2011-2012 Northwestern Wildcats Basketball Preview

Northwestern Wildcats - Big Ten Conference

2010-11: 20-14, 7-11

2010-11 postseason: NIT

Coach: Bill Carmody (160-177 at Northwestern, 252-202 overall)

Is this the year Northwestern finally makes the NCAA Tournament? Coach Bill Carmody has taken the Wildcats to three consecutive NITs and has back-to-back 20 win seasons, but this is still a team that has had not a winning record in Big Ten play during Coach Carmody’s tenure. The key to this team will be the maturation of Alex Marcotullio. The point guard will take over the starting duties from Michael Thompson, but is not as effective of a scorer or nearly the all-around scorer that Thompson was. However, if he can become a leader and take care of the ball, Marcotullio will be doing his job and there are plenty of others on this team that can score.

Who’s Out:

Thompson is the big loss. He averaged 16.3 points and a team high 4.3 assists last season. At times during his career he was extremely inconsistent, but overall Thompson was a good leader and a great scorer. He was a good long range shooter who would make the opposition pay if they played too far off of him. The other losses are Jeff Ryan, Mike Capocci and Ivan Pelijusic. Ryan was a good player when he was healthy, which was not last season. Capocci averaged over ten minutes per game last season and even earned six starts. He was a solid rebounder and together with the departed Ivan Pelijusic, provided quite a few minutes off of the bench when the big guys needed a rest.

Who’s In:

Northwestern needs some depth and this small class could provide a few minutes here and there. The big needs are at the point and the frontcourt. Tre Demps and Dave Sobolewski will battle for the backup point guard job. Demps is a more dynamic scorer who could spend some time at the off-guard spot, but Sobolewski is more of a true point guard. At 6-8 and 205 pounds, Mike Turner will be thrown into the mix at the power forward position. He may not need to play too many minutes, but the Wildcats will likely need him for about ten minutes per game.

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Who to Watch:

Fortunately, power forward John Shurna is capable of playing 35 minutes per game. That will keep the need for Turner at a minimum. Shurna is a dynamic scorer who can score inside and out. He averaged 16.6 points per game last season and knocked down 43.4 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. He is even a good passer and a fine defender. Shurna will have to carry this team, but he does have help in the frontcourt. Luka Mirkovic is no stranger to the long ball, but he is more of a bruiser in the paint and that is where he will do most of his scoring. Mirkovic is also the best rebounder on the team and will use his 6-11, 245 pound frame to create space under the basket. Davide Curletti will likely back up both positions. Curletti is pretty much a less polished Mirkovic. He is not as efficient of a scorer or as strong of a rebounder, but he is another big man who can step outside and hit the long ball.

Final Projection:

Rebounding would be a problem on this team if it was not for Drew Crawford. The 6-5 junior is a superb athlete who can attack the glass. He is also the best all-around scorer the backcourt has now that Thompson is gone. As an upperclassman, expect Crawford to have a huge season and average around 15 points per game. JerShon Cobb will start again at the shooting guard spot. Ironically, the shooting guard is the worst shooter in the starting lineup, but he is not a bad overall scorer. Cobb can attack the basket and score eight to ten points per game and help out handling the ball. Nick Fruendt and Reggie Hearn are not experienced players and they will get competition from the freshmen for minutes, but somebody will have to spell Marcotullio, Cobb and Crawford at some point. If the depth falters, this team will be looking at another trip to the NIT.

Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Alex Marcotullio, Junior, Guard, 6.2 points per game
JerShon Cobb, Sophomore, Guard, 7.4 points per game
Drew Crawford, Junior, Guard, 12.1 points per game
John Shurna, Senior, Forward, 16.6 points per game
Luka Mirkovic, Senior, Center, 7.4 points per game

By Joel Welser courtesy of www.CollegeSportsMadness.com
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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