Updated: February 28, 2010
As disappointing as another season without March Madness may be, this season has had a lot of positives. The game against Iowa was no exception. By blowing the Hawkeyes out in Welsh-Ryan, the ‘Cats set the Northwestern regular season wins record with 18. Unfortunately, as has become the theme of the season, the ‘Cats followed up a stellar performance by laying an egg in University Park against Penn State. Losing by 19 to the worst team in the Big Ten is never a way to impress the tournament selection committee.
Good news is that the ‘Cats pretty much put themselves out of contention with their first loss to Penn State earlier this season. You can’t count them out if they manage to win the Big Ten Tournament, but losses like this one to Penn State certainly aren’t instilling much confidence in Wildcat fans.
Final Verdict: The bad losses just keep piling up, further burying any tourney dreams.
Updated: February 23, 2010
Sometimes, huge effort isn’t enough. The ‘Cats made a valiant comeback effort Sunday against Wisconsin, but couldn’t finish it off, falling 70-63 to the 16th ranked Badgers. This season is probably over, unfortunately.
The ‘Cats pulled off a couple impressive wins, most notably against Purdue, but they missed out on a chance to tack on another win against a top-ranked team. Worse, their record in the Big Ten has dropped to 3 games below .500, setting them up for a tough schedule in the Big Ten tournament, as they would have to win out in conference to play just to finish at .500.
It’s been said here before, and it should be said again: winning the Big Ten tournament gives the ‘Cats a chance, but that would be one of the biggest surprises in college basketball this season.
Final Verdict: Keep your fingers crossed for an incredible Big Ten tourney championship run, because otherwise, it’s off to the NIT.
Updated: February 18, 2010
If last week brought the ‘Cats to their knees, this one delivered the KO. Not that it didn’t start out well. The ‘Cats came back from 13 down against Minnesota to beat the Golden Gophers in overtime. Beating the Gophers, a tournament team from last year, in that fashion was a good way of showing the tournament selection committee the kind of spirit and fight these ‘Cats have. Unfortunately, when you lose to a team that is not only in last place, but winless, in conference play, it doesn’t matter what kind of wins you have on your resume – you’re out. The ‘Cats managed to essentially end any tournament dreams, losing 81-70 to the bottom-feeders of the Big Ten – the Penn State Nittany Lions. Their best (only) bet now? Win the Big Ten tournament and grab an automatic bid. No easy feat by any means. The ‘Cats pull that one off and they’ll become a Cinderella team in the true sense of the word.
Final Verdict: With the Big Ten Tournament ahead, anything can happen. But don’t count on it.
Updated: February 11, 2010
Well, that really wasn’t what the ‘Cats needed. The general consensus was the ‘Cats couldn’t afford to lose any of the gimme games, and this week they had two of them, facing two teams in the bottom three of the Big Ten: Indiana and Iowa. The ‘Cats got off on the right foot this week, as they blew out the visiting Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday. Wednesday, they traveled to Iowa City, to face the 9-16 (3-9 Big Ten) Iowa Hawkeyes, and were dealt a crippling blow to their tournament hopes, losing by 13 points. With only a few truly impressive wins, the ‘Cats needed to avoid any really bad losses. A loss to the Hawkeyes is a bad loss. The ‘Cats may have been looking ahead to a home game against Minnesota, which would have given the ‘Cats a chance to notch a win over a possible tourney qualifier. That plus another home game against Penn State, who’s winless in the Big Ten, makes next week important. There’s still hope if the ‘Cats avoid any more bad losses, and make a huge run in the conference tournament, but it’s fading fast.
Final Verdict: Keep an eye on it, but time for damage control.
February 7, 2010
The team is looking like it’s starting to cool off in conference play. Only a few weeks removed from their upset of then-No. 6 Purdue, the ‘Cats have faltered as of late, dropping 3 of 4 since that Purdue game. Losses to Minnesota and Michigan State, both NCAA Tournament qualifiers last week, leave the ‘Cats looking for another signature victory.
The ‘Cats did impress in a 73-68 victory over Illinois and in a 67-52 rout of Michigan to stay afloat, but that’s not enough. They’ll need to beat at least one of the ranked teams on their schedule (Ohio State and Wisconsin), because right now, Northwestern is looking to be on the outside looking in at a stacked roster of Big Ten Tournament qualifiers.
Final verdict: On the bubble (for now) with little margin for error.