Just another Big Ten match up we have here; well, not really. The Northwestern Wildcats walk into Columbus (10-2) trying to make a statement showing they are for real and that they belong in the NCAA Tournament come March.
That'll have to wait for another time as Northwestern falls to, perhaps, the best team in the nation 87-54 in the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Wildcats have now lost an egregious 22 of 23 to the Buckeyes.
Northwestern had all sorts of problems containing the Buckeyes Big Two: Jared Sullinger and William Buford. Buford posted a career high 28 points, 9 rebounds, while going 5-7 from three. "Sully" finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, although if Buford wasn't given the green light, Sullinger could've gotten 30. He was just able to maintain position in the post whenever he wanted to. Northwestern's Big Two, John Shurna and Drew Crawford, struggled. Shurna scored 11 points on 5-18 shooting. Crawford scored 13 points on 4-12 shooting.
As I watched from my couch, three factors I noticed that troubled Northwestern: Ball Movement, Offensive Rebounding, and Three-point shooting. Of course, I could pinpoint more, but these were the three that stood out most.
Ball Movement
Throughout the course of the game, Ohio State effortlessly spreaded the ball. Ohio State finished with a +5 advantage in assists, and honestly, I felt like there was more. Northwestern's inability to move the ball led to some questionable shot selections. I understand when a player is in a shooting slump, they must continue to shoot to shake it off - especially if it's one of your primary scorers - but no need to go stretches of shooting and missing. Drew Crawford did too much of this. He missed his first six field goals before making one, and in the midst of his struggles, Ohio State built a size-able lead.
Offensive Rebounding
Rebounding is a key stat in why teams usually win games. Offensive Rebounding demonstrates that teams are getting second chance points. Not only did Northwestern get out-rebounded 48-28, the Wildcats were dominated in offensive rebounding, as well, 14-5. It's rare for a team to get dominated on the glass like the Wildcats did and expect to consistently win games.
Three-point shooting
A strength of the Wildcats. In fact, they may be the varsity version of the Orlando Magic. But the three ball failed for them tonight. What's ironic is that a team not known for its 3PT shooting, used the very same component that propelled these Buckeyes to victory. Three point shooting helped the Buckeyes build the lead they had. That became painfully obvious as Ohio State knocked down seven three-point field goals at the half while the Wildcats hit one. Keep in mind, Ohio State was up by 15 going to the halftime. William Buford and Jordan Sibert combined to hit 9 of the 10 three pointers. Lights out, I say. While Shurna and Crawford, who are both shooting above 40% from three, went a combined 2 for 8 from three.
All and All, Northwestern is still on pace to finally make the NCAA Tournament. They've faced three ranked teams and lost to them all: Baylor, Creighton, and now, Ohio State. There's still is room for improvement against the ranked from now to March. Northwestern is good, but they're not ready to beat the Elite...yet.
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