Whatās up, everyone?
šµBlame the PhonesĀ is a little shorter this week. Weāll have a quick check-in on your 2020 Big Ten West champs (?) and a little thing on the the menās basketball teamās outlook this season.
(Also, Iām happy to break out what could be my favorite Northwestern-related gif, which encapsulates *all* the emotions and attitudes: determination, sadness, shock, sarcasm, knowing a close loss to No. 1 Gonzaga probably earned you a decade of job security, etc.)
šµBlameĀ the coronavirus
Well, Northwesternās game against Minnesota is canceled due to COVID-19 issues in the Gophersā program.
So, what does that mean?
Even after a depressing loss at Michigan State after Thanksgiving, Northwestern appears to be on the verge of clinching the Big Ten West ā unless COVID-19 complications cancel all but a couple Big Ten games over the course of the last two weeks of the āregularā season.
Itās happening again. For the second time in three seasons, Northwestern looks to be headed to the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis. The opponent: TBD, but probably Ohio State again, but also it could totally not be ā¦ we really donāt know!
And, a quick ode to four days in November Iāll never forget:
For four days in November, we got to dream. Northwestern was a legit national championship contender in college football. From late Tuesday night through Friday, there was a non-zero chance that Northwestern could run the table, find itself playing Alabama or Notre Dame or Clemson and maybe, just maybe, pull a shocker.
That dream ended Saturday afternoon with a lackluster performance against Michigan State. The offense proved to be bad, again, giving the defense a margin for error that was just a bit too small.
Pour one out for those four November days, days we may never see the likes of again.
šµBlameĀ the Big Ten
So, Northwesternās menās basketball team beat 0-4 Arkansas-Pine Bluff by 43 in its season-opener, which doesnāt mean a ton.
Talent-wise, theyāre not terrible. And lineup-wise, Pete Nance at center makes a ton of sense ā¦ at least against a team like Pine Bluff. And, I could see it giving Iowa and Illinois something to think about with their massive and talented centers having to come out to guard Nance (if only he was better than a career 29% three-point shooter).
So, hereās the issue, though. This team was bad last season. Really bad. And while they appear to be marginally better, the Big Ten as a whole looks better, too.
We know Miller Kopp is good. Heās going to score. He should shoot more! Then thereās Chase Audige, the transfer from William & Mary, who looked decent, too! Boo Buie wasnāt feeling great and came off the bench. A sophomore leap? Maybe! How about Robbie Beran, the 6-foot-9 forward who made 40% of his threes as a freshman? Seems good! Rookie guard Ty Berry looked good, too, dropping 15 points in his collegiate debut.
So Northwestern has some players who are decent and fun.
But theyāre going to get rocked in the Big Ten. Again.
Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan, Purdue, Rutgers, Minnesota, and Maryland all appear to be playing like top-40 teams, nationally, so far this season. Thatās 11 of the conferenceās 14 teams!
So that leaves Northwestern, Penn State, and Nebraska. Sure, Northwestern can finish 12th. But I just donāt see them being able to be a top-50 unit nationally on either side of the ball. Last season, they finished 150th in adjusted defensive efficiency and 139th in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom. They return a lot of production from last season, but if that production wasnāt good anyway, is that really a positive?
They have Chicago State tomorrow afternoon and Pitt in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Wednesday night. Then itās SIU-Edwardsville a few days later before opening the Big Ten slate at home against Michigan State on Dec. 20.
Iām looking at the schedule for the first time right now and my god it starts off brutally hard (current KenPom ranking in parentheses):
12/20: vs. Michigan State (10)
12/23: at Indiana (17)
12/26: vs. Ohio State (13)
12/29: at Iowa (12)
1/3: at Michigan (22)
1/7: vs. Illinois (24)
1/13: at Ohio State (13)
1/17: vs. Iowa (12)
Yikes. Buckle up ā¦ itās going to be a ride.
Thatās where weāll end things this week. Thanks for sticking with another edition ofĀ šµBlame the Phones.
Hopefully, Iāll be back in your inbox next week.
Please let me know if you have any questions or ideas. Iād love to hear them.
Take care,
Josh Rosenblat