Dec. 22, 2004
NU-Robert Morris Game Notes in PDF Format
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EVANSTON, Ill. - "Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays..."
Do not be surprised if you hear the Northwestern coaches and players whistling that Christmas carol as they prepare for Wednesday night's game with Robert Morris. This game is the fourth in a week for the Wildcats, and the first three have yielded some of the same issues that have plagued this particular NU group for a few years now -- invincibility at home, struggles on the road.
Northwestern vs. Robert Morris
Wednesday, Dec. 22 7 p.m. Central
Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston)
TV: None
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; David Kaplan, analyst)
On the one hand, there were wins last week against DePaul and Seton Hall, a pair of major-conference teams, at Welsh-Ryan Arena. In those games Northwestern played aggressively on both offense and defense, seemed to get a rise from the home fans, and finished off a quality opponent.
Then there was Monday's game at Arizona State. What happened in the second half is hard to explain. The Wildcats were down just one, 35-34, after Mike Thompson began the stanza with a layup. In the next 19:30, however, ASU outscored Northwestern by a staggering 55-21 count. The Sun Devils shot 65 percent from three-point land -- including an amazing 8-of-10 in the second half -- and completely overwhelmed a visibly unnerved Wildcat squad.
That brings us to Wednesday's game, the first of this four-game run to feature an opponent NOT from a major conference (Robert Morris plays in the mid-major Northeast Conference). However, NU head coach Bill Carmody knows a game like this has a number of potential potholes.
"I wish we had an extra day between these games," he said. "We traveled back from Arizona Tuesday, and basically had to practice as soon as we got back to prepare for this game. By contrast, Robert Morris (which last played Dec. 11) has had several days of rest."
That said, maybe the quickest way for the Wildcats to forget about Monday's debacle is to get right back out there and play again.
Did You Know?
In the first six games of 2004-05, NU took 314 field goals, and nearly 45 percent of those (141) were three-pointers. In the last three games, that ratio has cut down significantly, to 23.6 (35 three-point attempts out of 148 total field goals). On Monday, the 'Cats established a new low in the Bill Carmody era by taking just 10 three-point shots (making one).
The Series With Robert Morris
Tonight's game marks just the second meeting between the Wildcats and the Colonials in men's basketball.
In the first meeting, played on Dec. 2, 1995, Northwestern earned a 66-46 victory here at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
NU vs. the Northeast Conference
The Wildcats enter tonight's game with a 4-0 all-time record against the schools that currently play in the Northeast Conference. NU's only meeting against an NEC team during the Bill Carmody era occured Jan. 24, 2003, when the 'Cats beat Long Island 70-42 here at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Central Connecticut 0-0
Fairleigh Dickinson 0-0
Long Island 1-0
Monmouth 1-0
Mount St. Mary's 0-0
Quinnipiac 0-0
Robert Morris 1-0
Sacred Heart 0-0
St. Francis (N.Y.) 1-0
St. Francis (Pa.) 0-0
Wagner 0-0