Women's Fencing: NU Duals This Weekend

Concerns for the NU Duals:

Northwestern will be fencing 11 matches in the two-day NU Duals this weekend. Starting at 8 am on Saturday morning the Wildcats have to fence three of the nation’s top-ranked teams: No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State and No. 9 Temple. Competing early in the morning will challenge NU’s ability to get loose and stay loose, while having 11 matches in two days will test durability. Both are concerns for the Cats this weekend after several fencers were sidelined in practice this week. Normally senior Gina Annunziato and junior Sam Nemecek get breaks in the middle of the week to rest their knees and prepare for the weekend. Annunziato is in more pain than usual, however, because her cortisone shot has worn off. At Wednesday’s practice Nicole Tilley, Kayley French and Sarah Henning all left practice early due to injuries. French injured her quadriceps while Henning tweaked her hip flexor.

Nemecek profile continued...:

While Nemecek attributes most of her fencing success to her father’s coaching, she also mentioned the role that sports psychology has played in her development. While she originally didn’t like the idea, she invested time toward the end of her high school years into seeing a sports psychologist. Her national ranking jumped 30 spots. Since then Nemecek has been ranked among the top-10 in foil according to most publications. Nemecek is widely regarded as one of the nation’s top foilists, and she thinks so too, as evidenced by her season’s individual goals: earning first-team All-American honors and finishing in the top four at the NCAA Championships.

Note about the NU Duals:

This weekend marks the first time the Cats have fenced at home since early November, and coincidentally is the last time to see the Cats at SPAC this season. This match is a dubbed as a Chipotle Big Game. The women’s fencing team will compete from 8am-2pm Saturday and Sunday, with the men’s club team competing afterwards.

Women's Fencing: Rumblings and Grumblings

Overheard at practice:

- Various teammates were discussing the return of freshman sabreist Jill Mahen after practice last week. While Mahen is still recovering from the shoulder injury she sustained in a freak car accident on Sheridan Road, she has been fencing in practice and making a strong recovery. Mahen did have a bag of ice on her shoulder after practice last Thursday. While it appears that Mahen won’t make her initial goal of fencing in NU Duals this weekend, she will be able to fence in the Notre Dame Duals next weekend Feb. 9 and 10.

- Teammates were also discussing the fact that coach Laurie Schiller has decreased the number of full squad practices. Schiller noted after practice that he hasn’t had an off day since early January, and it’s taking a toll on him, so it must be taking a toll on the squad. Schiller canceled practice on Monday the 28^th to let the team rest after a long weekend in New York at the NYU Duals. The team will, however, continue practicing throughout this week in order to prepare for 11 matches this weekend. The Cats fence top-ranked opponents: No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State and No. 9 Temple.

NYU Duals Insider Information:

- In the recent story “NU shows promise in losses to top teams”, the sabre and foil squads were highlighted, as were individual performances by members of both weapons. Sophomore Joanna Niklinska went 14-2 and was the epée squad’s top performer. Last season Niklinska earned honorable mention All-Midwest Conference honors after going 40-17 on the season.

Coach Schiller Quotable:

- Despite the fact that NU lost to Notre Dame 15-12, Coach Schiller was not upset with the loss. Rather, Schiller is confident that the next time the teams meet in two weeks, the Cats will come out on top. For him, there’s not much that can be done during the actual meet, so he will prepare the team for their next contest with the No. 1 Fighting Irish.

“There’s not a whole lot you can do during a match itself as a coach. I mean you can try to do some coaching from the sidelines. It’s like tennis or wrestling, there’s only so much you can do, since it’s such an individual sport. So I’ll do what we can to get (the team) ready.”

- Schiller also feels that his squad's No. 6 ranking proves the Cats can compete with any of the nation’s teams, including Notre Dame.

“I think they know they can compete with the top team in the country. You just have to turn around 2 bouts basically. Everybody realizes we can win these matches; it’s just a matter of doing it. That’s the nature of competition.”

Men's Basketball: NU Picks Up Pieces from Loss

Coach Bill Carmody said after Northwestern's 70-37 loss to Illinois on Sunday that nothing went right. The Wildcats scored the first three points of the game and never saw the lead again, shooting 31 percent on the night. The Wildcats fell to 0-7 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2003 (the team won its eighth conference game, against Indiana).

Northwestern struggled to get much going offensively and were beaten defensively by an athletic Illinois team, which was also struggling at the bottom of the Big Ten standings.

The loss left the Cats searching for answers heading into their final non-conference game Wednesday night against Texas-Pan American and the rest of the Big Ten schedule ahead.

"We really need to just focus on what we do and not worry about the other team so much," sophomore forward Jeff Ryan said. "We’re making a lot of mistakes ourselves. We’re beating ourselves with turnovers and mistakes on defense. It’s just getting back to doing what we do best and trying to work hard in practice every day."

