After starting the season 2-0 on the road, the Northwestern Men’s Basketball team beat the Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions 71-45 in this season’s home-opener. Nearly 3,800 fans watched the Wildcats, who played well despite the rumors that began circulating today about previous teammate Kevin Coble’s exit this past summer. The highlights:
Stat of the game | 10 three-pointers
It isn’t necessarily the fact that Northwestern made 10 threes, but rather that they attempted 29, that makes this stat remarkable. The Wildcats’ willingness to shoot from beyond the arc is well known after making 317 three-pointers last year. This season seems to be shaping up no differently. With almost no hesitation, the three point bucket is considered a legitimate option for the ‘Cats on nearly every possession.
For junior John Shurna, this type of mentality really paid off. He connected four times out of seven attempts. Shurna proved tonight that he would not hesitate to shoot if given even the smallest window. If he connects, as he did tonight, this strategy will pay off.
With a three-first mentality, the ‘Cats are taking a risk that either pays off extremely well, or has the chance to fail miserably. Let’s hope that against tougher Big Ten teams, it remains the former.
Turning point | 1:28
If there was any doubt about the Wildcats’ winning Friday night, it was quickly erased with John Shurna’s first 3-point shot. Sure, 1:28 into the game is a little early to write off an opponent, but Shurna’s hot hand ensured Northwestern would not surrender its lead after going up 5-2. The junior forward would go on to make four of his five first-half 3-pointers, part of a 17-point first half effort that had the Wildcats up 19 going into the half, the result clearly in hand.
After a sluggish performance against Texas Pan-American on Wednesday, the ‘Cats needed a jolt from their leading point-scorer. Arkansas Pine-Bluff was more than happy to provide Shurna with opportunities; his first truly contested shot from long-range didn’t come until 16 minutes in. The Golden Lions actually put up a more formidable effort in the second half, holding the Wildcats to four of 15 from beyond the arc, but that only served as a vain effort to save face.
Hero of the game | Cap’n Juggles
Forget about Drew Crawford and John Shurna, who both scored 17 points. Step over Juice Thompson and your five assists. This hero of the game has to go to a dark horse. Coming from nowhere, Cap’n Juggles entered the action with immediate adversity. A broken mike left an entire timeout entertainment-less.
But that didn’t not stop the pirate clad Ms. Juggles from giving up. Showing perseverance to the likes of Lance Armstrong, Juggles came back. She rapped, she danced, she shouted and pranced, filling the stadium with her original number “Stand There.” Sure, she faced an already-hostile crowd, but that didn’t stop us from feeling baffled.
Shout out to the marketing department for knocking the whole “Chicago’s Big Ten Team” campaign back 30 points. A part of me hopes this is some strange viral joke the university is playing. More likely, the marketing department was hoping to see some actual juggling.
For now, keep rapping Cap’n Juggles, just not in front of people.
Where to improve | Backcourt and Cobb
It’s hard to question a 32-point win against an NCAA tournament team, as the Northwestern effort was fairly well-balanced, but if there was a weak element it was the inconsistent play of the Wildcats starting backcourt. Ironman Michael “Juice” Thompson struggled with 3-point shooting, hoisting a few questionable shots en route to a 1-6 night from downtown, and freshman JerShon Cobb struggled mightily against the full court press, turning the ball over four times.
The rotation shifted dramatically as the game progressed, with Alex Marcutullio taking Cobb’s place with the starters and Cobb shifting to the second unit to work out his ball-protection issues. Cobb’s high intensity game clearly lead to his mistakes, but it also helped to create opportunities on the other side of the ball. Cobb had three steals and laid out for loose balls multiple times, even with his team up by double-digits. The highly-touted recruit clearly has a ton of room to improve, but even at this raw stage his presence is always felt on the court.