There’s good reason that the NCAA tournament is commonly known as the Big Dance. After all, every team wants to get an invite, just like every kid wanted an invite to those oh-so-important high school dances. Unfortunately for Northwestern, the Wildcats have been that one outcast, that somewhat odd guy that just couldn’t get a date. Since the team’s inception in 1939, Northwestern has never made the postseason tournament. After 70 years though, the ‘Cats seem poised to finally land that date.
Ask anyone on campus who follows Northwestern basketball, and most will tell you that if any team’s going to make the tournament, this is the one. Even ESPN.com’s Andy Katz said that he thinks the ‘Cats will make the tournament. The path through the Big Ten, though, is not easy.
What obstacles are in the ‘Cats way
Of course, all that hype was based on the presence of certain returning players. Now, however, if the ‘Cats are going to do what no other Northwestern basketball team has done in more than half a century, they’re going to have to do it without their best returning player, senior forward Kevin Coble, who is out for the year due to a foot injury sustained in practice before the season started.
Coble, who led the ‘Cats last year with 15.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, was expected to take the ‘Cats to the tournament this year. His absence, along with fellow senior Jeff Ryan, who will also miss this year due to a torn ACL, is a huge hit to the Wildcats’ aspirations for this season.
Besides dealing with the injuries to Coble and Ryan, the ‘Cats must also make up for the important loss of Craig Moore to graduation. Head coach Bill Carmody expects the ‘Cats to score “in a variety of ways” this season to handle that loss, featuring an inside game led by sophomore centers Kyle Rowley and Luka Mirkovic, as well as players such as John Shurna, a sophomore, to “take on more of the scoring load.”
Why it can still be okay
Rather than dwell on those losses, however, junior guard Michael “Juice” Thompson is looking at the players that will be on the court.
“We’re just going to have to play through it,” he said. “We’re just going to have to have people step up.”
According to Thompson, some of the players who are going to have to step up are forwards Shurna and Ivan Peljusic, a junior. Freshman forward Drew Crawford also refuses to throw in the towel with 29 games to go.
“We’re a resilient team,” he says. “We’re going to go out there, work hard, and do well.”
As for the leadership the Moore brought to the team, Thompson has stepped up into that role, taking on more of an active position on the team.
“I had to learn the offense inside and out,” said Thompson about his new duties as the leader of the team. “This year I’ve been more of a vocal leader, being more on top of guys, talking to them more.”
The players also seem to relish the competitive nature of Big Ten conference play, which may be the toughest in the country this year.
“It’s a lot of fun,” says Thompson. “It’s a battle out there.” Crawford echoes that sentiment. “It’s going to be unbelievable competition and something that I’m looking forward to.”
Expect big things from Crawford, as the freshman forward comes in as one of the Wildcats’ more highly anticipated recruits, and should get fans excited this year, according to Thompson.
“He’s going to give the Northwestern fans something they haven’t seen in a while,” says Thompson. “A lot of dunks.”
Carmody also praises the new addition, although more for the intangibles than for the highlight reels he’s going to (hopefully) be making.
“He’s a hard working kid,” says Carmody. “He picks things up quickly, and he’s going to get better and better for us.”
If the Wildcats can make the tournament this year, it would go down as a truly historical season, something that Thompson and his teammates relish.
“It’s something that drew a lot of us to the school,” says Thompson about himself and his teammates. “To be a part of history.”