Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Will Tangle With Cougars Saturday
12/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 3, 2004
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EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern men's basketball team is in uncharted waters during the four-plus years of the Bill Carmody era, having lost four straight games after winning the season opener on a buzzer-beater by T.J. Parker.
Northwestern vs. Chicago State
Saturday, Dec. 4 * 7 p.m. Central
TV: None
Radio: WGN 720 AM and XM Satellite Radio 187 (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; Shon Morris, analyst)
On paper, a winless Chicago State team at Welsh-Ryan seems like just the remedy to cure what ails the Wildcats. However, Carmody is smart enough to know that, at this point, there is no such thing as a "gimme" game.
"What we need to do is come closer to playing to our potential," he said. We do not want to completely ignore our opposition, but right now our focus needs to be on us and how we play. What makes this game scary, as much as anything, is the fact that we have not proven we can beat anybody; until we start playing well, there are no easy games."
Northwestern is off for 11 days following tonight's game, with the University's reading period and fall-term exams coming up next week. The Wildcats will be a different team the next time they take the floor -- against DePaul on Dec. 15 in a nationally televised game on ESPN2 -- as Duke transfer Mike Thompson, a McDonald's High School All-America, makes his NU debut.
More pressing, however, is the task at hand Saturday night. Northwestern did a lot of things to keep the game close against 24th-ranked Virginia in Wednesday's home opener, but unfortunately the final result was a four-point Cavalier victory as the Wildcats continued to do the things that have plagued them during this skein--miss open shots and give the ball away. NU shot 37 percent from the field and committed a season-high 16 turnovers.
"I just do not think we look like a veteran team right now," said Carmody after the contest. "We look out of sync; just the carelessness and the careless passes. You can't win games like that, and that is what has been extremely disappointing."
One bright spot has been the play of junior forward Vedran Vukusic. He led all scorers with 16 points and added a team-high six rebounds and five assists. That came off a stellar performance at Colorado last Sunday, when he finished one point shy of a career high with 25 points and snared nine boards.
Ask Carmody what needs to be done to turn things around, and his answer is quick and succinct.
"I do not think it is the teams we are playing," he said. "It is kind of like what one of my brothers would say: `well, you are 1-4, so get the heck better.' That is what we need to do."
Did You Know?
• When Northwestern junior guard T.J. Parker missed a free throw late in Wednesday's game against Virginia, it ended a streak of 17 straight foul shots he had made in games at Welsh-Ryan.
• Speaking of free-throw streaks, Wildcat junior forward Vedran Vukusic has hit 10 in a row during the last three games.
The Series With Chicago State
Tonight's game represents the sixth meeting between the Wildcats and the Cougars in men's basketball -- all in Evanston -- with NU holding a 5-0 lead. This is the second time a Bill Carmody-led Wildcat team has faced Chicago State; the 'Cats defeated the Cougars 80-42 on Nov. 24, 2001, and 76-60 last year on Nov. 23.
Northwestern vs. The Mid-Con
The Wildcats enter tonight's game with an 18-6 all-time record against the schools that play in the Mid-Continent Conference. NU is 2-1 against the Mid-Con under Bill Carmody -- in addition to their wins over Chicago State, the 'Cats were also pinned with a loss by IUPUI last year.
Centenary 0-0
Chicago State 5-0
IUPUI 0-1
UMKC 0-0
Oakland 2-1
Oral Roberts 0-0
Southern Utah 0-0
Valparaiso 8-2
Western Illinois 3-2
Northwestern at Home
After starting the season with four road games -- a first since 1915-16 -- the Wildcats are at home for eight of their next nine; today's game is the second in that run. NU has not lost consecutive nonconference home games in the Carmody era.
