In Northwestern’s 67-54 defeat to #10 Butler at Welsh-Ryan Arena Wednesday night, there was clearly one thing missing: Kevin Coble.

The senior forward will miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot, taking away his 15.5 points per game with him. Given the vast offensive dry spells against the Bulldogs, the Wildcats needed those points.

Too often, the ball would just swing around the arc of the three-point line, resulting in too many contested jumpers. They never really found a way to establish a post game with either Luka Mirkovic or John Shurna, and they couldn’t really shake free for many open looks behind the 3-point line or create many layups. Point blank, baskets were just too hard to come by.

Some credit goes to Butler, who was playing a tight and physical man-to-man defense throughout the entire night. Nevertheless, Northwestern was never really able to challenge the defense and force the action in the ways necessary.

Butler never really respected Northwestern’s ability to beat them off the dribble, and it showed. The Bulldogs were in the jerseys of Northwestern players all night. No easy buckets, barely any open looks, a nonexistent fast-break game.

Who are the ‘Cats supposed to go to when they are in desperate need of a basket? Mirkovic had a difficult time dealing with the strength of Butler inside, especially Matt Howard. Jeremy Nash was an offensive afterthought for most of the game after a strong first game. Michael “Juice” Thompson didn’t make an impact on the second half until the tail end, when the game was basically decided.

What’s the problem offensively? Northwestern was just too predictable. On virtually every offensive possession, they tried to set up some kind of post-up for either Mirkovic or Shurna, and when Butler had an answer for it, the offense didn’t adjust.

I have no problem with the ‘Cats’ Princeton offense, but when the defense has pretty much figured out how to stop the offense in key stretches, there have to be some adjustments. Coble would clearly help in these situations, where he could create his own shot in ways that other guys on the team just don’t. Instead, you have to find other ways to score when a defense has figured you out.

More pick and rolls and dribble-drive action with Juice would be a start, letting him create for himself and others in the lane. This would force the action on the defense, instead of reacting to what they are doing to you.

Anything that is attacking the rim is good, which was evident in the Northern Illinois game where the ‘Cats lived at the free throw line and were able to create a lot of opportunities outside the arc when the defense collapsed inside. Or, the defense is going to have to create more opportunities in the open court, where Nash thrives, off of turnovers and long rebounds.

Nevertheless, it’s going to be an adjustment without Coble for the whole season. It’s too hard (and early) to try to prognosticate what Northwestern is going to do from here on out without Coble on such a small sampling but a few things will be key to whether they break the infamous NCAA tournament appearance (or lack thereof) streak.

First, they have to rebound better. They let Butler grab 10 offensive boards. When you’re struggling offensively, you can’t give the opponent more opportunities to score.

Second, they can’t let teams shoot 47 percent from the field. The focus of this team really needs to shift to the defensive end, and they need to try to fix the holes in the 2-1-2 zone defense, because Butler really began to exploit the weaknesses, a lot like Ohio State did in the final game of the regular season last season.

Third, get to the line and make the free throws – it should be easy money. When you’re struggling offensively, getting to the line is the surest way to get points, something the ‘Cats couldn’t do with consistency against Butler.

It’s a long season, but this is only the beginning of Northwestern basketball sans Coble.

It’s almost too easy to predict what’s going to happen in a Northwestern football game. The ‘Cats will play one half of tremendous football that makes you step back and think, “Hey, that’s a good team.” Then there’ll be a crucial injury and everything will unravel.

That’s what happened Saturday evening when Northwestern hosted Penn State on parents’ weekend. After leading 13-10 at halftime, the ‘Cats fell apart as the Nittany Lions exploded for a huge second half en route to a 34-13 victory.

Northwestern played without star senior quarterback Mike Kafka the entire second half and sophomore Dan Persa was unable to move the ball effectively down the field. Penn State took advantage of great field position and put up 24 points in the second half.

Head coach Pat Fitzgerald attributes the second half collapse to a shift in attitude and composure, rather than on having Persa in at quarterback.

“It’s about big plays and execution and playing physical and doing it for 60 minutes, and as a coaching staff we’re not getting guys to do that consistently enough, and that’s on us,” Fitzgerald said. “We lost our attitude, and when you lose your attitude, you lose your stinger and you lose your physicality.”

The difference between the first and second half, though, was tremendous. Kafka completed more than 77 percent of his passes for 128 yards, adding 46 yards and a touchdown with his legs. He moved the ball down the field with grace, hitting open receivers routinely and taking off with his feet when there was nothing available.

Persa, on the other hand, was questionable. He completed barely more than 60 percent of his passes for 115 yards, although he did add 42 yards on the ground. While Northwestern converted 15 first downs in the first half, the Persa-led offense could only produce nine first downs in the second half, including two three and out drives.

Although Fitzgerald didn’t blame Persa, the young quarterback put the weight of the game on his shoulders.

“I didn’t play hard enough to get the win, and that’s what matters,” Persa said. “Penn State is a top team and it’s good experience, but it still doesn’t excuse how I played. I didn’t get it done.”

There were some bright spots for the ‘Cats, though. The team showed that it could compete with one of the best teams in the nation, and actually looked like the better team after the first half. Senior wide receiver Zeke Markshausen continued his impressive year, with nine receptions for 60 yards while fellow senior wide receiver Andrew Brewer added 65 yards on six catches of his own.