Carmody said what the other team does is not important. He is concerned more with how the team is playing together and how it plays offensively and defensively more than with NU's opponents. He said the Cats need to play well to get a win.

Sophomore forward Kevin Coble called Sunday's game a "fluke." He said the game was a step backward and the team needs to continue to progress and find positives in each game.

Players were in early Tuesday working on individual workouts and individual games. Carmody hopes the hard work comes together starting Wednesday.

"We need a win and you have to play well," Carmody said. "It’s real basic. I think the guys are playing hard. The guys are coming in for extra shooting and extra individual stuff and it’s got to pay off."

Women's Basketball: The New Miami Dolphins

NU lost to the Wisconsin Badgers 75-45 today. That is the ninth loss in a row for the Wildcats. Their last win came on Dec. 17. And no, you did not read that incorrectly.

The return of freshman phenom Amy Jaeschke, who returned to the starting lineup after a wrist injury on Dec. 17, was supposed to be the savior for the Cats. And they did come through that night with a dominant win over Marquette. One problem remains.

They have not won a game since.

This includes a winless record against Big Ten opponents. If there was any team that the Cats could conquer in their conference, it was supposed to be the Badgers. The same Badgers who had lost six of their last eight games. The same Badgers who had only one more conference victory than the hapless Cats did.

The same Badgers who were apparently the Harlem Globetrotters on Sunday, and NU the unlucky squad chosen to endure an inevitable defeat.

Now NU women's basketball fans are in the same position as those who supported the 2007 Miami Dolphins. One non-conference win is all that can be asked for.

And no, NU fans don't have a perfect 16-0 season to fall back on.

NU vs. Illinois - Men's Basketball

The National Anthem's been sung, so it's almost game time here at Assembly Hall, where the 6-10 Wildcats are set to take on the 9-11 Illini. The teams are a combined 1-11 in conference. Enough said?

The Illini have won eight straight against the Cats and NU is 0 for its last 12 tries in the conference, since it beat Penn State last Feb. 10.

Pat Houlihan is ready. So is Jean-Marc Melchior. That must mean it's time to play.

Starting lineups - NU: G - 22 Michael Thompson; G - 20 Craig MooreG - 32 Sterling Williams; F - 11 Nikola Baran; F - 44 Kevin Coble
Illinois: G - 1 Trent Meacham; G - 32 Demetri McCamey; C - 54 Mike Tisdale; F - 42 Brian Randle; F - 23 Rodney Alexander (6-10 center Shaun Pruitt isn't starting, but he will play.)

19:45 - The shot clock is off, prompting an official to ask, "Why is the shot clock not on?" They get is squared away to the chant of "Awkward silence" from the fans. A+ effort.

15:44 - 3 of 9 shooting and five turnovers combined for the two teams. It's 5-3 Illini and coach Bill Carmody is not pleased with Nikola Baran, who he just replaced with Jeff Ryan.

14:02 - Shaun Pruitt is in. 10-3 Illlini after a rim-rocking alley oop from Alexander and a 3 from Meacham.

13:04 - And Pruitt doesn't wait long. He puts in a layup underneath to extend the Illini's lead to 12-3 and draw a 30-second timeout from Carmody. Ooh, a Jeremy Nash sighting.

11:58 - The Cats are 2 for 8 with five turnovers. People are dancing. Not much else to say. Illini 12-5. After a recent turnover, Carmody just sat back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. Not much else he can do. Illinois coach Bruce Weber keeps shouting things like "Rodney! Go!"

9:57 - Alexander has more alley oops right now than NU has field goals, leading 3-2. He got one on two consecutive trips down the court, extending Illinois' lead to 18-5 and giving Carmody that old sinking feeling.

8:21 - Another timeout NU, as the run has reached 22-2 in the last 10:46. At this pace, the Cats will score 17 points. Gotta be a record.

7:53 - Media timeout for a change. Still 22-5, with Williams heading to the line. Heard from the student section: "C'mon Bill. Bill, you're better than this." Heard from an usher: "This game's over." I agree with both.

1:51 - NU is showing some life. Pruitt celebrates by tackling Craig Moore after NU gets a steal. The Illini lead 28-16, but NU is on a 11-4 run in the last 5:34. Or I should say Williams and Thompson are on a 11-4 run. The two guards have all but two of NU's points tonight.

Halftime - It's 31-18 Illinois, and it could have been a lot worse. The Cats actually ended the half on a 13-7 run in the last 7:25. It's not big, but it's something.

Ryan, Williams, Thompson and Nash have combined for all of the Cats' scoring on 7-of-12 shooting. The rest of the team? Zero. Of eight. Craig Moore, who looked to be getting back on track against Michigan State is 0 of 5 from the field, all 3-point attempts. Coble has only taken two shots, but he did have an impressive rebound.

