[NU Sports] Sunday Night

[Weinbaum, Willie]

Today's Chicago Tribune game story @

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-spt-0309-northwestern-minnesota-big-ten-tournam-20120309,0,4829708.story

had the following quote (among others) - - CBS analyst Seth Davis tweeted: "Northwestern had 11 chances to beat a top 50 (RPI) team. They won exactly one. There simply is no case."

And for what it's worth, I pass along an observation from an astute basketball observer I know, who watched y-day's game and is not connected to the Cats, but rooted for them:

They played poorly and I think you need a new coach - he doesn't look like he is aggressive enough to get them over the hump.  They need to be more scared of him than the opponent and the whole crew looked scared, resigned, and defeated.


----- Original Message -----
From: Aaron Ament [mailto:aaronsament at gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2012 07:55 AM
To: Weinbaum, Willie
Cc: nwu-sports at tssi.com <nwu-sports at tssi.com>
Subject: Sunday Night

I think there is still a decent chance for us Sunday night.  Maybe I'm just biased, but Lunardi has us just out with Seton Hall and Drexel as the last two in.  I like our chances against both of them.

Seton Hall is a team we beat.  They have lost 10 of their last 15 games and lost to DePaul by 30 points a few days ago.  They beat Georgetown which is a very good win, and WVU and UConn, both of whom were playing terribly for the past month or so.  We have a stronger RPI and the committee will factor in Cobb's injury.

Drexel is a team that has no quality wins.  I guess you can count VCU, who was on the bubble before they played in the conf championship game.  They have a terrible RPI and awful strength of schedule.  They had the opportunity to schedule big games and chose not to this year.  I've followed them some the past few years (Bruiser Flint has always been close to the Louisville staff and I went to a camp 15 years ago at UMASS when he was the coach there).  Last year they went to Louisville and won.  This year they lost at Georgia St, lost at Delaware, and lost to Norfolk St at home.  Northwestern deserves a bid over them.

It's easy for the press to say we don't deserve a bid.  But not so much after they compare us to teams they are putting in...

Sent from my iPad

On Mar 9, 2012, at 1:45 AM, "Weinbaum, Willie" <Willie.Weinbaum at espn.com> wrote:

> Watched first half in Orange County Airport, second half on plane (after missing the first few minutes of the second half because of late boarding). But the DirecTV feed went out (airline announcements took over all of the TVs) from about 3-1/2 minutes left in regulation to when Minn had the ball, playing for a last shot with the game tied.  Talk about agonizing - - not being able to watch during that stretch and to have the feed come back on with the lead gone and Minn having a shot to win.  And Sobo's shot felt for a split-second like a storybook ending.
>
> Overall, it was agonizing, terribly disappointing and wholly familiar.  As is most often the case, big or small picture, Cats have and do enough to get tantalizingly close, but are unable (plagued by not "knowing how to win") to overcome decades of tradition and seal the deal.  Cruel.  Brutal.
>
> Underserving, unfortunately, of an NCAA bid...and I felt as though wins vs Minn and Mich were needed.  When Cobb had the great first half that we knew he had in him and showed what the team was missing for so many games, it felt like this could be a winning night.  But he was matched by the Hollins show.  And there just wasn't enough happening from the guys beyond Shurna, even with all the FTs going in (except for Shurna's).
>
> Too disheartened to get into more specifics.  But I have to remind myself and be appreciative of the thrills of this season and the dedication exemplified by John Shurna and his mates and of the Shurna era's stirring four years.  He, like Billy McKinney, have represented NU with class, humility and excellence.
>
> The team will likely get a profoundly anticlimactic NIT bid and I wish the guys the best and will be watching and supporting, as always...and I hope it'll be a better sendoff for Shurna and more satisfying experience for the whole team than the heartbreaking one-and-done conference tourney appearance.
>
> It ain't easy being a Cats fan, as if we didn't know that already.
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