Defensively, the ‘Cats were fairly dominant in the first half, showing impressive composure in the red zone. After the break, Penn State had little to no trouble moving the ball. Senior quarterback Daryll Clark had only 99 yards passing in the first half, and the Nittany Lions combined for only 37 yards on the ground in the half as well. The second half was clearly a different story, as Clark ended the game with 274 yards passing and Penn State exploded for 163 yards rushing, with three touchdowns on the ground to boot.

The ‘Cats played without star senior cornerback Sherrick McManis, who was sidelined with a leg injury. Sophomore walk-on Ricky Weina played in his place, recording five tackles and a pass break-up after an impressive performance last week against Indiana.

“[Weina] made a couple plays and was in the right places at the right time,” senior safety Brad Phillips said. “I didn’t expect any less because of what he did in practice this week.”

Phillips said that he felt like a “broken record” because of how many collapses Northwestern has had this season.

“We just didn’t do our job in the fourth quarter. Penn State took advantage of us when we didn’t make plays. Teams have been taking advantage of us when we haven’t been doing our jobs appropriately.”

Read our liveblog of Saturday’s game below.

Though it seemed headed towards a blowout loss for most of the first half, Saturday’s homecoming game concluded as arguably the greatest win of the season for the Northwestern Wildcats. On Saturday, the Cardiac ‘Cats pulled off a school-record 25 point comeback to defeat Indiana 29-28.

After trailing from 20 seconds into the first quarter, Northwestern took its first lead of the game with 21 seconds remaining in the game when Stefan Demos hit a 19-yard field goal.

With the little remaining time Indiana attempted to get itself back in field goal range, but a 59 yard field goal try by Nick Freeland fell well short, giving the ‘Cats their fifth win of the season.

The late game heroics of Demos were necessitated because of dismal first half by Northwestern that saw the ‘Cats fall behind 28-3.

“It wasn’t a Picasso, but it’s a win,” said head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

The ‘Cats got off to a terrible start. On the first play from scrimmage, Darius Willis broke to the right sideline for a 70-yard touchdown run, very quickly putting Northwestern in a hole.

Indiana extended that lead to 21 by early in the second quarter on touchdown runs by Ben Chappell and Willis.

“I thought we came in prepared, but we sure didn’t execute very well,” said Fitzgerald. “We were just a little out of sync.”

Finally, getting the ‘Cats on the board, Demos knocked in a 28-yard field goal. The relief of breaking the shutout was short-lived, however, as on the ensuing kickoff, Ray Fisher broke free for a 93-yard return for a touchdown.

Brought to the brink of a blowout, Northwestern responded with 26 straight points over the remaining two and half quarters to steal what seemed like a sure win for the Hoosiers.

“After the long touchdown return,” Fitzgerald said, “we started to play as good of football as we’ve played as a team maybe all year.”

After only completing two of eight passes for 14 yards and rushing once for eight yards in the first quarter, Mike Kafka found success with both his arm and his feet, scoring once on the ground and twice through the air.

By halftime, the ‘Cats had cut the deficit to 11 on a run by Kafka and a brilliant eight yard touch pass that found Zeke Markshausen in the back right corner of the end zone with seven seconds left.

During halftime, Corey Wootton, who got his first sack of the season, gave what Scott Concannon described as a “very emotional” speech. That speech certainly seemed to have an effect on the defense, which held Indiana scoreless for the final 37:46 of the game.

That effect was immediately felt in the third quarter when, after the defense forced a punt from the Indiana 23, Ricky Weina, playing for an injured Sherrick McManis, blocked the punt. Though the ‘Cats were unable to recover the fumble, they did tackle Terrance Thomas in the end zone for a safety.

Indiana threatened to rebuild its shrinking lead, getting down to the Northwestern one yard line. However, a tremendous goal line effort forced a turnover on downs when Ben Johnson brought down Mitchell Evans at the two.

In the fourth quarter, the ‘Cats pulled within a field goal on a 51-yard strike from Kafka to Andrew Brewer.

Thanks to the renewed defensive effort of the ‘Cats, Indiana was forced to punt and stopped on another fourth down try, allowing Demos to nail his second game-winning field goal of the year.

Despite the slow start for Kafka, he finished with 377 total yards, including 312 passing, with three touchdowns. Kafka was however picked off three times, all in the second half.

Fitzgerald said that not all of the blame for those interceptions should fall on Kafka, as one interception was caused by “a breakdown in execution between [Kafka] and a receiver,” he said. “Mike gets the interception, but it wasn’t all Mike’s fault.”

Kafka showed continued rapport with Brewer and Markshausen, completing eight passes to each player for 135 and 94 yards, respectively.

Northwestern may have found its new feature back in Concannon, who averaged 4.6 yards per carry for 74 yards.

Concannon showed great agility and was able to evade defenders with quick direction changes, prompting Markshausen to nickname him “Cut-cannon.”

Surprise, surprise! Northwestern’s defense finally came to play during Sunday’s game at Ryan Field.

Celebrating the inauguration of incoming Northwestern president Morton O. Schapiro and remembering the life and services of former Miami of Ohio and Northwestern head coach Randy Walker, Northwestern pulled out a victory over Miami by a score of 16-6, closing out the non-conference slate for the Wildcats in 2008.

Through the first five games of the season, the story of the Wildcats’ season was the struggling of its acclaimed defense. However, on Saturday it was the offense that struggled while the defense lived up to its billing.

The ‘Cats offense got off to a quick start and it looked like yet another blowout against a Miami team that has lost by an average of 29 points per game. On the first drive of the game, Mike Kafka completed his first three passes to lead the offense deep into Miami territory. Once the drive stalled, Stefan Demos kicked a 46-yard field goal to put the ‘Cats up 3-0. Two drives later, the ‘Cats drove 73 yards on 12 plays to take a 10-0 lead, capped off by a 6-yard touchdown run by Kafka.

