Nevermind that 7-0 start against creampuffs (possibly GA Tech not included). Last night's embarassing loss to a mediocre St. John's team exposed what we all knew... NU's interior defense is non-existent. Thoughts of sniffing the tourney this year were dashed in my mind. When we get to conference play, I have a feeling that our Big 10 Bretheren will enjoy posting up Luka Mirkovic all day long. NU will live and die by John Shurna's 3 pointers... that's no way to win consistently.

Call me a broken record, but Bill Carmody's "genius" Princeton offense is not enough to take this program to the next level. You need to recruit a better quality athlete and Carmody is not the guy to do it.

Todd Lickliter is available.

That really is a terrible loss. Northwestern needs to go 10-8 in conference to have a chance at making the NCAA tournament now. I think 9-9 would have done it with an undefeated out of conference season.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

After the Arkansas Pine Bluffs game, I thought they had a decent chance . . . which changed after last night's loss. But I do agree with you, Rick, the 'Cats need to go 10-8, which is much more reasonable than I would have expected because the schedule calls for us playing OSU only once:

at Purdue - W
vs. Michigan State - L
at Illinois - W
vs. Indiana - W
at Iowa - L
at Michigan State - L
vs. Michigan - W
vs. Wisconsin - W
at Minnesota - L
vs. Ohio State - L
vs. Illinois -W
at Michigan - L
at Penn State - L
vs. Iowa - W
at Indiana -W
vs. Penn State - W
at Wisconsin - L
vs. Minnesota - W

I agree it's possible but I have a hard time understanding how you can predict a win at Illinois and Purdue and a loss at Iowa.

Maybe you'll be right though.

Winning at Indiana will be tough for them too.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I was just having fun, Rick. We will lose @ Purdue and lose at least once to Illinois. I was also kidding about the Arkansas Pine "Bluffs" comment.

Oh. I actually thought your picks weren't bad. Northwestern is still a good team.

The results of the Northwestern/Indiana games may be who goes dancing.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Northwestern will miss the tournament even if they go 10-8. And they're not going to go 11-7.

_________________
Fire Phil Emery

They also have two non-conference games left. If they go 12-8, you don't think they'll make it?

No, because they're going to get boned by not playing anyone. They miss Purdue and Ohio State once. They need to beat a couple of real teams along the way.

They'll only get one chance apiece against Purdue and Ohio State (which works out really badly, because maybe they can beat Purdue at home, but they're not beating them on the road, and they're not beating OSU anywhere). You don't have that many chances to win big games after that. You have to go 3-5 in the eight games against Illinois, MSU, Wisconsin, and Minnesota just to get to 11-7, and that's assuming that they'll be perfect against everyone else (including tough games at Michigan and Indiana). And even if you do that, the only three quality wins would be against, say, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota at home, and that's not going to get you too far.

It seems like the Northwestern AD schedules out-of-conference games to boost Northwestern fans' self esteem. A real schedule combined with a 9-9 record in the Big Ten, along with some sympathy for having never gone before, would get them in. Signature wins over an awful Georgia Tech, Creighton, and American are just holding serve, and this team isn't good enough to hold serve in a really strong Big Ten.

_________________
Fire Phil Emery

CHALLENGE! (can't believe I'm bad mouthing my own team). We are exposed. No interior defense? In the Big 10? Sheesh. We'll be lucky to win 4 conference games. And IB is right... our RPI sucks donkey balls.

Well I don't think this is a 4-14 team either, not with Iowa and Penn State there. If they had even a few decent wins they'd have an honest shot of sneaking in. They need Georgia Tech to feast on the weak underbelly of the ACC, and they need a couple of sleeper teams like Creighton and American to run up big records in their conferences. But you shouldn't have to count on that if you only lose one game out of conference.

_________________
Fire Phil Emery

He just signed an extension

_________________
2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

Mud,
I am formally inviting you to become a fan of my team for basketball. We're kind of smart and we play hard like your team.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Got to love getting an extension, and never being to the tourney.

_________________
Fuck Edwards and Zobrist

I officially accept the invitation. The extension of Carmody's contract is cause enough for me to yell "Boiler Up!" (Toot toot).

I'd root for the Illini before the Boilermakers.

You weren't invited.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Remember when the Big Dog hit that last second shot from behind the basket in Evanston?

I'm still pissed.

I actually wasn't a Purdue fan when he was there.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!