The only bright side for NU is, like Michigan, Illinois is really bad. So NU could, like against Michigan, put together a little run in the second half and be back in the game. And the Cats will in all likelihood come up short. Like against Michigan. The fans miss Chief Illiniweek. Carmody misses Tim Doyle ... and Vedran Vukusic ... and Mohamed Hachad ... and probably Evan Eschmeyer ...

16:50 - Timeout NU after Meacham hits a 3-pointer and a long two in a row to extend Illinois' lead to 36-20. NU leads Illinois in free throws made. Now it just needs to wait for a dystopian future in which the NCAA outlaws points off of field goals.

15:46 - First media timeout of the second half and a McCamey 3 has Illinois' lead at 39-20. This game has the feeling of a slow, yet insistent, suffocation.

11:11 - The Illini are in the midst of a monster run. Ever since NU closed the lead to 31-20 at the beginning of the half, Illinois has outscored the Cats 19-5. And then they brought in Michael Jordan's son, Jeff. Carmody brought in Mike Capocci to counter.

7:06 - Oi. As in Illin ... s. Worked better in my head. Anyway, the Illini have extended that run to 27-8 and have a 58-28 lead over the Cats. Jeff Jordan, the "Air Apparent" (I must be delirious), put in four points in five minutes and got a UGE ovation when he went out. He also tried to take off from the right wing and dunk over Sterling Williams, but he had to settle for free throws instead. I thought I saw the hint of a tongue coming out of his mouth. Two free throws from Calvin Brock makes it 60-28 Illini.

2:39 - Last media timeout, so it won't be long now. Illinois leads 67-36. And NU is bringing in Pat Houlihan, Ivan Peljusic and Jean-Marc Melchior, who have played a TOTAL of 99 minutes this year. That's slightly longer than "Half Baked," but can't even touch "There Will Be Blood."

1:19 - And here's Tonjua Jones. All that's left is for Matt Steger to come in. Is Evan Seacat still around?

Game Over - Illinois 70, NU 37. Had some laughs, had some tears. Had a lot of turnovers. NU is now 0-7 in conference. Night. Ya'll come back now, hear?

Men's Tennis: Butler Dual Recap

Northwestern beat Butler 7-0 on Friday. It seemed as though the Wildcats dominated the entire night, but the final score does not show how hard-fought some of the matches were. NU won two of the three doubles matches to earn the doubles point. All but one of the singles points were earned on straight sets. Freshman David Seyferth earned the team its second point, winning his match 6-3, 6-1 at No. 6. Sophomore captain Alex Sanborn earned the team’s third point with a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 3. No. 1 Junior Marc Dwyer clinched the Cats’ victory with the fourth point, winning 6-3, 6-2.

Men's Basketball: Opponents Don't Overlook Cats

Northwestern may be 6-10 and 0-6 in the conference, but they are hardly a team which teams circle on the calendar and think of as an easy win.

When teams come to Welsh-Ryan Arena or play the Wildcats at home, they know they are in for a challenge.

"Northwestern is always a tricky team," Minnesota forward Dan Coleman said after his team defeated NU 82-63 at Williams Arena on Jan. 9. "Usually, if they beat you, it's because you didn't execute well or play well. Tonight, we didn't get beat on those back cuts or trick plays, and that's huge because that's energy plays for them."

NU presents a lot of challenges to teams. The team plays the complex Princeton offense, which can tire defenses into giving up back door cuts and easy layups with its constant motion.

The defense also presents problems. The Cats typically play a 1-3-1 zone and put a lot of pressure on opposing point guards and perimeter players by trapping the ball. Michigan State was able to attack the corners -- the weakness of the zone -- in its 78-62 win Thursday night, but struggled with turnovers. The Spartans committed 16 turnovers.

Ohio State guard Evan Turner said his team struggled against the defense in finding gaps and taking care of the ball. The Buckeyes committed 20 miscues in their 62-51 win on Jan. 6. But Turner noted the Cats never gave up and hit shots, helping them cut the lead to four points in the second half.

Teams in the Big Ten recognize the unique challenges NU presents. Both their offense and defense are unusual sets to play. With players like sophomore forward Kevin Coble and freshman guard Michael Thompson developing into solid players, the Cats can present even more challenges.

"This is a hard team to play both offensively and defensively," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said after Thursday's win. "We made some shots that we don't normally make. They are a tough team to play against because Coble is a hell of a player and (junior guard Craig) Moore had a coming out party against us tonight (scoring a career-high 28 points). The guy I like, who didn't play as well tonight, is the Thompson kid. He played very well on film and we did a very good job on him."

NU has earned the respect of opponents, but the team has yet this season to put the flashes of strong play opposing coaches have seen in them into a conference victory.