Northwestern’s defense looked much like the dominating unit of 2008, shutting out the RedHawks during an uneventful first half in which they allowed less than three yards per play. Despite being without the services of All-American DE Corey Wootton, and later losing FS Brendan Smith to a hand injury during the game, the vulnerable Miami offense gave the Wildcats plenty of opportunities to capitalize on QB hurries and sacks. In total, Northwestern racked up seven sacks for the day, eclipsing the Wildcats’ season total of five coming into the game.

After their quick start, the Northwestern offense, bearing the load all year for the Wildcats, looked surprisingly tame. The coaching staff did away with the screen passes and short-yard plays in favor of mid-range out routes and post routes, trusting the efficient arm of QB Mike Kafka, who came into the game third in the country in completion percentage. However, Kafka struggled in the first half, completing only 10 passes on 19 attempts, and ended the game a mediocre 15-for-31 with one interception.

“We played pretty well on offense, but we’re nowhere near where we want to be right now,” said Coach Pat Fitzgerald after the victory.

“We got the win today, and we just have to learn from this and grow. We have got to get more points on the board,” Kafka said.

The run game was also suspect. Although Stephen Simmons returned this week, he rushed only twice for three yards. The Wildcats had only 128 yards rushing against a defense that has allowed an average of 172 yards per game on the ground. After the game Coach Fitzgerald said, “We have to run the ball better. Our offensive line needs to get better.”

On his personal involvement and play, running back Jacob Schmidt added, “It’s an 11-man operation, and I have to do my part the best I can.”

Coming into the game, Miami led the nation in turnovers, while Northwestern had come off a week where the defense forced six turnovers against Purdue. The trend continued late in the first quarter, when LB Nate Williams picked off a long 4th down conversion attempt. A couple of hard hits during the first half rang the proverbial bell of the defense’s homecoming into 2009 mid-year form, one by Peters that resulted in a disputable penalty and another by SS Brendan Smith against RedHawk QB Zac Dysert to end the first half.

In the second half, both offenses never broke out of their respective funks, as receivers dropped easy passes and the running games were mediocre at best. Northwestern’s defense remained the trump card, however. Safety Brian Peters bobbled and intercepted a pass on Miami’s first drive of the second half, and later recovered a fumble that was forced by LB Quentin Davie. CB Sherrick McManis also got in on the turnover party, notching an interception to his stats in the fourth quarter for his third straight game with an interception. Multiple Northwestern defenders racked up huge tackle and sack totals, with both Williams and SS Brad Phillips leading the way with 12 and 11 tackles, respectively.

Although the Northwestern defense consistently gave the offense excellent field position, the ‘Cats failed to pull away, frequently squandering opportunities in Miami’s territory. Early in the second quarter, Demos had a 40-yard field goal blocked. Two drives later, Kafka failed to complete a pass on fourth and 1 from the Miami 31 yard line. Despite the oftentimes stagnant state of the Wildcats’ offense, QB Mike Kafka did his best to keep drives alive, using his feet to put up yards on the ground and escaping would-be sacks against the RedHawks defensive line and making use of his dual-threat abilities.

DE Vince Browne said, “We still got the win. We still got to him seven times, probably more [...] The sky’s the limit for the defense.”

Miami’s offense, despite being shut out, was still a headache for the revived Northwestern defense. Operating between short and long passes and sprinkled run plays, QB Zac Dysert kept many drives alive with feet, improvising on blown pass plays by running for large gains for first downs. Late in the fourth quarter, Miami’s offense finally broke up the shutout on a 23 yard pass to wide receiver Andy Cruse. However, the ‘Cats defense thwarted the two point conversion and recovered Miami’s onside kick attempt, sealing the win.

With a vaunted Northwestern defense hitting its stride with seven sacks today and 10 turnovers in two games, the question now shifts back to the offense and the coaching staff’s plan against a formidable Michigan State squad that is steamrolling through the Big Ten schedule with gusto. The Wildcats face off against the Spartans next Saturday, October 17th in East Lansing, Mich.

Check out our liveblog of Saturday’s game.

The Wildcats are experiencing a bit of déjà vu. Another Saturday, another early deficit overcome, another fourth quarter lead, another loss sealed by a late turnover.

Northwestern lost its Big Ten opener to Minnesota 35-24 Saturday at Ryan Field. Despite leading 24-21 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Northwestern defense was unable to hold on to the lead.

“It was definitely a rough one because we know we had it,” senior quarterback Mike Kafka said. “We had it grasped, fourth quarter with the lead.”

After trailing by as much as 11 points, the ‘Cats grabbed their first lead of the game late in the third quarter on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Kafka to senior superback Brendan Mitchell. Northwestern relied on it aerial attack for the drive, marching from its own 21-yard line to the Minnesota 13-yard line.

Faced with a fourth-and-two, head coach Pat Fitzgerald elected to go for the lead rather than three points, which still would have left the ‘Cats down 21-20. Kafka found Mitchell in the back-left corner of the end zone, and despite bobbling the catch initially, Mitchell managed to haul in the pass to give the ‘Cats their lead.

That lead simply would not stick for the ‘Cats though, as Minnesota responded to the deficit with a powerful ground attack, supplemented by a 27-yard completion from junior quarterback Adam Weber to sophomore wide receiver Brandon Green. The drive was capped off by a four-yard touchdown rush by sophomore running back Duane Bennett, his third score of the game.

