Game Thread: Northwestern vs. UCLA

[mshelton33]

It's Senior Night and Northwestern (16-13, 7-11 Big Ten) hosts UCLA (20-9, 11-7 Big Ten) tonight at 8 pm CT. The game will air on FS1.

 

[mshelton33]

Got as much as I could of each Senior Night tribute.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Good student turn out

 

[EagerFan]

Good crowd

 

[its_the_sauce]

Refs are letting them play

 

[PURPLECAT88]

UCLA comes out with surprising energy, and we’re matching it.

 

[EagerFan]

Lots of fight so far, looks like the refs are going to be calling the shoulder lunge into defender a blocking foul tonight.

 

[SmellyCat]

By my count, UCLA has only five players on the floor, but I swear they have about 12 or 13 hands out there when they're playing D. They're everywhere.

 

[EagerFan]

UCLA getting lots of open looks at three, big guy finally got one in.

 

[TheC]

UCLA plays hard. But we’re matching it.

 

[EagerFan]

Dude, how tall is that guy?

Edit: I checked, he’s listed as 7’3”

 

[SmellyCat]

We talked about the swagger in the last game. Windham's got it big time. Maybe he hasn't quite earned a 30-foot shot attempt yet, but I kinda didn't mind anyway. Next one's going in.

 

[Hungry Jack]

Decent crowd with noticeable energy. Very entertaining first third of the game.

 

[DaCat]

KJ on fire, though he shouldn’t shoot that last one.

 

[GatoLouco]

UCLA surely sped us up way more than the speed we like to play. Glad we have been able to get more composed.

 

[EagerFan]

KJ on fire, though he shouldn’t shoot that last one.

Shades of freshman Boo.

 

[Hungry Jack]

UCLA plays defense more aggressively with better athletes than any team we’ve seen

 

[GOUNUII]

UCLA plays defense more aggressively with better athletes than any team we’ve seen

If you don’t play defense with energy you don’t play for Mick Cronin.

GOUNUII

 

[phatcat]

Man! What a good game. UCLA guards are SO FAST. And yet, here we are

 

[its_the_sauce]

That was a helluva half

 

[DaCat]

It wasn’t always pretty but I’ll take the 1 point lead at halftime.

 

[GatoLouco]

The athleticism gap is reminiscent of the UCLA team that beat us in the tournament. But it seems to me the tournament team had considerably more skill.

 

[bjm989]

UCLA plays defense more aggressively with better athletes than any team we’ve seen

Agree. We’ve had some success just taking the defender to the rim because they are so aggressive. We need to keep doing that to keep them honest and so they can’t just smother the player with the ball. Like what I’m seeing out of KJ and Ty in that respect.

 

[macarthur31]

The Wildside has been locked in since tipoff. Giving great energy.

Meanwhile, the lady behind me tapped at me to sit down as I was stood up as Ty Berry stole the ball and was driving to the glass in transition.

 

[EagerFan]

Both teams shooting about 45% from the field so far. Driving seems to be getting us to the line more than we usually see.

 

[Davidgolds5]

At the game. The crowd intensity is as good as I can remember since Illinois.

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

First things first. Martinelli is sooooo good. Clayton on the switch played really good D and funneled the bigger guy right to Matt for a block.

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

Mullins is so athletic

 

[SmellyCat]

Can NU keep playing at this pace? Possibly. Can my heart handle it? I'm not so sure.

 

[EagerFan]

So much crowd/student energy tonight. Crazy battling on the court.

 

[SDakaGordie]

Such a resilient team.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I thought I saw Cade Bennermen on the upper level, though I can’t imagine he’d be here on a Monday night

 

[SDakaGordie]

2 points gifted by refs to UCLA when Mara traveled underneath hoop catching that pass.

 

[bjm989]

Love the Fitzmorris energy. Crowd has to get into this and make it deafening for ucla on O.

 

[macarthur31]

2 points gifted by refs to UCLA when Mara traveled underneath hoop catching that pass.

Mara has the happy feet. 3 travels by my count.

 

[EagerFan]

Keenan giving us some good minutes and Cats are just not getting the bounces in the last several minutes.

 

[DaCat]

Love Fitzmorris.

 

[EagerFan]

Mara has the happy feet. 3 travels by my count.

He also has the happy elbows, but the refs are giving those to him as well.

 

[NU Houston]

Fitzmorris has a really ugly jump shot, but it went in.

 

[macarthur31]

Biloudeau was burying his elbow in Clayton's head as he was posting up.