[NU Sports] Beating the Illini never gets old

[Tom Maycock]

Let's not forget that the Cats played very well throughout the non-conference schedule, including a very nice effort against Creighton on the road. Sure, they didn't play well against Baylor, but Baylor's just in another league from a size and athleticism standpoint. 

The Cats had a bad game against OSU, a bad half against Wisconsin, and a ridiculously poor shooting night against Minny. Aside from that, they've been in every game. Sure, the reasons for the close losses were frustrating--long stretches of not scoring, missed free throws, and so on. But the effort was always there, especially given how short-handed they've been since Cobb has been out. 

They've been a little bit unlucky not to at least be 5-5 in the Big Ten, and could easily be better than that.

As I said a while back, my suggestion is to just enjoy the ride. I predict more depressing losses, some easy, expected wins, and a victory or two that no one expects. 

Finally, obviously Hearn's performance early was a big deal, as was Shurna's incredible determination in the second half, but I think a big key the last two games has been the fact that Sobo's finally been draining some shots. He was in a brutal stretch there where absolutely nothing was going in--including some easy layups. Finally, he started dropping some against the Huskers, and looked much more confident against the Illini. He's not putting up a lot of points, but when you add a few baskets to all the other things he's doing out there, it goes a long way.

Tom