Game Thread: Northwestern vs. Butler

[mshelton33]

Northwestern (5-1) plays Butler (4-1) tonight at 6 pm ct in the Arizona Tip-Off in Tempe, Ariz. The game will air on CBS Sports Network.

 

[GatoLouco]

That’s a lot of really good looks missed to start the game

 

[SmellyCat]

That’s a lot of really good looks missed to start the game

Imagine if this team were good shooters. They’re certainly getting the looks they should want.

 

[zbag51]

FG % at less than 15. Something has to drop. This is insane.

 

[Enduro]

Gotta believe they're going to start falling eventually...

 

[SmellyCat]

NM facing his first real adversity all season. The shots he always makes are getting harder and harder to even attempt, and when gets them he’s still bricking them. Time to dig deep.

 

[DaCat]

Gotta believe they're going to start falling eventually...

Hopefully before it’s too late. 0-5 start for Mart.

 

[DaCat]

KJ playing well.

 

[SmellyCat]

Gotta admire them getting back into it by halftime. Still doesn’t look great but much better than first 10 mins.

 

[DaCat]

Highlight of the first half was when their center Andre Screen was called for an offensive foul - a moving Screen.

 

[SmellyCat]

KJ playing well.

I love his confidence. Didn’t love that rushed three though.

And I know Butler currently is actively in the situation, but you’d think if the announcers were so excited about a guy coaching his brother they’d have at least mentioned the other team having an even more successful recent experience doing that.

 

[DaCat]

They called a second moving Screen!

 

[GatoLouco]

Both teams’ top scorers having miserable games

 

[DaCat]

Surprised that Barney lost track of the shot clock there.

 

[DaCat]

Even with our poor shooting we’re still down only 3 at the 12:00 mark. Mart is 1-10 at this point.

 

[phatcat]

Even with our poor shooting we’re still down only 3 at the 12:00 mark. Mart is 1-10 at this point.

Yeah Mart is invisible today

 

[GatoLouco]

Why does Hunger approaches help defense by charging with his chest???

 

[phatcat]

Why does Hunger approaches help defense by charging with his chest???

Huge huge drop off in defense when Big Matty goes out

 

[AtlantaCat]

I never bitch about officiating, but we are hitting screwed.

 

[Enduro]

Crazy bad officiating

 

[phatcat]

Big Matty and FTs

 

[SDakaGordie]

Martinelli continuing to come down to earth.

 

[GatoLouco]

I don’t think we lose a playoff series against this Butler team. But today we just did not play well at all.

 

[TheC]

Need to hit 3s in the modern game

 

[phatcat]

I don’t think we lose a playoff series against this Butler team. But today we just did not play well at all.

They played good defense and we missed nearly every contested shot

 

[freewillie07]

Unfortunately these are the 50-50 games that tournament teams need to win.

Cats played largely turnover free ball but couldn’t make shots, including a few costly misses at the line late (though credit to Big Matt for his makes).

 

[GatoLouco]

Two possessions in a row we get the Butler player in the corner and foul him. When we should have waited for him to make the tough pass out of the double team.

 

[phatcat]

Sucks

 

[NUcats92]

I know it’s early in the season but I’m not sure if this is a tournament team , Brooks is about the only player that can get his own Martinelli showed it early in the season but he seems to have come back down to earth.

 

[SDakaGordie]

Unfortunately these are the 50-50 games that tournament teams need to win.

Cats played largely turnover free ball but couldn’t make shots, including a few costly misses at the line late (though credit to Big Matt for his makes).

I know it’s early in the season but I’m not sure if this is a tournament team , Brooks is about the only player that can get his own Martinelli showed it early in the season but he seems to have come back down to earth.

Unbelievably screwed by the refs!! That on the floor call was pathetic!

 

[IMC Cat]

Robbed.

 

[freewillie07]

Brutal way to end it. To get within one point twice, and to have a shot at OT or a win with 5 seconds left…

I can’t help but feel like this is one we will look back on and wish we had later this year.

 

[DaCat]

Awful refs, and we got no bounces. Just an off night all around. Barney’s amazing 3-pointer being called off was terrible.

 

[Medill '03]

I know it’s early in the season but I’m not sure if this is a tournament team , Brooks is about the only player that can get his own Martinelli showed it early in the season but he seems to have come back down to earth.

What’s brutal for this team is the lack of perimeter shooting. Berry is regressing. And overall not enough athleticism to compensate inside, though Nicholson and others can flash.

 

[mesacat]

Berry continues to look for his stroke. Butler made threes with game on the line.

 

[Medill '03]

Need to hit 3s in the modern game

Bingo. All this 1 on 1 ball is doomed to fail. Only Barn is good enough to pull it off.

 

[NUAlum2010]

Brutal way to end it. To get within one point twice, and to have a shot at OT or a win with 5 seconds left…

I can’t help but feel like this is one we will look back on and wish we had later this year.

Butler lost at home to Austin Peay.

NU is staring a 5-15 B1G in the face. Nobody will be looking back on this and think it was anything other than another one of our 20 or so losses.

 

[Medill '03]

Martinelli continuing to come down to earth.

His lack of athleticism is alarming around the rim against legit D1 teams.

 

[HawkCat]

Everyone but Barney played like hot smoking garbage, and we probably didn’t deserve to win, but it is incredibly frustrating to get jobbed like we did by the refs all night.

 

[phatcat]

So close. Lots of missed opps and missed calls