Enough Super Bowl: Read these NU bon mots

Before we get to the other stuff, I think everyone who saw Northwestern’s 78-61 win over Indiana on Sunday afternoon was rewarded with a little smidge of history.

I believe the first half marked the first time in college basketball annals that two different players from the DuPage Valley Conference opened and closed a half with rousing dunks.

On the game’s first possession, Northwestern freshman Drew Crawford (Naperville Central) faked IU freshman Christian Watford one way and then drove baseline for a powerful two-handed dunk.

Then, six seconds before halftime, NU junior forward Mike Capocci (Glenbard East) caught the ball in the post, turned and used a quick rocker step to throw down an even more impressive two-handed slam. That highlighted Capocci’s season-high 6-point effort as he threatens to turn coach Bill Carmody’s seven-man rotation into an eight-man dealie.

NOW FOR THE BORING STUFF
--Ever wonder if officials (subconsciously or otherwise) try to even up the fouls? In the first half, Indiana committed the first 7 fouls. In the second half, Indiana committed 7 of the first 8 fouls. So that’s a 14-1 advantage for NU during those 15 minutes, right? Well, the final foul totals were Indiana 23, Northwestern 21.

During a 2-minute, 2-second stretch midway through the second half, Indiana’s Verdell Jones went to the line on FIVE CONSECUTIVE POSSESSIONS and hit 8 of 9 free throws. I’m not saying Jones didn’t get fouled on most, if not all, of those possessions, but it just makes you wonder.

--I should make you read the game story for this stat, but oh well. Until this week’s victories over Michigan and Indiana, Northwestern hadn’t won back-to-back Big Ten games by at least 15 points since March 1958. That’s right, 52 seasons. Yet another sign this could be the year.

--Senior guard Jeremy Nash, who seemed to spend half of his time above the rim on Sunday, had a monster afternoon with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal in 29 minutes. You might have noticed he wasn’t wearing that black sleeve to protect his right shoulder, either.

“In the Ohio State game, I went up for a layup and William Buford hit my arm,” Nash said. “I had a little strained muscle in my shoulder, so I just kept wearing (the sleeve). I feel like my shoulder has gotten a little bit stronger and a little bit better, so I thought I’d try to go without it.

“When I first started wearing it, it was restricting me a little bit. But I got used to playing with it and practicing with it.”

--The Bill Carmody Quote Du Jour:
If Northwestern fulfills Ken Pomeroy’s predictions and wins all of its remaining games (except the Feb. 21 trip to Wisconsin), then the Wildcats will go into the Big Ten tournament with a 23-8 overall record and an 11-7 Big Ten mark. NU hasn’t finished 4 games over .500 in Big Ten play since 1945-46.

“We've got a stretch where we've got to win 4, 5 or 6 in a row,” Carmody said. “That's what we've got to do. Guys know it. We don't talk about it...We're not the only team in the country like that. So many teams are in the middle of their conference standings. What are you going to do in the last month? But I like where we're at right now and we'll continue to work.”

---The Luka Mirkovic Quote Du Jour:
Indiana features two beefy post players in sophomore Tom Pritchard and freshman Bobby Capobianco. They’re not particularly skilled at this point in their careers, but they certainly get excellent use out of their size well in the post (By the way, there ain’t no way Pritchard is just 248 pounds and Capobianco is just 238).

In any case, they spent most of their time attached to Mirkovic’s 6-foot-11 frame in various ways, shapes and forms. So I had to ask Luka whether this served as his most physical Big Ten game of the year.

“On a scale of 1 to 10?” Luka said with a smile. “13.”

--The Insider Tip of the Day
IU coach Tom Crean is an extremely organized man. Before he entered the press room for his postgame debriefing, he wrote three key talking points about the game on a piece of IU basketball stationery. Printed on the top of the paper were three hints to himself, including the phrases “Quick Answers,” “Two Sentences” and “Calm.”

In addition to providing insight into Crean’s thought process, it amuses me to picture Illinois coach Bruce Weber trying to obey Crean’s guidelines. His melon might explode if he tried to do so.

Don’t ever change, Bruce. You either, Luka.

LW