Northwestern University Athletics
Moment No. 9: Men's Basketball Reaches Postseason
7/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
July 29, 2009
The 2008-09 athletic year at Northwestern University was one to be remembered. Filled with a plethora of memorable wins, honors and championships, there was much to be celebrated this past year in Evanston. Be sure to follow along at NUsports.com through August 10 as a look back is taken at just some of the numerous highlights the Wildcats experienced.
Complete Game Recap, Box Score, Quotes and Photo Gallery
EVANSTON, Ill. - Heading into the final week of the 2008-09 regular season, the Northwestern men's basketball team still had itself in position to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament. With three wins over ranked opponents on their resume, including victories on the road against Michigan State and Purdue, the Wildcats put themselves in position to possibly earn a spot in the Big Dance.
A close loss at Ohio State in the regular-season finale and a defeat to Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament dashed NU's ultimate hopes, but the team was still rewarded with its first postseason berth in 10 years when it was selected to play in the National Invitation Tournament.
Northwestern received a tough draw, earning the No. 5 seed in its eight-team region, and was forced to go on the road to take on a talented Tulsa squad. Trailing by 11 with under eight minutes remaining, the 'Cats roared back to within three points.
Kevin Coble and Craig Moore, who was playing in his final game in a Wildcat uniform, scored 17 points apiece, but NU came up just short, falling 68-59 to the Golden Hurricane in a spirited contest that went down to the final seconds.
"Tulsa is a very good team that knows how to win," Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody said. "This year we have had a lot of games that are very similar to this one - very close where we can't quite get over the hump. We have a lot of young guys on our team, so this is a good experience for them."
Northwestern (17-14, 8-10 Big Ten) took a huge step forward during a memorable 2008-09 season despite the loss. With 12 letterwinners, including four starters, returning for 2009-10, the Wildcats hope to take the next step of reaching the NCAA tourney.
