Northwestern Goes Down in Iowa City

Winning on the road in college basketball is tough. This is true in every conference and as a Big Ten fan first and foremost, I can definitely verify that it holds true here. Northwestern, with a solid record and an outside shot at an NCAA bid (ESPN's Bracketology lists them as one of the "Next Four Out" this week), came into Iowa's house trying to break the trend.

Unfortunately, the 'Cats fell prey to the away curse, falling 56-51 today. They are now 13-8, 4-6 in the Big Ten. But are their tourney hopes done for? I don't think so. This would have been a good game to have for record purposes, but an Iowa victory isn't going to do a whole heck of a lot to help your resume come March. Now Northwestern gets to come home to Evanston, where they play their next three against Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio State. Three good teams, three tough matchups. Illinois is ranked, Michigan just took #1 Connecticut down to the wire, and Ohio State is looking great against Minnesota as I write. If NU can win two of three at Welsh-Ryan Arena, it could be huge in determining their eventual fate.

They are going to need more from Kevin Coble, for sure. Coble couldn't seem to get anything done against the Hawkeyes tonight, finishing with only eight points. Indeed, in the last several games it has seemed like Coble has really been struggling on the offensive end. Senior guard Craig Moore, no doubt, is a great scoring option and a heady player, but you can't win with only one go-to guy in this league. All of NU's players struggled against Iowa's defense, which is troubling when you think about the other solid D's they are going to have to face soon. Bill Carmody is going to have to get these guys in the film room and look at how to run the Princeton offense to score effectively. Rebounding is also a concern for this team. On the bright side, freshman center Luka Mirkovic looked good today, with nine points off the bench, and he and Moore seem to work well together. Their screen-and-roll late in the second half, especially, was a pretty play to watch.

Northwestern is at a crossroads, and the upcoming three-game homestand is going to go a long way towards deciding how this season will (or won't) be remembered. Kevin Coble, especially, has got to stand up and assert himself. Hopefully the Wildcats don't hang their heads after the tough loss, and can pull themselves together for a solid three games.