It was a rough first half against the Spartans.
Northwestern’s NCAA Tournament hopes appear to be fading by the day.
The ‘Cats took a tough home loss to Michigan State on Sunday, falling behind by 19 at halftime and failing to recover the rest of the way. In a 78-68 loss, there were some bright spots, but mistakes and poor shooting overshadowed the glimpses of good play. With the ‘Cats now sitting at 1-4 in conference play, here are three takeaways from Sunday’s performance.
The ‘Cats can’t get big wins unless Brooks Barnhizer is a primary scorer
Maybe this one is a tiny bit hyperbolic, but it’s ringing truer by the game. Barnhizer’s scoring output was lacking for the second straight contest, as he followed up an 11-point outing against Purdue with four points on 2-of-13 shooting against the Spartans. Wildcat fans should appreciate the tremendous stretch that Barnhizer has had to this point, but it’s clear that when he struggles, the rest of the team usually can’t dig itself out of the hole.
Despite 27 points from Nick Martinelli, the Wildcats couldn’t top 70 against Michigan State. The Spartans, an elite defensive team, consistently forced Barnhizer into tough shots, and they often kept the ball out of his hands entirely for long stretches of the second half. Barnhizer’s eight-board performance was certainly impressive against MSU’s dominant rebounders, but for this team to win important games, he has to be active as a scorer.
It’s time to accept that Ty Berry may not ever become the consistent “fourth scorer” that this team needs. It’s true that we’ve seen flashes from players like Angelo Ciaravino off the bench. However, at the end of the day, the onus falls back onto Barnhizer, who has already had to carry a lot of weight this season after the losses of Boo Buie and Ryan Langborg.
The Wildcats cannot afford long-term injuries in the post
Inside depth was already thin entering Sunday’s affair, as Luke Hunger was ruled out prior to the game with a foot injury. After Matthew Nicholson took a hard fall and missed the remainder of the second half, the ‘Cats were down to just Keenan Fitzmorris at center. Fitzmorris played a little bit better than usual, even against Michigan State’s tough bigs, but he was never a threat on offense, which represents a major issue for the Wildcats.
Neither Nicholson, Hunger or Fitzmorris are especially effective on the offensive end, but in situations where Northwestern lacks depth, all three can tire out easily, resulting in even more lackluster scoring production. In close games, that could be a massive problem. It’s clear the Wildcats pride themselves on their defensive ability, but with that emphasis comes a need to be clutch in late-game situations. Without an interior scoring threat, teams will have a much easier time closing out Wildcat shooters on the perimeter, making it all the more difficult for big shots to be had.
Nick Martinelli is here to stay
Martinelli was the biggest bright spot of all for NU, scoring 27 points on Sunday. After an off game against Purdue, the Wildcats were hoping for a vintage Martinelli performance. They got one in spades from the junior, who further cemented his status as a top breakout player in the Big Ten.
Martinelli was the engine of the Wildcat offense against the Spartans, continuing to find creative ways to put up shots. His sneaky interior presence has allowed him to convert tough looks game after game, and impressively, he is still shooting above 50% in field goal percentage on the season. Suffice it to say, Martinelli plays a unique brand of basketball, but it’s a brand that won’t go away during his Northwestern tenure.
The number of times that the Spartans double-teamed Martinelli on Sunday — especially in the second half — goes to show how unstoppable he can be. Early in the season, it seemed many teams were caught off guard by Martinelli’s heroics. Now, teams are gearing to stop him, but he’s still scoring at an elite rate. That dominance — even in the face of defensive pressure — is something that few expected at the start of the season. Major flowers should be given to coach Chris Collins, the rest of the coaching staff and Martinelli himself for facilitating his ability to thrive.