With a chance to take back the lead and steal a win from Minnesota, Northwestern instead faltered. Kafka fumbled twice in final two and a half minutes, including one that Minnesota recovered on the Northwestern three-yard line.

Similar to last week’s loss to Syracuse, Kafka once again had no trouble moving the ball through the air, completing 32 of 47 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns. Kafka has now thrown for over 300 yards in consecutive weeks, making him the first Northwestern quarterback to achieve that feat since C.J. Bacher did it in 2007.

Senior wide receiver Zeke Markshausen, who was Kafka’s favorite target, catching six balls for 70 yards, attributed Kafka’s improved passing accuracy on “his work ethic. There’s no man out there that probably works harder.”

However, with Kafka’s moments of aerial brilliance also came three costly turnovers.

“I think I need to pick my game up a little bit more,” said Kafka. “We left some points out there.”

As strong as Northwestern’s passing game was, the Wildcats’ defense struggled to slow Minnesota. Northwestern surrendered 166 yards rushing, including 89 to Bennett.

The Gophers’ success on the ground stemmed largely from the Northwestern’s difficulty to tackle on first contact. The frequency of missed tackles caused Fitzgerald to describe his team’s tackling as “awful.”

The ‘Cats defense got off to a rough start when on Minnesota’s first drive of the game, the Golden Gophers took only five plays to score. After rushes of seven and nine yards, and passes of 20 and 21 yards, Bennett got into the end zone for his first score of the day from one-yard out.

The Cats responded with a slow, methodical 19-play drive, including five straight third-down conversions, but the offense stalled inside the red zone due to a holding penalty and settled for a 26-yard field goal by Stefan Demos.

In a Minnesota drive eerily similar to the Gophers’ first of the game, Weber made passing connections with seniors wide receiver Eric Decker and tight end Ni Tow-Arnett for 20 and 16 yards respectively, before Bennett punched it in on a three-yard rush. With the four-play drive, the Gophers extended their lead to 11.

Decker and Tow-Arnett almost entirely comprised Minnesota’s receiving options. The duo combined for 13 of the team’s 15 receptions, and 149 of the team’s 186 receiving yards.

After Bennet’s touchdown put Northwestern down 11, the Wildcats wasted no time in responding to the increased deficit as Kafka led a solid passing drive down the field. True freshman Arby Fields got Northwestern its first touchdown of the day with a two-yard run.

Northwestern threatened to score once more to take the lead at the end of the half, but Kafka was intercepted at the Minnesota two-yard line by Kim Royston, sealing a 14-10 halftime score.

“I overthrew him,” said Kafka. “That was my fault on that one. It was just a poor decision.”

“We’ve just got to take care of the football in the red zone,” said Fitzgerald. “You can’t turn it over going in, and you can’t turn it over backed up,” he said, referring also to Kafka’s two fourth quarter fumbles that came within Northwestern’s own 20-yard line.

While war veterans filled the stands to celebrate Heroes’ Day at Ryan Field, junior kicker Stefan Demos was the only true hero on the football field Saturday in the Wildcats’ second game of the season. Northwestern narrowly defeated Eastern Michigan University, with Demos kicking the game-winning 49-yard field goal with 11 seconds left in the game.

Though the ‘Cats can add one more win to their tally, Northwestern’s performance in this non-conference game is a surprising disappointment for the team and their fans, especially after their crushing victory over Towson last Saturday.

Head coach Pat Fitzgerald said this near-loss was caused by “self-inflicted wounds and not continuing to play our style of football [...] We made a lot of big plays, but we also gave up a lot of big plays.”

Ending the first half of the game leading 21-3, the Wildcats seemed destined for a commanding victory. Northwestern’s offense dominated throughout, scoring a touchdown in both the first and second quarters.

Junior halfback Stephen Simmons started out with an impressive game, rushing for two touchdowns and 73 yards. Simmons also returned kickoffs for 108 yards and caught a 15-yard pass.

The ‘Cats final touchdown was completed by sophomore linebacker Ben Johnson. Johnson intercepted an Eagles’ pass and ran the ball 70 yards the other way to score.

Sophomore superback Drake Dunsmore was responsible for 48 of the Wildcats’ 158 receiving yards, the highest for the team today; however, other big names in the ‘Cats offense were far less present in the game. Senior starting wide receiver Andrew Brewer moved the ball only 18 yards today, compared to his 145 yards against Towson. Running back Arby Fields also gained only 5 rushing yards today, compared to 48 yards last week.

Another major disappointment of Northwestern’s game was its defense, especially in the second half. Starting in the third quarter, the Wildcat linemen let the Eagles move the ball quickly down the field with some big rushing and passing plays. This allowed Eastern Michigan to score their first touchdown, bringing the score to 21-10.

Eastern Michigan continued to control the second half of the game, scoring two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The final score by senior running back Terrence Blevins tied the game at 24-24 with 2:40 left.

After receiving back-to-back penalties for holding and pass interference, Northwestern found itself at the midfield line, first down and 35 yards, with 43 seconds left on the clock. The ‘Cats managed to bring the ball to the Eagles’ 32-yard line with 11 seconds left, leaving the game in the hands — or feet, rather — of kicker Stefan Demos.

“It’s a kicker’s dream to kick a game-winning field goal,” Demos said after the game. “I just played my game.”

While Demos and a few others helped save the team from defeat, the Wildcats have a lot of work to do before they begin playing more challenging opponents in their Big Ten conference games.

