Man. This is getting painful. Northwestern appeared to finally be over the Big Ten hump as they dominated #19 Purdue in Evanston holding a commanding lead through the first 30 minutes. The Boilermakers staged a furious rally to come from 14-down and managed two free throws (including a bank shot) with 2.2 seconds to go to steal one at Welsh-Ryan. Purdue moves to 13-4 (2-2) while NU drops to 8-6 (0-4).
The Eternal Optimist:
NU proved it has the troops to compete with the top 20 caliber teams. They dominated the game, overcame poor FG shooting with stellar 3-point shooting and simply needs to develop the put-the-game-away finishing touches. After the Wisconsin blowout, NU proved it will not be an easy out.
The Frustrated Cat Fan:
NU has cornered the market on losing. Big leads blown by no rebounding, blowout losses, heartbreakers at home - you name it, we can do it. NU has no mental fortitude to know how to win and we play not to lose when we are in the lead.
The Carmody Must Go Fan:
OK, enough is enough. We have now lost 21 of our last 22 conference games and simply have developed a culture of not knowing how to win. The fact this is year nine of the Carmody Era makes losses like this unacceptable. Yes, Purdue has more talent and yes they are a top 25 team, but when you have a 14-point second half lead at home and can't close the deal I can no longer believe.
You make your own call. Click here for the recap.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
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14 comments:
I can't get past the one-sided officiating in this home game. PU got a boost and NU got jobed! Jeff Ryan's hard foul should have given PU a three - point play opportunity, not a 6-point play opportunity. MT gave a PU three free throws by touching the shooter's elbow (good call) - Craig Moore gets tackled taking a three point shot - no call. Also, Craig Moore trying to run around a screen to cover a three point attempt was decked - no call. That was not a good screen - the PU player used his hands and forarms to put Craig on the floor. The final foul on Moore should have been a no call. Time to ask the conference to review that officiating job!
Carmody...Head...Now!!!
I know you don't want to pin this on him, but either we recruited "soft" players or his motivational skills are awful. He was out coached down the stretch and I've had more than enough of him. This team is lacking something that other teams have and it has to be blamed on the coach. I don't know if I want to pay for another year to watch him kicking and fidgeting on the sidelines.
LansingCat...I actually thought this was one of the better officiated games, although I think the refs we get are HORRIBLE. They were equally bad both ways tonight. The intentional foul on Jeff was ridiculous and the missed call when Craig got leveled was inexcusable.
NU has had reason to get call out the officals many times in the past as I beleive W-R is the only place in the Big Ten the home doesn't get an advantage, however, tonight I thought we got some calls. Trouble is the call we most needed was at the end when they called the foul on Moore. Interesting note, the ref who called the foul was a guy I've never seen before. The two vet officals (Hightower and Valentine) didn't move to make a call on that play at all. They seemed be giving at the classic, "we call no fouls in the last 5 seconds" approach.
You guys deserved this one. We are simply a bad team right now. Showing up for 4-5 minutes does not warrant a win. The refs were equally terrible in this game, with some really blatant calls going both ways.
I really hope that NW can get over the hump this year an be competitive as they have some really solid players. I'm a big Coble fan and I like what the 'Cats bring to the conference. All in all, I hope you beat every other team in the Big Ten at least once!
When I was talking to Jim Phillips earlier this month I had to try really hard to keep from begging him to fire Carmody when he starting talking about "trying to bring the same level of success and excitement to basketball as they had down in Ryan Field."
I know we're kind of scapegoating the guy but for the money we're paying him I would hope for some results at some point. ugh.
Oh well, let's just take it out on the Gophers again shall we?
I admit, I didn't see the entire game as I was tracking scores on my phone, but the last three minutes were just sad. Much as I want a new coach, we couldn't have done much at that point. How we miss a lay-up (and a rebound) with a 3 on 1 fast break that could almost seal the game, I'll never know.
you said it all: "lost 21 of our last 22 conference games" and "year nine"
NU always talks about wanting respect in Big10/BCS football. well, find me one of those major athletic programs that would keep its coach after consistent failure like this on the basketball court.
i hope Jim Phillips is compiling a list of candidates now so that we can act swiftly as soon as the season is over.
I agree that the officiating was equally bad both ways. There were two kicked balls that led to turnovers and Northwestern points that were no calls. The officials would also call a ticky-tack foul one moment and miss an assault the next.
hey - at least our Women's Tennis team is #1 in the country! YAAAH!
I didn't realize Carmody had been there nine years. goodness. Yeah, any power conference that doesn't make the tourney in a decade (yes, I realize for NW it's forever) would have to look seriously at their coaching situation.... and I don't care how limited a bball history you have -- this kind of nonprogress has to be unacceptable. And what's the risk? How much worse could it get if you guys fired Carmody and shook things up?
There has got to be an up and coming young coach who would love a shot in a power conference to build a tradition.
And the thing is, NW clearly isn't THAT far away from winning... they're no where near the terrible hoops teams of the '90s -- they have actual talent, and it's being wasted.
LTP,
You see Chris Hinton got inducted into the NU HOF? Your stuff worked!
And new info on a GREAT new recruit!
At the old Cat Chats at Wolfgang Puck's in Evanston, Carmody always talked about needing shooters and guys who like to mix it up in the paint. Now he's got them, but he's not winning. Perhaps he needs a new system for the players he has. The slow-tempo Princeton offense (though modified quite a bit lately) doesn't seem like a good fit for Coble,Moore, Rowley, Shurna and Juice.
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