free throws for the Wildcats and the Boilermakers dribble out the rest of the clock as they get a 71-56 over the Wildcats.
Although the Wildcats lost this game by 15, the final result clearly doesn’t reflect the valiant effort put forward by players like Kevin Coble (13 pt. 7 reb.) and Michael Thompson (10 pt.). As the crowd exits the arena, I hear some fans yell “fire Carmody,” but this clearly is not the answer to the Wildcats woes. Northwestern must learn to control the pace of games, especially down the stretch of games against high-caliber opponents like Purdue. This ability will come with time and experience, as the Wildcat’s Michael Thompson, Kevin Coble are only in their freshman and sophomore years, respectively. The ‘Cats play Iowa on Tuesday as they continue their pursuit of victory #1 in Big Ten play. However, for the time being, Northwestern fans could find solace in the fact that the ‘Cats have put up some great efforts in their last 5 games against some of the Big Ten’s elite teams.