“We’re going to need to correct these things in a hurry,” Coach Fitzgerald said. “It was a disappointment. We should be better than that.”

Next week, Northwestern takes on Syracuse on the road. Hopefully, there will be more than one hero on the field in New York for the Wildcats.

Check out our liveblog of Saturday’s game.

Fans did a double-take Saturday afternoon at Ryan Field when they saw #19 cut through the Towson defense and streak down the sideline for a 22-yard touchdown, his second of the quarter. No, it wasn’t Tyrell Sutton back for another exciting year at NU — it was true freshman halfback Arby Fields, who amassed 48 yards and two touchdowns in Northwestern’s 47-14 win over Towson University.

Fields was just one weapon in the Cats’ rushing arsenal Saturday. Junior halfback Stephen Simmons bludgeoned his way to a tough 77 yards on 18 carries and sophomore Scott Concannon ran for 32 yards and two touchdowns. Northwestern racked up an impressive 485 yards on the day, 221 of which were on the ground.

Even more exciting was senior quarterback Mike Kafka, who went 15-20 for 192 yards, completing his first seven throws for 92 yards. Known for his success running the ball last season, Kafka found himself more than comfortable in the pocket.

“It felt good. We just took what the defense gave us,” Kafka said. “Our playmakers stepped up and made plays.”

The ‘Cats struck early and often when sophomore Jacob Schmidt found the end zone on a 2-yard touchdown run seven minutes into the game after a pair of Kafka completions to senior wide receiver Andrew Brewer. Brewer finished the day with six catches for 145 yards and a touchdown.

The Wildcats’ next two drives both culminated in touchdowns by Arby Fields from 2 and 22 yards to give the Cats a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Towson struggled offensively on the day against a staunch Northwestern defense that held the Tigers to 65 rushing yards and just 205 total yards. It was only until the last play of the first quarter that the Towson offense was able to move the chains. The Cats’ defense was spearheaded by junior linebackers Quentin Davie, who had nine tackles, and Nate Williams, who had seven tackles. Junior cornerback Justin Vaughn nabbed an interception on the Northwestern goal line to end the first half.

Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald attributed his team’s success to the different halfbacks he employed to wear down the Towson defense.

“They’ve all got different strengths,” Fitzgerald said. “We can utilize what they do well and play to their strengths […] That makes us very difficult to defend.”

The Tigers’ two scores came on a 1-yard touchdown run by Tremayne Dameron and a 33-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver David Newsom.

Towson’s Peter Athens threw 25 times for 140 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Northwestern second-string quarterback Dan Persa went 1-2 for 72 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

North by Northwestern sports writers Peter McGrain, Josh Sim and Farrukh Virani continue with predictions and commentary on the 2009 NBA Playoffs.

East

1 – Cleveland
4 – Atlanta
Peter McGrain: The Cleveland LeBrons — I mean Cavaliers — come fresh off their spanking of Detroit “No Allen Iverson in sight” Pistons to face an Atlanta Hawks team that outplayed the Miami Heat in seven games. Cleveland is too good on both sides of the ball to drop a game to the Hawks, who are good but just outmatched in this series. Cavaliers 4-0.
Farrukh Virani: Come on. Even Joe Johnson’s breakout performance doesn’t keep up with LeBron’s consistent stat bursters. And if Josh Smith misses another dunk, he might as well start his own All-Star competition. Caveliers 4-1.
Josh Sim: The Hawks have absolutely no chance against LeBron & Co. If we could just imagine, though — Josh Smith and LeBron James trading ridiculous dunks throughout the series. If only Smith would look at the scoreboard once in a while. Cavs jog past 4-0.

2 – Boston
3 – Orlando
PM: This series should be a huge letdown following the instant ESPN Classics that were the games of the Bulls/Celtics series. Rajon Rondo’s flagrant fouls will not be enough to steal the series against Orlando like they were against Chicago. The loss of Magic guard Courtney Lee to teammates Dwight Howard’s flying elbows could hurt Orlando, though. I’m going to stick with my gut, since the series against the tough Bulls has exhausted the Boston starters. Magic 4-3.
FV: Orlando isn’t the same team without Jameer Nelson, but Boston is in far worse shape without Garnett, especially after their exhausting series with Chicago. Some may say that the fatigue may kill them, but the Allen, Pierce and Rondo trio has some Irish luck backing them up, also known as their bench. After the way they started stepping up, that help is the key ingredient in the matchup. Plus, the Chicago series was an enlightening and invigorating series. Maybe if Alston had more time and Howard started making some free throws for once in his life? Bye bye, Orlando. Boston 4-3.
JS: Boston barely got by against Chicago’s hustlers and snipers. A worn-out Celtics unit won’t stand for long against a refreshed Magic unit loaded with playmakers and a certain beast in the middle of the paint. Rajon Rondo goes off for another stat-stuffing series, but will also throw in about 3 elbows and 2 shoves to Redick and Gortat. Watch out for Scalabrine, though. He’s shown that he’s only human against opponents 6′3″ and up. Orlando moves on 4-2.

