Northwestern University Athletics
NU-Illinois Set To Go For Wednesday
1/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 13, 2004
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EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern men's basketball coach Bill Carmody was typically understated when asked whether Saturday was the most satisfying day of his tenure with the Wildcats-and maybe even his entire career as a head coach.
"I do not know about any of that stuff," he answered. "I will say this, though: Saturday was a good day."
Saturday was indeed a day that would leave most coaches with a smile on their faces.
To start, Carmody's Wildcat squad shook off a four-game losing streak with an emphatic, 77-68 win over Iowa. The victory-NU's first conference road win in two seasons, and its first in Iowa City since 1994-contained all the ingredients that Carmody considers essential to his team's success.
Balance: The Wildcats had four players in double figures, and another-senior Jitim Young-score eight points. Beyond that, the shot distribution was also evident. Vedran Vukusic and T.J. Parker led NU with 12 shots each, but three other players had at least eight shots. Six players had at least two assists.
Aggression: That was the thing that Carmody commented on following the game: "I felt like our energy level was good at Iowa," he said. "We were aggressive and took the game to them instead of letting it come to us." Offensively, guards Parker and Mohamed Hachad looked to shoot more, which seemed to energize a Wildcat offense that had stagnated in the previous two games. Defensively, NU befuddled Iowa with a series of aggressive zone defenses and came up with 12 steals, one shy of its season high.
Offensive IQ: Northwestern turned the ball over 12 times, but never had any "bad" turnovers. Shot selection was also excellent, and well-distributed (20 of the Wildcats' 55 shots came from beyond the arc). Few shots were forced throughout the day, so not surprisingly the 'Cats shot better than 50 percent. Finally, NU had 22 assists on its 29 buckets.
Following the victory, Carmody entered the coaches' room to more good news: Michael Thompson, a former McDonald's All-America, would be coming to Northwestern. Thompson-a 6-foot-10, 245-pound center-has been at Duke the last two years but enrolled in classes Monday and will be eligible next year following the submission of grades next fall term.
With the euphoria surrounding the program in recent days, Carmody is careful not to look past tonight's game with cross-state rival Illinois. Despite the Illini's loss at home to Purdue over the weekend, he still considers them among the elite in the Big Ten.
"From what I have seen, Illinois is very fast and plays very good defense," said Carmody. "They also have good balance, with five guys scoring in double figures.
"Their program is at such a place right now that the expectations are high, despite the fact they have a new coach and they lost the best player in the conference."
What would Carmody like to see from his team tonight? How about a repeat of Saturday's performance?
That would make Wednesday a good day.
GAME 14
Northwestern (6-7, 1-1 Big Ten) vs. Illinois (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten)
Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2004 * 7 p.m. CST
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117) * Evanston, Ill.
THE COACHES
Northwestern: Bill Carmody, 4th season at NU (45-56); 8th season overall (137-81)
Illinois: Bruce Weber, 1st season at Illinois (10-3); 6th season overall (113-57)
TV: ESPN Regional (Wayne Larrivee, play-by-play; Shon Morris, analyst)
RADIO: WGN Radio 720 AM (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; David Kaplan, analyst)
Northwestern vs. Illinois
* Tonight represents the 150th meeting between Illinois and Northwestern in men's basketball, with the Fighting Illini leading the series 116-33.
* Illinois has won eight in a row in the series.
* NU's last win over the Illini in Evanston came on Feb. 12, 1994 (79-68); Illinois has won seven in a row here since then.
* Illinois is one of just two Big Ten teams NU head coach Bill Carmody has not beaten; he is 0-5. Ohio State is the other school.
