unf#ckingbelievable
the good news is that NU's offensive execution and energy, and the overall feel of this game, was the complete opposite of the Wisconsin game. the bad news is that they lost anyway. today the purdue sites are using words like "We escaped" and "Survivors" because they know they were outplayed. this was a classic choke job- one of the worst i've seen in years.
obviously, missing 7 of 18 free throws in the second half is not the way to hold on to a lead. the rebounding stats weren't an overwhelming defeat (we're used to losing that battle every night). but when Purdue really needed a board, they just went and got it, as in when Hummel followed his own missed three with under 2 minutes left and tied it with a put-back.
i counted at least 12 missed layup-ish shots, and of course none bigger than Nash's in transition with under 20 seconds left. i've gone back and forth on whether NU should have called a time-out there, and i'm fine with not doing it. but Nash just looked so tentative going down the court that he was probably thinking exactly what i was thinking at that moment: "Shot clock is off, the game is tied, and Jeremy Nash probably shouldn't be taking this shot."
we already knew this, but after JuJuan Johnson's 13-9-7 in just 27 minutes we can finally stop talking about the height and length that NU has added this year. Rowley played just three minutes and is approaching Michael Thompson-esque uselessness. Mirkovic provided good energy but not much help in the paint.
give Carmody credit for the great play call on the sideline out of bounds that got Coble a game-tying layup in the final minute, but otherwise he was out-coached again. Matt Painter seemed to know exactly what buttons to push at the right time, whether it was staying calm, positively encouraging his team, or literally smacking them on the ass.
watching the second half, i kept thinking that as long as NU stayed up by at least 10 they would be OK (it should tell you a lot about the confidence i have in this team that only a double-digit lead is safe.) Purdue cut the lead to eight at 12:48, but NU recovered. Purdue cut it again several times, but the Wildcats maintained that ten point lead as late as 6:51. but when Grant hit that long three to cut it to 5 at 4:59, i should have just walked away. i knew what was coming, and so, apparently, did the Northwestern players: another loss, the third this season in which NU has held a second half lead of at least 11 points.
obviously, missing 7 of 18 free throws in the second half is not the way to hold on to a lead. the rebounding stats weren't an overwhelming defeat (we're used to losing that battle every night). but when Purdue really needed a board, they just went and got it, as in when Hummel followed his own missed three with under 2 minutes left and tied it with a put-back.
i counted at least 12 missed layup-ish shots, and of course none bigger than Nash's in transition with under 20 seconds left. i've gone back and forth on whether NU should have called a time-out there, and i'm fine with not doing it. but Nash just looked so tentative going down the court that he was probably thinking exactly what i was thinking at that moment: "Shot clock is off, the game is tied, and Jeremy Nash probably shouldn't be taking this shot."
we already knew this, but after JuJuan Johnson's 13-9-7 in just 27 minutes we can finally stop talking about the height and length that NU has added this year. Rowley played just three minutes and is approaching Michael Thompson-esque uselessness. Mirkovic provided good energy but not much help in the paint.
give Carmody credit for the great play call on the sideline out of bounds that got Coble a game-tying layup in the final minute, but otherwise he was out-coached again. Matt Painter seemed to know exactly what buttons to push at the right time, whether it was staying calm, positively encouraging his team, or literally smacking them on the ass.
watching the second half, i kept thinking that as long as NU stayed up by at least 10 they would be OK (it should tell you a lot about the confidence i have in this team that only a double-digit lead is safe.) Purdue cut the lead to eight at 12:48, but NU recovered. Purdue cut it again several times, but the Wildcats maintained that ten point lead as late as 6:51. but when Grant hit that long three to cut it to 5 at 4:59, i should have just walked away. i knew what was coming, and so, apparently, did the Northwestern players: another loss, the third this season in which NU has held a second half lead of at least 11 points.
posted by Fire Bill Carmody at
7:55 AM
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