West

1 – Los Angeles Lakers
5 – Houston Rockets
PM: The Rockets, with McGrady sidelined, were able to shake their first-round exit bug. The Lakers dominated Utah, but Andrew Bynum looked pretty mediocre. He’ll have to play better against Houston’s Yao Ming to make this series a blowout, but I don’t think the Rockets can hang with the Lakers for seven games, though it could be interesting. Lakers 4-2.
FV: This is actually their hardest matchup in the West. Houston has a rabid fan base and match up well with the Lakers. Especially with the Rockets bench seeing its best games against the Lakers. The Rockets will put up a great fight as Artest will definitely show a big game and Yao Ming and Scola will definitely have games to remember. But with Bynum back and Gasol at forward, the Lakers are too talented to lose here. Lakers 4-3.
JS: Much like the East’s 1-5 matchup, there won’t be much of a fight put up by the underdogs. Big 7-5 giants can only carry their shorter teams for so long. As quick as this fight will be, enjoy Ron Artest getting manhandled by a certain Kobe Bryant. Lakers in 4-1.

2 – Denver
3 – Dallas
PM: The Nuggets dispatched the Hornets with ease, their first playoff series since Dikembe Mutumbo dispatched the Seattle Sonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder) in 1994 in one of the greatest playoff upsets of all-time (The big man from Congo will be sorely missed.). They face the hot Mavericks, who easily disposed of the San Antonio Spurs, who looked old in their series. Dallas is hot, but Denver is too loaded with depth and can attack from so many angles. Nuggets 4-2.
FV: The Nuggets fans are probably happy to be in the second round for the first time since 1994. Even though the Mavs have been on a roll, Billups isn’t going to let his hometown down. Terry, Howard and Dirk just won’t be able to keep at the end. Denver 4-3.
JS: The two point guards will do outstanding jobs in keeping this close, but Denver will come through more often than not. The lack of consistent big men in the paint for the Mavs will give Denver the edge, and eventually, the series. Mark Cuban = epic fail. Denver wins 4-2.

The NBA playoffs are officially in swing and North by Northwestern is here with predictions. Our writers are facing off in a playoff blog series.

FIRST ROUND

EAST

1 – Cleveland
8 – Detroit
Josh Sim: As if State getting whupped only a few weeks ago wasn’t bad enough, expect a bloodbath to the same degree in this series. Pistons request a bailout. Cavs 4-0.
Peter McGrain: Remember when Detroit scared people? Then they traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson, who isn’t even playing for them. The Pistons end up roadkill under the Cavs’ bus. Cavs 4-0.

2 – Boston
7 – Chicago
JS: With Kevin Garnett most likely out for this series, it’s up to Paul “I’m the best player” Pierce to put the Celtics through. Just hope he doesn’t wuss out with another “knee injury.” Another reason to watch: Joakim Noah and Glen Davis going at it: The two most unorthodox body types for basketball athletes going head to furry ‘fro. May the ugliest one win (that’d be Joakim, far and away). Bulls 4-2.
PM: It may be the homer in me, but I think this could be interesting since the Celtics won’t have Garnett (apparently, at all this postseason). So the Bulls can probably steal two games. Celtics 4-2.

3 – Orlando
6 – Philadelphia
JS: The lack of shooters for Philly will quickly turn this into a laugher. To wit, Orlando’s scrubs will get their most meaningful playing time since their college days. Expect JJ Redick to be the new Darko “Human Victor Cigar” Milicic. Magic win 4-0.
PM: Philly center Samuel Dalembert is going to be Dwight “Superman” Howard’s kryptonite. Or not. Magic 4-0.

4 – Atlanta
5 – Miami
JS: Anytime a team has a player with the name “Zaza,” it’s hard to take them seriously. Hope that Jamaal Magloire, Michael Beasley and Mark Blount take the court together: The sleepiest-looking frontline in these playoffs. Dwyane Wade stuffs the stat sheet in a series filled with athleticism and sloppy defense. Heat move on 4-1.
PM: The Hawks are relevant for the first time since Dominique Wilkins (do kids these days even know who he is?). D-Wade is still going to carry the Heat to a first round win. Heat 4-2.

WEST

1 – LA Lakers
8 – Utah
JS: The glitz of Hollywood versus… Utah. Jerry Sloan & Co. are never to be underestimated, but Kobe’s hungry. He’s like that fat kid without a snack. He needs this. The Jazz will keep the cookie jar away as long as possible, to no avail. Lakers win 4-1.
PM: Three months ago this would have been interesting. Then again, if the Jazz hadn’t played like garbage for the rest of the season they wouldn’t be the 8th seed. Lakers 4-1.

2 – Denver
7 – New Orleans
JS: Chauncey vs. CP3. Nene vs. Tyson. Carmelo vs… The Hornets’ lack of depth inevitably brings them down. But don’t be surprised if CP3 goes en fuego in the Mile High. Denver win 4-3.
PM: Easily the hardest game to predict. The Hornets are much better than the seeding, but the health of Chandler and Stojakovic is a key factor. Denver is talented and deep and Chris Paul probably can’t win it alone. But he’ll come close. Denver 4-3.

3 – San Antonio
6 – Dallas
JS: Watch two dysfunctional Texan teams stumble and crawl to the finish! The Spurs are plummeting faster than stock; the AARP are already calling for Timmy D’s knees. But Dallas might slip up just enough to let the geriatric Spurs keep their hopes barely alive. In the battle of elders, Jason Kidd reigns supreme. Dallas goes 4-2.
PM: This is not the Dallas team of old. They finished hot, but even a banged up, Ginobli-less Spurs should handle the Mavs. Though without Ginobli they may not draw as many “flopped on the ground like a soccer player” charging fouls. Spurs 4-2 .

