[NU Sports] NIT here we come

[cherron604 at aol.com]

Jeff makes the larger point here:

"The season will ultimately depend on NU learning how to play the last
eight minutes or so of close games when the talented teams (italics added) will almost
always make a run."

Implying that we are NOT a talented team (i.e. our talent level is consistently lower than that of our conference mates). A sentiment with which I think most of us would probably agree.  Meaning that since the conference is a large part of our season, we either need to a) get comparable talent, or b) find a different conference.

Gary Barnett, Randy Walker and Fitz have all shown that getting comparable talent to our conference mates is possible in football, it appears to be possible in a lot of our other sports as well.  Clearly we cannot (yet) get boatloads of football talent like Penn State or Ohio State, but it appears that we can get talent that is at least competitive with top-tier programs (Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State).

So the question turns to Men's Basketball - either we can get comparable talent, or we can't.  If we can't get comparable talent, then being in the Big Ten dooms us to decades of failure.  If we are capable of landing (and/or developing) comparable talent, then why haven't we done so ?  Do we believe as a group that Bill Carmody has recruited or developed sufficient talent to compete succesfully in the Big Ten ?

I know that we have had injury problems, but injuries are a fact of life, all programs deal with them.  We have to answer the following questions:

1. Can Northwestern men's basketball obtain or develop talent that is at least comparable to that of its conference opponents ?  If the answer is 'yes',

2. Has Bill Carmody obtained (or developed) sufficient talent to compete in the Big Ten ?  If that answer is 'yes',

3. Why have we not competed succesfully in conference ?  If the answer to question 2 is 'no',

3. When do we expect Carmody to start obtaining and developing sufficient talent to compete succesfully in the Big Ten ? 

Winning all or almost all of your n-c games, and hoping for a few wins at home in conference, is no way to build a D-1 men's basketball program.  If we can't compete succesfully in the Big Ten (competitive with every team that we face), then we have to ask why are we trying to do it.  If the program is capable of Big Ten competitiveness, then we have to ask why hasn't it happened ?

Chuck Herron   Tech '85






-----Original Message-----
From: Beamsley, Jeff <Jeff.Beamsley at covisint.com>
To: hakirsch at aol.com; Eric West <e-west at northwestern.edu>; nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com; nwu-sports at tssi.com
Sent: Thu, Jan 14, 2010 9:51 am
Subject: RE: [NU Sports] NIT here we come


Seems to me that this team is still finding itself.
We demonstrated that we have the ability to ride a hot hand, but as the
ame against Wisky demonstrated, we don't seem to be able to find a plan
 on offense when the outside shots and free throws aren't falling.  We
lso don't seem to be able to adjust our defense to react when someone
n the other side heats up.
The big risk to our strategy of slow low scoring close games is that the
ther team gets hot at the end, and we are unable to respond.
The season will ultimately depend on NU learning how to play the last
ight minutes or so of close games when the talented teams will almost
lways make a run.
Jeff
  

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From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com]
n Behalf Of hakirsch at aol.com
ent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 10:33 AM
o: Eric West; nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com; nwu-sports at tssi.com
ubject: Re: [NU Sports] NIT here we come
Well I can say I'm hopeful,but not optimistic about making the tourney
We are losing the games we thought we would lose but I worry that we
on't win the ones we thought we would win. As Eric pointed out anything
an happen in hoops and to assume that we have any gimme wins in
onference is a stretch. We will likely lose some of those and since our
nternal projections have us on the bubble we will definitely need some
hat we haven't penciled in for wins
Harry
-----Original Message------
rom: Eric West
ender: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com
o: nwu-sports at tssi.com
ubject: Re: [NU Sports] NIT here we come
ent: Jan 14, 2010 7:10 AM
And the ridiculous roller coaster continues. Not the team, but the
eactions of the fans.
Preseason...we're going to make the tournament!
oble injured...we'll be lucky to win any games at all.
fter non-conference...we're ranked and on top of the world!
 few losses to RANKED teams...we're the worst team ever, and somehow
aking the NIT would be a disappointment.
Seriously, just last night UConn lost at home by ten to a ranked team,
nd their record is worse than ours. Are they similarly doomed to the
IT?
It's college basketball, people. Multiple losses happen, even to great
eams. I've no idea how NU will end up, but don't you think it would
ake sense to wait and see how we fare against the middle of the league
not to mention in rematches)? Or is it just more fun to give up? (At
east until the next win, after which we'll be OMG SOOOO GREAT....)
Emotional responses are fine, but let's not pretend there's anything
nalytical or insightful going on here. I remain glad that no one on
his list is in a position to make decisions for our athletic
epartment.

ric West
-west at northwestern.edu
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