Carmody, Cats find patience pays off
Bill Carmody was all set to scrap his signature defense. Then he ran out of time.
Carmody, the eighth-year Northwestern coach, swears that if his team had more prep time before Saturday's game against Savannah State, he would have shelved the 1-3-1 zone and gone with a different version.
"I'm glad I waited one more day," he said.
The 1-3-1 produced 32 turnovers -- the most in Carmody's tenure -- as Northwestern rallied for a 68-58 win Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. NU (2-4) snapped a two-game slide and recorded its first victory against a Division I opponent.
Carmody had reached a breaking point with NU's defense after watching Virginia explode for 94 points and 16 3-pointers in a 42-point thrashing Tuesday night.
The Wildcats' seemingly vulnerable offense had delivered -- five players entered Saturday averaging 8 points or more -- but their defense, particularly on the perimeter, was horrendous.
"We were embarrassed, the coaches were embarrassed," guard Jason Okrzesik said of Tuesday's loss. "You can't let something like that happen."
The Wildcats ensured it wouldn't happen again by deflecting passes, crowding lanes and letting Savannah State hurt itself with unforced errors.
During NU's decisive 14-0 run early in the second half, Savannah State (5-6) committed 8 consecutive turnovers. The Tigers opened the second half with a pass to a Northwestern band member and didn't sink a field goal for the first 7:35.
Things became so tough for Savannah State that NU students cheered guard Raye Bailey (6 second-half turnovers) whenever he touched the ball. NU was outrebounded 37-15, but its defense made the difference.
"We saw that it was getting to them," said Wildcats guard Craig Moore, who recorded a career-high 7 steals. "Every chance we got, we wanted to make sure we got our hands in their face, hands around the ball, just disrupt what they were trying to do."
Okrzesik, who scored a career-high 18 points, completed the run by stripping Chris Linton and surging downcourt for a layup. NU finished with 30 points off turnovers, helping to erase a 28-24 halftime deficit.
After Anthony Jones (21 points) cut NU's lead to 62-58, Okrzesik found Moore wide open in the corner for a 3-pointer with 46.8 seconds left.
• Athletic director Mark Murphy attended Saturday's game and said "nothing is official," despite reports he will be named Green Bay Packers president in the coming days.
• Tonjua Jones, a senior wide receiver on Northwestern's football team, has joined the basketball team.