The Knight to Cats Blog
Friday, March 09, 2007
Cats end season on a low note
I'd be lying if I said this was the most excited I've ever been for an NU hoops game. But for some reason you always get a little more geeked for tourny time. And of course for Smoove Timmy D (BHB10) and the boys, its the Big Ten Tourny, opening round style.
Seth felt optimistic before the game, even proclaiming that Izzo was in for a shocker. He felt the upset in his bones. Whether he was lying to himself or truly believed it, who knows, but I figured it would be an asswhooping. We were both wrong.
The Spartans quickly showed why they are Michigan State and we are Northwestern with an early-first half freestyle beatdown. It came from everyone. Goran Sutan on the boards (can this guy really still be there?) and Drew Naught Neitzel from downtown.
By the way, I need to make a rant. One of my biggest disgusts comes when a basketball announcer proclaims after someone makes a deep three, that he shot that one from (a well known area outside the stadium). For example, "Whoa, Neitzel made that one from Michigan Ave." Exageration is ok in announcing, but not when its annoying geography announing. Enough already, we get it.
The Cats made it back to 9 at halftime, enough to make me interested to see how the second half played out. And I gotta give it to the guys, they fought their way back. Doyle dished no-lookers, Moore sank bombs, and Coble was simply Coble, Kevin Coble style.
But in the end it was a freshman who screwed things up. Do we know why he was on the floor? Jeremy Nash threw the ball away down 3 with 11 ticks left. Maybe it was Moore's fault. I don't know, I didn't watch a second of this game.
But I watched it sporadically on Gamecenter, and I think these days, really, thats all you need to do to get a feel for the game.
If we have it our way, that will be Carmody's last game as NU coach. And really this was his worst year, his worst talent level ever. And when a program is slumping 7 years into your coaching resume, and the peak wasn't even an NIT birth, then its pretty clear you better pack your bags and move on. Sorry coach.