The Wildcats are already in a must win game. It’s only mid-January.
Yikes.
After a blowout loss to Purdue, Northwestern’s situation only got worse. They dropped a game at home to Michigan State, putting the Wildcats at 1-4 in Big Ten play — a tough hill to climb for a team that likely needs double-digit conference wins to make the tournament.
As NU continues its homestand, Maryland is the next team to make the trip to Evanston. The Terrapins stand at 12-4 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten play. Although it’s only the middle of January, this game feels like a must-win for Chris Collins’ squad.
Here’s how Northwestern can bounce back on Thursday night.
Brooks Barnhizer
Before playing Purdue, Brooks Barnhizer was averaging over 20 points per game. His 11-point outing against Purdue wasn’t his best showing and was plagued by eight turnovers. Barnhizer followed that performance with an even worse one: he shot 2-of-13 from the floor, including 0-of-6 from three against Michigan State. This was his first game not scoring in double figures this season. The pair of uncharacteristic performances dropped his average down to 18 points per game.
The problem was that Barnhizer kept shooting against the Spartans despite massive struggles. He had only taken one shot (missed three-pointer) when Northwestern took a 16-14 lead with 13:31 remaining in the first half. In the next 5:32, Michigan State went on a 14-0 run. In that stretch, the ‘Cats took eight shots, five of which were threes. Barnhizer missed four of those shots, including three of the three-pointers. If Barnhizer plays like he did against Michigan State on Thursday, Northwestern’s season may be over before the calendar flips to February. Whether or not Barnhizer returns to form could be the deciding factor in Northwestern’s chances for a victory.
Offensive rebounding and center play
Northwestern posted 14 offensive rebounds to Michigan State’s 10. The Spartans still ended the game with seven more total boards. Part of that could be a result of Tom Izzo’s squad shooting 50% from the field, giving the ‘Cats fewer opportunities to grab defensive boards. The bigger problem is the offensive rebounds that could have been. Northwestern failed the eye test on the offensive glass against Michigan State.
Paired directly with the offensive rebounding is the center play. Luke Hunger missed the game against Michigan State which thrust Keenan Fitzmorris into playing 18 minutes alongside Matthew Nicholson. Fitzmorris only logged one total rebound despite many more opportunities. Two of Maryland’s three scoring leaders are its two rebound leaders: Julian Reese (6-foot-9, 8.8 rebounds-per-game) and Derik Queen (6-foot-10, 7.8 rebounds-per-game). Whether it’s Nicholson, Hunger or Fitzmorris, the ‘Cats need be able to out-rebound the Terrapins. If Fitzmorris plays, he needs to be able to grab rebounds that should be almost routine for a seven-footer.
Let the kids play
It’s been evident for the past few games. Angelo Ciaravino and K.J. Windham should be playing more. Ciaravino logged eight minutes and Windham logged 10, but that was partly due to the ‘Cats being down big for most of the game. However, the first-years each sank a three before halftime and looked to be the spark Northwestern needed to try to fight back against the Spartans. Especially in a game where Barnhizer was struggling, Ciaravino or Windham should’ve gotten some more run.
Against Penn State and Purdue, the first-years started shooting the ball more. Both players shot 2-for-4 from three against Penn State, followed by Ciaravino shooting 8-of-14 from the field and 3-of-7 from three against Purdue.
Northwestern was a three-point shooting team a season ago. This year it’s a different story. With Ty Berry struggling from deep as of late, Ciaravino and Windham should be on the floor more for their shooting. If the freshmen give the team a spark, they should stay on the floor.