4 – Portland
5 – Houston
JS: The up-and-coming Blazers, fresh from an era with more arrests than wins, are ready to put a stamp on their playoff homecoming. Meanwhile, the Rockets are still figuring out the playoffs – namely how to… well, win. A personal Northwestern homer-bias: Rockets GM Daryl Morey is an alum. These two cerebral franchises will play it out, chess-style, but expect the Rockets to checkmate the Blazers in the eleventh hour. Rockets by a nose 4-3.
PM: This should actually be a good series, but Houston chokes in the first round, no matter how much they try to blame that on McGrady. Portland is going to be very good in the near future and home court advantage will carry. Blazers 4-3.

The Wildcat men’s basketball team fell to the Minnesota Gophers 66-53 today in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. The loss effectively puts an end to the ‘Cats hopes for an at-large berth for the NCAA tournament.

Senior guard Kevin Coble was the only Wildcat to score in the double digits, finishing with 21 points — including 19 in the first half — and six rebounds. The Wildcats shot 33 percent from the floor, 12 points shy of their season average.

Minnesota held a firm lead throughout most of the first half, leading by as much as 14. Junior Devron Bostick scored 11 points off the bench in the first half to help propel the Gophers early in the game. Aside from three-pointers by senior Craig Moore and freshman John Shurna, Coble was NU’s lone scorer in the first half.

Despite an excellent showing early in the second half, the Wildcats weren’t able to completely overcome the Gophers’ early momentum. A two-point layup by sophomore Michael Thompson in the middle of the second half put Northwestern in the lead -– but only briefly. Minnesota’s Lawrence Westbrook was the top scorer in the second half with 14 points.

Slow starts have been a problem for the ‘Cats all season and it’s a problem that needs to be addressed, especially if Northwestern is invited to the NIT. A trip to the NIT isn’t out of the question for the Wildcats, but Northwestern must now wait until Selection Sunday to learn their fate.

Northwestern’s NCAA Tournament hopes are still alive after a 64-61 victory over the No. 20 Purdue Boilermakers Wednesday night. Junior Kevin Coble led NU, now 8-9 in the Big Ten and 17-11 overall, with eight rebounds and 16 points. Junior Michael Thompson and senior Craig Moore also finished in double digits in scoring for the suddenly surging Wildcats.

Purdue looked to be in firm control of the game, leading by as much as ten in the second half, before Northwestern stormed back to tack the lead with a 14-0 run from the 11:07 to the 3:10 minute mark of the second half. Highlights of that run included a 3-pointer by senior Sterling Williams as well as a nice assist from freshman Kyle Rowley that led to a Jeff Ryan layup. By the time Purdue finally scored again on a lay up by E’Twaun Moore with 3:10 to go, the ‘Cats led 56-52.

Purdue cut the NU lead back down to two with thirty seconds left but the ‘Cats quickly responded when on the ensuing inbound pass Coble found freshman Luka Mirkovic open down the court. Mirkovic made the easy basket to put NU back up by four. On Purdue’s next possession, sophomore Robert Hummel was fouled but he missed a chance to get his team back in the game by missing the front end of a one and one. The Boilermakers had to foul Kevin Coble to prolong the game and after Coble made both free throws, effectively guaranteeing a victory, the Wildcats could celebrate their third win in a row.

The win avenges an earlier loss to Purdue. In the first match in Evanston between the two teams, it was Northwestern who relinquished a big lead in the second half. The NU victory also breaks a streak of seven straight home victories for the Boilermakers and drops their record to 22-8 overall and 11-6 in conference play.

Purdue’s high scorers were Keaton Grant and Moore, who each had 14 points.

The ‘Cats big comeback bolsters their claim to an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. If Northwestern can defeat Ohio State Sunday night and then win one to two games in the Big Ten Tournament, the NCAA selection committee will have to give the Wildcats serious consideration as NU can point to impressive victories over Florida State, Michigan State, Minnesota and now Purdue as evidence that they deserve to play on CBS come mid-March.

Despite struggling for the first 39 minutes in what was likely his last game at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Senior Craig Moore made his shots when it mattered most in Sunday’s 55-49 win over Iowa. With 1:02 to go and NU leading by just two, the ‘Cats senior leader nailed a three pointer to increase the Northwestern lead to five. Then, after Iowa scored on its next possession to cut the lead back to three, Moore calmly swished two free throws to secure NU’s seventh conference victory and sixteenth win overall. After the free throws, the student section exploded into chants of “just like football,” a reference to the Northwestern football team’s 22-17 victory over Iowa in the fall.

Moore, who cried during an emotional pre-game ceremony honoring him and fellow seniors Marlon Day, Patrick Houlihan, and Sterling Williams, finished the game with 11 points. He had been just 1-10 shooting behind the arc before he made the three pointer with 1:02 left to play.

Despite the heroics provided by Moore, the ‘Cats player of the game had to be junior Kevin Coble. Coble just missed registering a double-double, collecting nine rebounds to go with 16 points. Coble, who even had three blocks, made a jump shot that ultimately put Northwestern up for good with 4:20 to play. Junior Michael Thompson also contributed significantly with four assists and 14 points. Thompson made three straight three pointers in the second half that helped NU seize back control of the game just when it appeared the momentum was swinging to the Hawkeyes.

However, it was the ‘Cats defense which truly enabled them to avenge their February 7 loss at Iowa. During the last 4:32 of the game Iowa scored just two points and those came on a largely uncontested layup where the ‘Cats where primarily concerned with not fouling and stopping the clock. NU also kept Iowa guard Jake Kelly, the game’s high scorer with 23 points, from getting off a single shot during the last four minutes of the game.

