The Wildcats shot only 35% from two-point land and only
22% from behind the arc. On the other hand, the Wolverines shot 50%
from two-point land and a whopping 60% from three-point land.
The Cats' aggressiveness and hustle kept them in the game but
they couldn't convert on offense. They had 11 steals and caused 21
turnovers. It seemed like every time they created on defense, they
missed the shot on the offensive end.
Early in the game, NU was the aggressor. Jitim Young scored
the first seven points. He was very pumped in his last regular season
game at Welsh Ryan but unless the Wildcats are able to win two games in
the Big Ten Tournament, this loss will be Jitim's last home game.
It they win two, they might still make the NIT. But they will have
to shoot better than they did today.
Michigan's size was too much for NU. U of M outrebounded
NU by a 37 to 23 margin. Many of those rebounds led to easy second
chance layups. Failure to block out cost the Cats the game. Their
defense frustrated the Wolverines offense. Michigan
forced numerous bad shots as the shot clock was running down but was able
to score easy second-chance baskets.
NU led for the first eight minutes of the game. They looked like
they were going to run away with the game. But once Michigan
took the lead with nine minutes left in the first half, they never gave
it up. The Cats were able to claw back to only two down many
times. Each time the fans would get charged up. The student
section would jump up and down and the arena would rock.
The Cats would cause a turnover and have a chance to tie it or take
the lead but each time, the Cats would miss the shot. Finally, Michigan
took a seven point lead with a few minutes in the game and the Cats couldn't
claw back.
It was a great season. The Cats showed much improvement as the
season progressed.
Mohamed Hachad wins my award as the most-improved player. Early
in the season, he was out of control for parts of the game. At the
end of the season, he was the leader on defense and he was much improved
on the offensive end. He was able to penetrate and showed very god
skills dribbling.
T.J. Parker needs to be more aggressive. He would disappear
at times in games. The last few games, he showed the spark and fire he
needs to maintain all the time.
Vedran Vukusic seemed to lose his confidence in his shot the
last few games. When he is able to set his feet, he shoots well. He is
probably the Wildcat's best passer.
Davor Duvancic needs to add a few pounds to his frame.
He has a hard time guarding big men.
Vince Scott should be much improved next year. He will
also have to add weight.
The addition of the transfers from St. Johns
[Tim Doyle] and Duke [Michael Thompson] should take the team to the next level. Hopefully,
they should benefit from a year of practice with the Princeton offense.
Maybe next year the Wildcats will be able to coast through the
non-conference games and be a legitimate contender for the Big Ten title.
They will
have depth, size and talent. Buy your tickets early.