What is it with the Wildcats and falling just short of huge upsets?
First, it was Wisconsin. Now, the latest heartbreak comes at the hands of Greg Oden (more on this in a bit) and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes came into Welsh-Ryan Arena underestimating the ‘Cats, and rightfully so, after the 32-point drubbing we suffered in Columbus one week before. But they gave the ‘Cats a real chance in this one.
The ‘Cats had their chances. They led 20-11 in the first half and were one Kevin Coble three-pointer from tying it up with five minutes to go in the game. It ultimately comes down to two things: three-point shooting and interior play.
Against Wisconsin, Northwestern shot a pitiful 22 percent from the three-point line; last Wednesday against Ohio State, it was a respectable 35 percent, but only 4 for 14 after leading by nine. But the big factor was, and still is, the bigs. The heralded big men for both Wisconsin and Ohio State woke up in the second halves of each game and ran roughshod over Vince Scott and Tim Doyle.
This quote from Doyle about Oden, who scored 10 points over the last 10-plus minutes of the game, says it all. “I thought Vince played him as well as he could have. Oden’s going to be a pro, and Vince is going to be an investment banker.”
Northwestern has proven that it can hang close with any team in the Big Ten for 40 minutes. But making games close will only work for so long.
Meanwhile, check out this excellent slide show on Oden, the odds-on favorite to go first in the 2007 NBA draft.