Michigan game goes from a "should win" to a "must win"

regardless of how weak the bubble is this year, Tuesday night's home game is one the Wildcats simply have to win if they hope to stay in the conversation. pretty much the only thing Northwestern has going for it is a lack of bad losses. and i'm writing off any chance for a win in Madison, so the opportunity for big wins is basically non-existent. all we can hope for is a 9-1 finish to the regular season. i'm convinced that's the minimum for NU to have a shot at the big dance. let me remind you that as of today this team is in NINTH PLACE in a far-weaker than expected Big Ten.

but if our Wildcats fall short of the goal this season, it sounds like Northwestern is a lock to make an upcoming tourney, perhaps as soon as next season. the college hoops twitterati was all fired up when today's news hit the interwebs. and they should have been fired up; this is just a terrible, terrible idea. (even the NCAA's rebuttal lended a sense of inevitability to the rumor.)

Bill freaking Carmody has had quite a string of luck the last few months. facing the first REAL pressure in his Northwestern career, his best player and key reserve are lost for the season, giving him a handy excuse for when the team falters down the stretch. (yes, I expect them to falter.) add in the fact that Coble's redshirt year also saves him the trouble of having to recruit an additional player for next year.

and now the tournament might expand, rendering this list (left sidebar) essentially irrelevant going forward. the NCAA would have to add another category to its record book, the way they did when the tournament expanded in 1985. sure, Northwestern would make an NCAA tournament, but that accomplishment would be cheapened. NU will forever be one of the 16 teams who played during the entire 64/65 team era - and one of five original D-1 teams - but still needed an idiotic NCAA/ESPN money-grab to back their way into the bracket.