You take the good…
Alright, so as always, let’s start with the good. And the good is, well, Northwestern finally won a basketball game. After three straight losses, including two in games that I really thought they ought to win, the Wildcats finally picked up a win, albeit against going-nowhere Nebraska. First of all, this doesn’t make up for those previous losses, OK. That home game against Purdue is one of those ugly games that good teams pull out, and the fact that Northwestern hasn’t won in the Barn of all places in God knows how many years frustrates me to no end. It’s one thing to lose game after game at the Kohl Center. But, at the Barn? Are you kidding me? Still, while this is hardly occasion for rejoicing, at least Northwestern fans can be happy for once with their basketball team.
Before I get into my thoughts and feelings on the game, let me first confess that I was not there. What? That’s what I imagine you might be thinking. I know, I’m ashamed too. You must be wondering how someone who wrote 500 words about the women’s basketball game last week could fail to be in attendance for a huge must-win Northwestern men’s basketball game. Well, I wasn’t happy about it either. I had therapy, and I must confess that I was too cheap to cancel, and possibly have to pay a cancellation fee. So here we are, I listened to the game mostly on WGN radio and watched the beginning and end on ESPN. I have to say that while I missed being at Welsh-Ryan Arena, there were some humorous tidbits that I picked up from listening on the radio.
First of all, I clearly wasn’t the only one who decided not to show up to the game last night. It was funny, because as I was watching on television, I noticed how sparsely filled the benches that make up the student section were, but then as I was listening on the radio, the announcers went on a tangent about how surprisingly strong attendance was Thursday night. Come on guys, you must have some seriously low expectations. They were talking about how Nebraska fans don’t really travel for basketball games and such, but I was more concerned with the student section. It’s our first-ever Big Ten contest against the Cornhuskers. Whether Wildcats basketball is good basketball these days or not, you’d think students would want to show up for the novelty of seeing a new team at Welsh-Ryan Arena. I certainly was surprisingly excited at the prospect of seeing Doc Sadler pace the purple sidelines for the first time. Instead, after the rare excitement of the Michigan State game, when the stands were packed, clearly malaise has settled back in, and the half-full student sections have begun. It’s a shame to see, but I suppose a return to normalcy is inevitable.
As for the game itself, the radio guys mentioned how Sadler apparently told the press that he was content to give up the three against Northwestern, presumably meaning his team would focus on cutting off the backdoor passes and preventing any hokey pokey stuff from occurring inside the paint. That proved to be a questionable strategy to say the least as the Wildcats drained 14 three-pointers, 14 out of 31, to account for exactly half their point total. Why would anyone give up the three to Northwestern? I mean, they left John Shurna open, they left Alex Marcotullio open and they left Drew Crawford open. If you leave Shurna open behind the arc, he’s going to burn you, every single time. Why they would do that makes no sense to me? The Wildcats specialize in the occasional backdoor pass, but it’s not like they’re going to burn you for 42 points on the backdoor cuts. Plus, time and time again, it has been shown that the best way to stop Northwestern is through tough, physical defense. The Wildcats don’t have the athletes, or the energy given their short-handed lineup, to drive to the hoop consistently, and flourish against tough man-to-man defense. When you give them the three and allow them to dish the ball around the court and have free reign behind the arc, well let’s just say that doesn’t make any sense to me. Also, the radio guys caused me to do a serious double take (I sincerely apologize to the owner of the red Volvo next to me) as I was driving down I-94, when they compared point guard David Sobolewski to former Wildcats sharpshooter Craig Moore. Between the comparisons to Craig Moore and Juice Thompson, I think everyone has gotten a little ahead of themselves, or perhaps forgotten what the Wildcats had. Thompson was a completely different type of guard; he didn’t pass as well as Sobolewski does but he drove to the hole beautifully, something Sobolewski has yet to prove he can do. Every time Sobolewski takes it to the basket, well, more often than not, his attempts get swatted away. Thompson was far more successful on his drives to the basket. And Craig Moore was a pure shooter, whereas Sobolewski has struggled to hit open shots all year long. He finally made three from behind the three-point line last night, which was a relief to see, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he missed his first few, wide-open shots from behind the arc, terrific opportunities that clanged off the rim. That being said, his misses were closer last night and he did drain three-of-eight, so maybe things are turning around for the freshman guard. Certainly, his 15 points last night were crucial, a critical part of Northwestern’s win, as he finally provided the Wildcats with that elusive third scoring option. John Shurna and Drew Crawford were fantastic as usual last night, but they need help, and Sobolewski provided that. Add in the fact that Northwestern drained its free throws, and that John Shurna looked fantastic on his drives to the basket, hanging in the air, and sinking bank shots on the break, and I’m a pretty happy guy. Well done, Northwestern, now prove yourself with a far bigger win at Illinois. Big men, stop Meyers Leonard again, and let Drew Crawford and John Shurna overpower Brandon Paul. And pray that Paul doesn’t have one of those bat-shit crazy games like he had against Ohio State.
You take the bad…
Have you heard about the new Adrian Peterson scandal? He wanted to change his uniform number, and he was told that such a change would cost him, wait for it, one million dollars. So, he balked, and he griped (mainly on Twitter) and now it appears that he will remain No. 28 for the time being. His griping caused quite the backlash on Twitter from readers who apparently didn’t enjoy hearing a millionaire complain about a one million dollar fee. But come on now, guys, just because he’s rich, doesn’t mean he likes paying exorbitant amounts of money, especially not to the people who are making exorbitant amounts of money on him. I agree with Peterson, paying one million dollars to the uniform companies for such a change is ridiculous. A player should be able to choose his or her own uniform number, and change it every once in a blue moon. It just seems basic to me. Now, the issue is that if he changed his number, all of those No. 28 uniforms would supposedly become worthless, but I’m not sure about that. I think they might gain value over time, since we all know how people love retro jerseys, and anything that isn’t available anymore. If he changed numbers, watch that No. 28 jersey gain financial worth over time. And don’t forget how many new No. 23 jerseys would sell, or No. 29, or whatever jersey number he would choose. It would fuel a new storm of Adrian Peterson purchases, as people rushed to buy his new jersey. Because God knows you’re not cool in Edina, Minn., unless you’re wearing the brand-new Adrian Peterson jersey. Honestly, I just don’t get the fuss or the fee. But that being said, come on AP, No. 23? Switch to No. 29. You said your favorite player growing up was Eric Dickerson, so just do it already. Switch to No. 29. And if that No. 23 you mentioned was about honoring LeBron James, I might seriously throw up. Michael Jordan, I’m cool with.
The Facts of Life 