Wildcats know boards key vs. Michigan State
Think you had a lame New Year's Eve? Check out Kevin Coble's big night and feel better about yourself.
Northwestern's junior forward fell asleep 90 minutes before the calendar flipped to 2009, but only after watching the entire tape of the Wildcats' disappointing loss at Penn State earlier in the day.
It's hard to believe Coble recognized the guys on the video in the purple jerseys.
After outrebounding their foes by 1.8 per game during non-conference play - one of many massive improvements from a year ago - the Wildcats were whipped 46-24 on the glass by the shorter Nittany Lions.
"The rebounding came back and bit us a little bit," Coble said. "It turned in to what it's been the last couple of years."
That's not a good sign with No. 10 Michigan State, perennially the Big Ten's most rugged team, coming to Welsh-Ryan Arena today (6 p.m., BTN).
Will the Wildcats' rebounding woes continue? Or can they prove Penn State to be an aberration?
"I hope that's the case," Carmody said. "Looking at the tape, it wasn't like they weren't boxed out. We had three or four guys in there and they had two, but their two just seemed like they were faster to the ball."
Carmody then mimicked his big freshmen, Kyle Rowley and Luka Mirkovic, standing tall and susceptible next to crouching Nittany Lion Jamelle Cornley.
"Cornley was like, 'Boom!,' going up and getting it," Carmody said. "I hit (the rebounding thing) head-on. 'Hey, fellas, this is Penn State. They're not a big team.' Now, they are a good rebounding team, but-"
They're no Michigan State (10-2, 1-0), which outrebounds its opponents by 8.9 per game.
At the same time Penn State were pounding the Wildcats on the boards, the Spartans were skunking Minnesota (and talented freshmen big men Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson) by 22 rebounds.
"We've just got to look to hit something," said senior guard Craig Moore. "When the ball goes up in the air, hit something and go get it. Every time, if you watched the Penn State game, you saw five guys in the lane (for us) but nobody's hitting anybody."