Gopher Basketball
With Nolen sidelined and junior combo guard Devoe Joseph’s recent transfer out of the program, there are limited options for Minnesota the rest of the way, but some of those options are intriguing. Matchups, fouls and poor play all could further limit the options, but I’m looking forward to seeing how creative Tubby is and which kids step up (after considering various lineups, I can’t find a way to get comfortable with the distribution of minutes without having Sampson, Mbakwe and Iverson on the court together for at least some period of time). I have plenty of thoughts and suggestions for the Minnesota staff, but let’s keep on task: Northwestern.
The Team
Thanks to travesties such as Indiana and Iowa, Northwestern doesn’t need to worry about being in the Big Ten’s basement. However, coming into this season the Wildcats again entertained dreams of finally making it to the NCAA tournament. This past July, weirdo Kevin Coble announced he would leave the basketball program, yet the FIB version of purple Kool-Aid drinkers continued to believe that this still might be the year when ‘Cats would dance.
On Sunday, the Wisconsin Badgers went into Evanston and thoroughly embarrassed Northwestern 78-46 (and it wasn’t as close as the score makes it appear). Now staring at 3-5 in conference play, mere doubts about falling short of the team’s objective is moving close to acceptance for many. The Wildcats do return four starters from last season and, despite how they looked in the second half against Becky, I do not believe they have given up quite yet.
Their six losses have come against quality opponents (@ St. John’s, @ Purdue, @ Illinois, Wisconsin and twice against Michigan State), but there have been exactly zero impressive victories thus far. Arguably the best win this year came at home against a bad Michigan team.
Things to know about Northwestern:
– Shooting: They can flat out shoot the ball (47.4% on the season, although just 43.6% in conference play), including shooting from distance (39.8 3FG%). For the year, their points per possession of 1.12 ranks behind only Wisconsin and Ohio State, although that figure has dropped substantially along with their shooting percentage in conference play. The Wildcats are another team that loves to launch from deep (35.7 3FGA/FGA) and can be tough to keep up with when the shots are falling. Do not be surprised if 50%+ of their field goal attempts against Minnesota are from behind the arc.
– Turnovers: With the ball, their turnover rate of 16.4% is one of the best in the nation. There are no players that have had significant turnover issues this season, including their true freshman JerShon Cobb who possesses an impressive rate of less than 12%. On defense, they are about average when it comes to turning the opposition over and have had some success in this area against good teams (Michigan State and Illinois). No one particular ball hawking specialist, but there are several players who can pick up 2 or 3 steals in a game for this team. The ‘Cats can throw different defensive looks at you and if I’m Carmody, I’m coming after our guards with some three-quarter court pressure at times. With a lack of perimeter shooters, the 1-3-1 may be tough for the Gophers to deal with, but man to man pressure on our youngsters at times might make sense for Northwestern to employ.
– Rebounding: Not an area of strength and in fact still a big weakness when it comes to the offensive boards. Center Luka Mirkovic is a solid rebounder, but there is not much support after him. In their losses, Northwestern has also been unable to do an adequate job of keeping their foes off the glass for second chances. Minnesota should enjoy a nice offensive and overall rebounding advantage in this contest.
– Free Throws: The Wildcats are a solid free throw shooting team, but they do not find themselves at the line often. On defense, most of their players are smart about fouling (reserve forward Davide Curletti being a huge exception), but the Gophers shouldn’t have trouble getting to the line with regularity.
Northwestern is not a bad team, but describing them as much more than “œso-so” is probably a bit much. Prior to knowing Nolen’s status definitively, I had this one pegged as a Northwestern upset and I am going to reluctantly keep it that way. Minnesota still has an impressive front line and an emerging talent in Rodney Williams. We will still be able to beat up teams in the paint. We still have our top assist man. We still have our only three point shooter.
What have we been poor at? Turnovers. Three-point defense. Can it get much worse? We’ll see, but maybe, just maybe, a concentrated focus on cherishing our possessions will help reduce the giveaways. I think we’ll dominate the boards and get to the line as usual. Partly offsetting those positives will be Minnesota coughing up the ball entirely too much. It will come down to how Northwestern shoots”¦ and they can shoot. Especially against what we’ll be throwing at them on defense. My pick: Wildcats by 2.
