If you're anything like the NBN Sports staff, March Madness took over Spring Break for you, too. Unfortunately, Northwestern wasn't asked to the Big Dance (again) so we reflected on our favorite moments of Northwestern basketball. To ease the pain.
Upsetting Iowa in the first round of Big Ten tournament
by Jasper Scherer
In a game where few gave Northwestern a fighting chance, the ‘Cats pulled off a first-round upset, beating Iowa 67-62 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Redshirt senior Drew Crawford had a solid 15-point performance in what would prove to be his final winning effort at Northwestern, and junior Dave Sobolewski hit a pair of clutch three-pointers to partially salvage his disappointing season, but it was redshirt sophomore Tre Demps who really stole the show. Demps, who should change his first name to “Trey” after this game, put on quite a display from three-point range. The most memorable of his four threes was a high-arcing buzzer-beater to close out the first half, which also happened to tie the game. His 20 point-performance (on 8-of-12 shooting) propelled the ‘Cats to victory.
Men's basketball's double-overtime win over Purdue
by Luke Srodulski
There are several lasting images from the 2013-14 Northwestern men’s basketball season: Chris Collins’ first press conference, the celebration after winning at Wisconsin (see below), the season-ending loss to Michigan State, etc. But one of the most poignant and most forgotten moments was Drew Crawford’s game-saving block in double overtime to beat Purdue, 63-60. He rejected Ronnie Johnson’s three-point attempt, grabbed the ball, pounded it against the floor and let loose a primal yell. The packed crowd at Welsh-Ryan, some of which had painted their chests with the words "Stand with Purdue" to show their support for Purdue after a tragic shooting, drowned it out with screaming of its own as the Wildcats showed the Big Ten that playing them would not be a gimme.
Beating eventual Final Four team Wisconsin during regular season
by Grant Rindner
Despite finishing well below .500, Northwestern actually had some pretty solid wins this season, and the crowning moment was easily beating then-No. 14 Wisconsin on the road, 65-56. Drew Crawford poured in 30 points along with eight rebounds, the Wildcats got contributions from redshirt junior JerShon Cobb and Tre Demps, and sophomore Alex Olah's strong defense held Badger forward Frank Kaminsky to just eight points. The 2013-14 season may seem pretty bleak when you look at the big picture, but the victory over Wisconsin was the punctuation mark on the Wildcats' brief stretch of Big Ten relevance, where they rose as high as fourth in the conference standings. The win was NU's first in Madison since 1996, and it gave fans hope about what a Chris Collins-led squad could be in the future. Plus, with Wisconsin in the Final Four, the 'Cats could have the chance to say they beat the national champions when everything is said and done. Chain law works totally in sports, right?
James Montgomery III's scholarship video
by Lauren Kravec
Northwestern made national news when a video of senior James Mongtomery III went viral. The senior guard, who was a walk-on the last two years, was surprised with a scholarship by Coach Chris Collins after practice. It was heartwarming to see Montgomery's hard work pay off and watch the team hug and congratulate him, but the best part of the video was hearing Montgomery's mother and sister's responses when he called to tell them the news.
Women's basketball's run in NIT tournament
by Shannon Lane
Though the 'Cats started the season with a strong five-game winning streak against small-name opponents, they couldn't hold it together once Big Ten play rolled around, ultimately losing to Ohio State in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. That's why it was all the more impressive when Northwestern advanced to the third round of the NIT tournament, defeating Ball State, 69-65, and IUPUI, 88-52, on the way. Freshman Nia Coffey lead the 'Cats with 35 points and 17 rebounds in those two games while fellow freshman Christen Inman and sophomore Maggie Lyon chipped in on offense, as well. But all good things must come to an end. In their third NIT game, the 'Cats faced Big Ten rival Indiana, whom they defeated in the regular season, 58-52. But a late Indiana layup gave the Hoosiers the lead with only 11 seconds left in a game where the 'Cats lead for nearly 40 minutes. Northwestern finished the season 17-16 (5-12 Big Ten), an average record with an above-average ending.