Carmody focused on future, not gloomy present

It doesn't take long for Bill Carmody to steer the conversation toward the future.

Anticipation seems only natural for the coach of a program that is always a year -- and a big man -- away from holding its own in the Big Ten.

There are other reasons to look ahead at Northwestern, particularly a pair of solid recruits -- Glenbard West's John Shurna and Batavia's Nick Fruendt.

This fall, both players will join a young Wildcats nucleus featuring Kevin Coble and Michael Thompson, both of whom Carmody brands as "legitimate guys to run a team in this conference."

The future might be bright for NU, but the present is again gloomy, namely because it resembles the past.

Coming off their worst Big Ten performance (2-14) in Carmody's tenure as coach, the Wildcats are 0-5 in league play entering tonight's tipoff against Michigan State.

"Certainly that's a concern," Carmody said. "I realize we had a tough time last year, and it looks similar this year."

The results are comparable and so are many of the problems, though the circumstances are unique to each team.

Last season, Carmody acknowledged that the talent gap between NU and the rest of the league was wider than it had been in years. Thompson (13 ppg, 5.13 apg) has helped to bridge things this season, but new problems have emerged.

The Wildcats no longer struggle to score. Stopping people is the problem for NU, which ranks 10th in the league in scoring defense (67 ppg), down from last year (58.7 ppg)

The team also is still readjusting to Coble, who returned for Big Ten play after taking a leave of absence. Coble is averaging 16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds, but he's not quite in sync.

"He still seems a little not sure when to shoot, when not to shoot," Carmody said. "There's a hesitation in his game."

Added Coble: "It's been an unusual year."

Rebounding woes have been all too usual for NU, which ranks last in the league in average margin (minus-11.8), as it did last season (minus-8.7).

Tonight the Wildcats face the league's top rebounding squad in Michigan State (plus-10.1 rpg), which boasts two players -- center Goran Suton (8.8 rpg) and forward Raymar Morgan (6.8 rpg) -- ranked in the top seven.

"As far as a physical aspect, that's what's holding us back," Thompson said. "A few of us will take plays off and we all don't box out our men. That's when they sneak up on us.

"We have to stick together and try to withstand the offensive blows and punch back."

NU started to do that the last week, shutting down Chicago State and holding Wisconsin to 22 first-half points in Saturday's loss.

"We controlled the game a lot better than we had been," Coble said. "Everybody's trying to take something positive away from each game, making sure we have something to build on.

"We don't want to backslide."

In order to remain on equal footing, NU needs at least 20 points combined from sharpshooters Craig Moore and Jason Okrzseik, Carmody said. The coach also is pushing Thompson to score more.

After committing 14 turnovers Saturday, NU needs to limit giveaways against MSU, which doesn't force many (minus-1.22 turnover margin).

"It's a good bunch of guys and I think they can get better," Carmody said. "We'll just keep working at it."

Michigan St. (16-2, 4-1) at Northwestern (6-9, 0-5)

When: 8 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena

TV: ESPN2 Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: The eternally undermanned Wildcats likely will be without starting forward Jeff Ryan (pulled muscle) tonight. Ryan injured himself Monday and sat out Tuesday's practice. Michigan State's size and athleticism will be a load, but NU can't forget about point guard Drew Neitzel (13.5 ppg, 4.67 apg). "I've been watching him since I was younger," said Wildcats point guard Michael Thompson. "When I committed, my dad and a lot of my friends tried to talk about that matchup, me against him." Michigan State leads the league in assists (18.3 apg). "If anything worries me, it's just their precision, how well they run their things," said NU forward Kevin Coble. "It's going to be a matter of us not letting them dictate it to us."

-- Adam Rittenberg