Iowa, who has not won a Big Ten road game this year, falls to 14-15 overall and 4-12 in conference play. The ‘Cats are now 16-11 overall and 7-9 in the Big Ten. The victory all but ensures that Northwestern will receive a bid to at least the NIT. The ‘Cats could still make the NCAA Tournament if they win their remaining games against road opponents Purdue and Ohio State and then win two to three games in the Big Ten Tournament. If NU does fall short of the NCAA Tournament, it is possible that Moore and the other seniors could play another game at Welsh-Ryan because NIT games are played at teams’ home sites for the first few rounds of the tournament.

In what was easily the team’s poorest showing since they were blown out on Jan. 7 at Wisconsin, Northwestern got demolished by the Minnesota Gophers, a team that the ‘Cats defeated earlier in Evanston. The Northwestern offense was unable to do much against a stifling Minnesota defense. The Gophers held the ‘Cats to just 30 percent shooting from the field and in the first half kept Northwestern from scoring for two different stretches longer than four minutes. Northwestern stars junior Kevin Coble and senior Craig Moore were held to five and three points respectively. It was Moore’s lowest point total of the season and the second lowest for Coble, who recorded just three points in an earlier loss at Butler.

In contrast, Minnesota was hot all night offensively, shooting over 50 percent from the field and making seven three pointers. Junior Lawrence Westbrook, a cousin of Philadelphia Eagles star Brian Westbrook, led the Gophers with 17 points.

The ‘Cats, who have suffered from a recent bout of illness, lacked energy from the start of play. Unfortunately, they were matched up against a spirited Minnesota squad playing for its NCAA Tournament life. The Gophers out-hustled Northwestern to every ball, out rebounding the Wildcats 36-18. Whether because he was dismayed at the lack of effort or because he realized that the game was out of reach and thus not worth the risk of injury, Northwestern coach Bill Carmody benched many of his regulars for a majority of the second half. Coble and Moore played less than 25 minutes each.

Northwestern, now 14-11 overall and 5-9 in Big Ten play, travels to Indiana to face the Hoosiers on Wednesday night. The Gophers, 20-7 and 8-7 in the conference, will next play Thursday night at Illinois.

Correction 10:04: The article originally stated that Northwestern lost 72-54, not 72-45.

Freshman John Shurna hit a game-winning 3-pointer from the corner with 3.3 seconds left as the ‘Cats overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat Ohio State 72-69. Junior Kevin Coble led the ‘Cats with 26 points while senior Craig Moore rebounded from a couple of poor recent showings with a 23-point night.

The ‘Cats played a lackluster first half but a 3-point-play from freshman Wildcat Kyle Rowley kick-started a 21-9 run in the second half’s first 10 minutes.

Northwestern led 69-64 heading into the final minute, but a 3-pointer from Ohio State’s William Buford and a layup from Jon Diebler — the Buckeyes leading scorer with 28 points — tied the game at 69. With late collapses in the previous two games against Illinois and Michigan, the ‘Cats had to be a little worried that their second-half ghosts were about to make another appearance.

But this time Northwestern came through under pressure. Junior Michael Thompson found Shurna in the corner, who calmly swished the 3-pointer to give Northwestern a three point lead. The clock ran out before the Bucks could attempt a last shot to tie the game and the ‘Cats (14-10) could celebrate their fifth conference win.

Ohio State will head back to Columbus knowing that, with their next three games against Illinois, Penn State and Purdue, their NCAA tournament hopes hang in the balance.

The ‘Cats will try to continue with the role of spoiler when they take on the Minnesota Gophers on Sunday night in Minneapolis. At 7-6 in Big Ten play, the Gophers are currently on the bubble and need to defeat Northwestern if they hope to avoid the NIT come March.

Junior Kevin Coble hit an improbable, off-balanced three-point shot with 21 seconds left to send the game into overtime, but couldn’t stop the ‘Cats from losing their third straight game as the Wolverines outscored NU 14-11 in the extra period to defeat Northwestern 70-67.

The Wolverines were led by sophomore Manny Harris, whose heroics gave Michigan the edge in a back-and-forth game. Harris scored 26 points, 8 of which came in the overtime period. Early in the second half, Harris went on 9-0 run by himself in a less than two-minute stretch. The Detroit native’s run turned a 29-25 Northwestern lead into a 34-29 lead for the maize and blue.

The ‘Cats top scorer was Coble, who finished with 23 points. Freshman John Shurna also had a big game with 17 points and 8 rebounds. However, the extra offense Shurna produced could not offset the offense lost by senior Craig Moore. Moore had his lowest point total of the season with just six points. It was the second straight poor offensive showing for Moore, who scored only eight points in Thursday’s loss against Illinois. Prior to Sunday, the senior was averaging 15 points per game.

The student section also made a poor showing, perhaps suffering from a hangover after the heartbreaking loss against the Illini. The section only filled up half way and was frequently out cheered by a contingent of about 50 Michigan students that made the trip from Ann Arbor.

Michigan improves to 16-10, 6-7 in the Big Ten. With wins over UCLA and Duke and a close lose at UConn, they are a bubble team and with a good close to the season could find themselves in the NCAA Tournament.

The loss puts Northwestern at 13-10 overall and 4-8 in conference play. To have a realistic shot at an at-large NCAA Tournament invite the team will likely have to win all six of its remaining games. The ‘Cats will get their next shot at a victory Wednesday night, when they play host to Ohio State. The Buckeyes, who are coming off a loss Saturday night in Wisconsin, are 7-5 in the Big Ten.