The Players
#24 John Shurna
I would say, “œShurna is the dorky looking guy”, but that describes most every player in the Northwestern basketball program, past, present and future. Look for the 6’8” unorthodox shooter who appears to have puke all over his neck and face – that is John Shurna. His shot reminds me of people playing Pop-A-Shot ““ the ball stays out in front of him and he almost flicks it towards the bucket. It’s definitely not text book, but it is effective. He’ll need to tally a solid scoring total in order for the “˜Cats to have a chance in this one. 32.4 mpg, 19.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 53.1 FG%, 54.0 3FG% (41.2 3FG% in conference and an astonishing 62.3 3FG% in nonconference games). The junior has been dealing with ankle issues for several weeks, but he’ll be out there playing hurt, unlike a certain skirt-wearing Chicagoland “œathlete”.
#22 Michael Thompson
Juice is a short point guard, standing maybe 5’10″; however, he is a senior with well over 100 starts under his belt. He can both distribute and shoot and does not turn the ball over. Thompson averaged 39.5 mpg, 14.5 ppg and 6.5 apg against the Gophers last year, including a 5/10 3FG performance at Williams Arena. Capable of scoring in excess of 20 on any given night. 35.5 mpg, 13.9 ppg, 4.4 apg, 1.8 rpg, 1.6 spg, 2.2:1 A/TO ratio. Shooting 46.3% from the floor, including 38.4% (43/112) from 3FG range, where slightly more than half of his shots are from.
#1 Drew Crawford
If the sophomore’s face looks familiar, you may be a fan of the NBA ““ father Danny is a long time referee in the league and a favorite of the Dallas Mavericks. Drew is 6’5″ and can score the ball well, including the deep ball. Last year’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year as determined by the media, Crawford is averaging 28.9 mpg, 12.8 ppg, and 4.4 rpg. He is shooting 35.2% from 3FG range, but has been inconsistent, having several rough outings so far this season (including a 0/6 FG shooting performance against Wisconsin on Sunday). He’ll need to contribute, as will Shurna and Thompson, for Northwestern to win.
#12 Luka Mirkovic
Luka is a balding 21 year old Serbian. A 6’10″+ senior, he’ll be wearing a plastic face shield which is actually more aesthetically pleasing than looking directly at his face. Luka’s main priority is going to be making a mark with interior defense play, but that is going to be a tall order for this big lug. He is a solid rebounder who will need to stay out of early foul trouble. Show him no mercy. On offense, he actually can get a little nifty with passes and has some range. Averages 9.2 points and 6.1 rebounds in 24.8 mpg, while sporting a 53.8 FG%.
#23 JerShon Cobb
Fairly long and athletic guy for a Wildcat. Slim 6’5″ kid that should get stronger and produce well for Northwestern over the years. The Georgia product has been starting as a true freshman and has his moments. Averaging 7.9 points (9.6 in conference) and 3.0 rebounds in 24.8 mpg, while shooting 43.1% from the field (15/44 for 34.1% from three). Cobb is a nice addition to this team and has gotten good experience starting with the four returning players.
#4 Alex Marcotullio
6’3″ sophomore guard that will get some run. Scores about 5 points in 20 minutes a night, mostly from deep, where he shoots 35.2%. Marcotullio can pass the ball well and will look to help the big three scorers find open looks.
#30 Davide Curletti
I’m a little biased because the “˜e’ at the end of his first name is stupid and upsetting, but this cat is not good. The junior’s size (6’9″, 240 lbs) means he will get some time against Minnesota. DavidE finds it very difficult to keep his hands off of other men when it is not appropriate to be touching them. This former teammate (high school) of Kalin Lucas is a candidate to foul out in less than six minutes. Off the bench, Curletti has been getting a little under 15 minutes a game. He is essentially just filler, but beware of the occasionally three pointer coming from the big man.
#3 Mike Capocci
Slim senior (6’6″, 195 lbs) has a knack for staying invisible. Doesn’t usually do anything good, but then again, doesn’t do anything too terrible.
Discuss the Northwestern game at Tubby’s Barn Basketball Forum