Season Recap: Wildcats Rise to New Heights in 2008-09
4/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 21, 2009
NU Men's Basketball Season Recap (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern's 2008-09 men's basketball season is one that will be remembered for years to come. The Wildcats engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in the country, going from eight wins a year ago to 17 this season and raised their Big Ten win total from one to eight. The 17 overall victories matched a school regular-season record and were just one shy of the top mark in program history. The campaign culminated in the program's fourth postseason appearance in school history and first in 10 years as the 'Cats participated in the National Invitation Tournament.
The determined group showed that it could not only play with but also beat the top programs in the country. This was evidenced by the team's three wins over ranked opponents, matching the 1993-94 squad for the most victories against ranked teams in a season. A 74-65 home victory over Minnesota was followed by a landmark 70-63 win at eventual Big Ten regular season champion and national runner-up Michigan State, marking the first time in school history that Northwestern defeated ranked foes in consecutive games. A 64-61 victory at Sweet 16 participant and Big Ten tournament champion Purdue gave NU two wins over ranked teams on the road for the first time and kept the Wildcats in the discussion for an NCAA tournament bid leading into the postseason.
A number of narrow losses prevented Northwestern from achieving its ultimate goal of participating in the "Big Dance" as six of the team's 10 conference losses came by five points or less. The 'Cats once again made Welsh-Ryan Arena a tough place for opponents to play as they match a program record with 13 home wins. The home-court success was highlighted by wins over NCAA tournament teams Florida State, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio State.
NU took care of business prior to the start of Big Ten play, starting out its season with an 8-2 mark, including the win over Florida State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and a 27-point dismantling of local rival DePaul. The lone two losses came on the road in close decisions to a Butler team that was ranked in the top 25 the majority of the season and Pac-10 opponent Stanford which was undefeated at the time. Overall, Northwestern went a perfect 8-0 at home against non-Big Ten squads.
A tough opening stretch in Big Ten play resulted in the Wildcats starting out 0-4, falling at NIT champion Penn State, at home to Michigan State, at reigning Big Ten champion Wisconsin and at home against Purdue. However, Northwestern refused to fold, responding to win five of its next six contests with the consecutive victories over Minnesota and Michigan State starting the hot streak. The Spartans were ranked No. 7 at the time, marking the highest ranked team the 'Cats have ever beaten on the road.
Tough losses at Iowa and at home to No. 22 Illinois--both in the final minute--and an overtime loss to Michigan cooled NU off a bit, but the team responded to knock off 72-69 Ohio State on freshman John Shurna's 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds remaining. After falling at Minnesota, Northwestern won three in a row. A 22-point win at Indiana was the Hoosiers' largest margin of defeat ever at Assembly Hall before the Wildcats pulled out a Senior Day win at home over Iowa. NU carried that momentum into its ensuing game at then-No. 19 Purdue, shocking the Boilermakers 64-61 on their Senior Night.
A close loss at Ohio State to conclude the regular season and another in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament knocked the Wildcats out of NCAA tournament consideration, but the NIT selected Northwestern for its field. The 'Cats, who were the No. 5 seed in their region, traveled to fourth-seeded Tulsa where they fell just short against the Golden Hurricane.
Individually, Northwestern had a pair of players earn All-Big Ten recognition in the same season for the first time since 1966 as junior forward Kevin Coble was named to the second team and senior guard Craig Moore was selected to the third team.
Coble became the first NU player to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding in each of his first three seasons in a Wildcat uniform. Moore, the most prolific 3-point shooter in Northwestern history, finished fourth in Big Ten annals in 3-pointers made and second in attempts. He wrapped up his time at NU ranked first in 3-pointers made, 3-pointers attempted and games played, fifth in assists, sixth in steals and 12th in scoring. Both Coble and Moore reached the 1,000-career point plateau during the 2008-09 season.
Head coach Bill Carmody led the Wildcats to their seven-game conference win increase, the largest improvement in the Big Ten in five seasons. It is the fifth time in his nine seasons that Northwestern has earned at least six Big Ten wins. Prior to his arrival, NU achieved six conference wins five times in the previous 31 seasons. Carmody achieved his 200th collegiate coaching victory in the Dec. 3 win over Florida State.
To view more notes and season statistics, please click on the PDF link at the top of the page.
