Michigan Wolverines, 66, Northwestern Wildcats 64, OT: Postgame Thread

Just cannot get over the hump. EVER.

Hardy: Great game plan, coach! We’re up 7. Going with the small lineup was the right call.

Carmody: Yeah, but Luka looks like he’s about to cry. I’m going to let him play most of the second half, no matter what happens.

I’m pretty such Shurna is a better free throw shooter this season, and for his career.

Another solid defensive effort (even with Mich shooting terribly) from the Cats, but between FT shooting, lack of rebounds, some untimely turnovers, etc etc, this team is not winning. NU has a huge opportunity this Saturday to get a solid win, but if not, NU is looking at 1-4 with the middle tier of the Big Ten coming up with no major wins.

This program is stale, coach is stale, and it is just going no where. Clearly, I’ve been a fire Carmody guy for a long time, but now, the bigger problem is that no one seems to even care. People have seen the plateau of this team. I don’t want to overreact to two close losses and am trying to wait for the entire nine game stretch to play out, but this is just bad.

I was so thankful for the lopsided loss to Baylor this year, secure in my understanding that this was another seven-win B1G team that would play (and probably finish) on the first day of the B1G tourney and have little-to-no hope of making the NCAA’s. I could now be spared from the heartache, the wasted Saturday / Sunday afternoons and Wednesday evenings, the urge to talk college hoops with my other B1G alum colleagues, and the desire to actually attend a game. I had some work to do and stayed late last night knowing that I was going to miss an important game – no biggie.

Then, like an idiot, I actually switched to Dave Eanet and “Timmy!!!” driving home with five minutes to go in regulation. Despite all of the attempts at emotional compartmentalization, like a fool, I am once again sucked into the pit of pain and despair that is Northwestern basketball. I got home just in time to see Marcotullio fouled and miss his free throw, and was again ready to put my fist through the TV or imbibe massive quantities of Scotch and / or Tequilla.

There is no more painful experience than being a ’Cats basketball fan. Even the Cubs have at least won their division and gone to the playoffs. One of these years, I just wish that I could leave it all behind and save the emotional pain, but alas, it just never goes away. Fuck, indeed MNWildcat…. Fuck.