Dec. 27, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - Bill Carmody -- who prevailed in numerous David-and-Goliath meetings during 18 years on the Princeton bench -- said the offense made famous by the Tigers could work at Northwestern when he arrived. Now he's got the upset to prove it.
Ben Johnson hit a baseline jumper with 1:23 left, then made two free throws with eight seconds left Wednesday night as the Wildcats stunned No. 16 Southern California, 63-61.
It was Northwestern's first victory over a ranked team in almost two years. The Wildcats (7-5) beat then-No. 14 Purdue on Jan. 27, 1999.
"It sets a tone for what we're trying to accomplish the rest of the year," said Johnson, who finished with 13 points, eight assists and two steals.
"It proves we're capable of playing a team like this and winning."
The Trojans (9-2) had a chance to at least send it to overtime when Brandon Granville made the front end of a one-and-one with 3.7 seconds left. He missed the second, giving the Trojans a chance at the rebound and the putback. But Northwestern's Jason Burke grabbed the ball, and the Trojans had no choice but to foul him with 2.4 seconds left. He missed the free throw, but Brian Scalabrine's desperation heave at the buzzer wasn't even close.
Tavaras Hardy led the Wildcats with a season-high 20 points and four rebounds, while Johnson had eight assists with his 13 points and Winston Blake added 12 points. Northwestern shot 52 percent as a team and never trailed after scoring the first 15 points of the game.
David Blumenthal led the Trojans with 17 points in 35 minutes, while Desmon Farmer finished with 12 points and five assists in 36 minutes.
The Trojans were held to just 42 percent shooting, and it didn't help that Scalabrine was playing with the stomach flu. The team's leading scorer played just 16 minutes and had six points.
"We didn't come out to play tonight," USC coach Henry Bibby said, refusing to use Scalabrine's illness as an excuse. "We played a very patient team tonight. You don't get back on an opposing team when they're up 15-0 and on their home court."
During Carmody's 18 years at Princeton -- 14 as an assistant under Peter Carril, then four as the head coach -- the Tigers have been a terror in the NCAA tournament with their patient and fluid offense. They've scared many a team with their screens, backdoor cuts and layups, and in 1996, they knocked off then-defending champ UCLA in the first round of the tournament. When Carmody came to Northwestern, the offense came with him. Now, he is on the verge of his 100th win as a head coach, in just his fifth season, Carmody has an all-time record of 99-30.
"The offense is a lot of patience, making passes and getting the ball to the right people," Johnson said. "There's no secret to it. It's just basketball."
But done right, it can be deadly. Working the offense to perfection, the Wildcats opened the game with a 15-0 run and never trailed -- though it was tight during the game's final 10 minutes.
Down 38-29 at the half, USC was within four before the 13-minute mark of the second half and was never more than five points away in the game's final 10:37. The Trojans cut the deficit to 59-58 with 2:53 left on Blumenthal's uncontested dunk and a 3-pointer, but Johnson hit his baseline jumper and USC made only one more field goal the rest of the way.
Northwestern, which had 23 assists on its 28 field goals, has already won two more games than it did all of last season. It was the third win in a row for the Wildcats, and the fifth straight at home since a season-opening loss to Arkansas-Little Rock.
"It's a system that works," Hardy said. "Guys are getting more comfortable, and every game we play we get better."