After yet another season without an NCAA tournament bid, Northwestern was chosen as a fourth seed in the NIT and a scored date with the Panthers of UW-Milwaukee on Wednesday night. Despite five players saddled with finals earlier in the day, including top scorers John Shurna and Michael “Juice” Thompson, the Wildcats pushed out in front early in the first half and never let go for a 70-61 victory in the senior class’s final home game of the 2010-2011 season.
Hero of the Game | Alex Marcotullio
It’s entirely expected for Shurna and Thompson to put up commendable efforts every game, but no player stepped up like Marcotullio. The sophomore southpaw — and likely starting point guard next year –- manned the top of the 1-3-1 defense and thoroughly harassed the perplexed Panthers en route to three steals on the night. Marcotullio was himself responsible for forcing the Panthers into a number of errant passes and loose balls, including a stretch of four possessions in the first half. A number of fortuitous bounces let Milwaukee retain possession or into another Wildcat’s hands, but Marcotullio’s bulldog play at the top established the 18-0 run that permanently gave the Wildcats the lead.
Stat of the Game | 16 offensive rebounds
Northwestern’s dead last in the Big Ten in rebounding, at a negative-four margin. But against a similarly-sized Milwaukee squad, NU recorded a plus-eight margin behind 16 offensive rebounds, an almost unheard-of clip for the ‘Cats. Two of these offensive caroms led to putback buckets by Thompson and sophomore Drew Crawford, and even much-maligned center Luka Mirkovic pulled down eight rebounds (four offensive and defensive each). The additional possessions helped maintain the lead, where the 37.9 field-goal percent certainly begged for a few more opportunities.
Turning Point of the Game | 12:22 in the first half
Two things occurred around this time in the game: Northwestern found itself in a three-point hole behind underwhelming play, and the Wildcats switched to the infamous 1-3-1 zone defense. This triggered the 18-0 run, which neutralized Panther forward Anthony Hill in the low post and was helped by Tone Boyle’s cold shooting (3-of-15, 2-of-12 on 3-pointers). A three-point hole quickly turned into a 15-point lead in the friendly confines of Welsh-Ryan Arena and would only dip into single digits four times before the final buzzer sounded.
What to Improve on | Hunger
Thompson’s braggadocio, Shurna’s carefree attitude and Marcotullio’s killer instinct headlined a noticeable demeanor in this squad. Whether it was because the ‘Cats felt dogged by two close losses to a No. 1-ranked Ohio State squad, or inspired because of their performances against the Buckeyes, the ‘Cats played with an incredible energy that overwhelmed Milwaukee early.
And no one was more emotional than Coach Carmody. Generously covering the tab for all students to attend despite finals week, Carmody has saved face since the Big Ten tournament and garnered support for his performances of late. The coach was never more livid or ecstatic than he was tonight. The entire squad, from head coach down to the twelfth man, will have to play with that kind of intensity as they kick-start their spring break against No. 1-seeded Boston College, away from home. Northwestern fell short of the Big Dance, but a championship in this bracket will assuage a lot of grief.