Northwestern University Athletics
Drew's Views
1/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2010
Hello Wildcat Fans!
Winter break is over and classes start again on Monday. We moved from the hotel back into the dorm, and it is good to be back. In terms of having my bed made and getting fresh towels, the hotel was nice, but it's great to see all of my friends back at the dorm. Overall the break was great! It was great to be home for a couple of days to spend time with all of my friends and family, and it was good to be able to focus on basketball without any schoolwork. We had some key wins, but a couple tough losses as well. Unfortunately we started off the Big Ten season 0-2 with losses to Illinois and Michigan State.
Illinois on the road was a tough game in an exciting atmosphere. We led most of the game but they went on a run late to take the lead. We fought back to go into overtime, but they edged us out in the end. It was a disappointing loss considering we wanted to start off conference play on the right foot, and it is always difficult to lose in a close game. They hurt us on the inside quite a bit, with their center scoring a career high, and their forward grabbing 17 rebounds. It's a game that we all wish we could have back considering how close it was, but it is always important to be able to move on from a loss. However, one high point for me in the Illinois game was when I got my first dunk of the regular season. I had one in the exhibition game, but my teammates don't count that because the game didn't count in our record. So by getting a dunk in the Illinois game, I got my teammates off my back who kept telling me that I still hadn't gotten one. After a long trip back to Evanston after the game, the next day we began preparing for our next contest against Michigan State.
Michigan State is a tough team that likes to push the ball and show their strength in the paint. We knew it was going to be a difficult game considering their size and talent, but they ended up coming out on top. We didn't match their toughness, and that is what we will really focus on when we play them in Michigan in the end of January. It is disappointing to start off 0-2 in conference play, but it is good to know that we will have another chance to play both of these teams later in the year. Having played them once, we know how to adjust our strategy to beat them next time.
One of the new experiences that I'm still getting used to is the road game experience. Some trips we go by bus and some trips we go by plane. Most road games we leave the day before the game and shoot around at the home team's gym. Then we spend the rest of the day relaxing in the room before our team meal that night. Each player has a roommate for the season, so we all get a chance to get to know our teammates even better. We play card games, watch movies, and often take naps to pass the time. On game day we get up for a team breakfast, go the the gym for a shootaround, spend the afternoon relaxing at the hotel, and then it's game time. We always travel back the night of the game to make sure we get to classes the next day.
Our upcoming games are against Texas-Pan American (Jan. 7) and on the road against Michigan (Jan. 10). After two losses this past week, we are eager to get back on track with wins in these next two games!
Until Next Time!
