Northwestern Basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout loss to No. 12 Illinois

1. The Wildcats faltered after getting under the Illini’s skin – and need to learn to be consistent

Against Iowa and Michigan, Northwestern never maintained a substantial lead.  In both games, their largest lead was 8-2, both times roughly around the 16-minute mark.  Likewise, they fell by double-digits in both games, and never really had much of a chance.

But against Illinois, the Wildcats looked dominant in the opening stanza, and visibly got under the skin of the Fighting Illini.  They forced Illinois to shoot 34.8% on FGs and 23.1% from beyond the arc while committing 11 turnovers, which Northwestern scored 12 points on.  The Illini maintained a lead for just 17.1% of the first half, and their largest lead was six points – before the Wildcats turned on the gas to claim a 16-point lead late in the stanza.

Illinois’ effort in the first half, obviously, upset Brad Underwood, whose courtside frustrations may have been the most visible any championship contender coach has been this season.  The Fighting Illini’s effort was so poor in the first half that Underwood substituted in his son, Tyler Underwood, in what was the latter’s season debut.

But whatever Underwood said in the locker room during halftime worked, as evidenced by their second-half dominance – and, subsequently, Northwestern lost any and all of the confidence they had in the first 20 minutes.

In the second half, the Wildcats allowed the Illini to shoot 59.4% from the floor and 57.1% on three-pointers, outrebound Northwestern, 25-12, and commit just four turnovers to Northwestern’s nine – and Illinois scored 15 points off of those turnovers, whereas the Wildcats did not score at all.

When Northwestern opened Big Ten play with three-straight wins, they were mainly lauded for the ability to finally close-out close games – something they struggled with mightily last season.  That was on full display against Indiana – a game where the Wildcats trailed by four with nine minutes left – and Ohio State when Northwestern faced a seven-point deficit with just under six minutes left.

But that issue has again reared itself in Northwestern’s last three showings – against Iowa, they were down three with just over 10 minutes left, against Michigan, they closed the Wolverines’ dominant lead to 11 to begin the second half, and now, against Illinois, the Wildcats maintained a dominant edge.

The Wildcats have been in these games – but have suddenly lost the ability to close-out those games or remain competitive down the stretch.  If they hope to reach the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats desperately need to regain that composure – or they could ultimately become lost to the bottom of the Big Ten.