By Teddy GreensteinIt was hardly a thing of beauty, but Northwestern did more than enough to beat Indiana on Sunday. And beat the Hoosiers with ease, as the 78-61 score would indicate.
Northwestern, which improved to 16-7, 5-6 in the Big Ten by beating Indiana for the third consecutive time, stormed out to a 21-6 lead and never gave it up. The Welsh-Ryan Arena crowd got fidgety when the Hoosiers cut it to 60-49, but Drew Crawford made a layup and Jeremy Nash converted a 3-point play to seal the victory.
All five NU starters scored in double digits, led by John Shurna's 16 points. He drilled 5 of 8 3-point tries and had six assists, five rebounds and three blocked shots.
Indiana's Verdell Jones III scored a career-high 28.
Photo: Northwestern's Jeremy Nash reacts after shooting a three-point basket. (AP / Jim Prisching)
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Why you would you say it wasn't a thing of beauty? Northwestern dominated the game. They came out determined and executed their game plan perfectly with solid defense and good offense. The refs were calling ridiculous ticky-tack fouls on both teams, but the 'Cats looked spectacular. This is why no one reads the Tribune anymore. You can't just report the news, you have to add your negative viewpoint to it.
Bill Carmody should be considered for "Coach of the Year". He won't be because he won't win the national title and does get the press that Jim B., Mike K., Roy W. and others get. But let's take into consideration what he has done. He works for a school without a tradition, that has never even made the NCAA field. He has a good chance to do it this year for the first time. He is doing at it a school that does not come close to matching other schools in his conference for facilities. The academic requirements mean he cannot attract top players only a few miles away from his school, even while playing in a big time conference. If "Coach of the Year" has any meaning related to achievement in lifting a program, then Carmody should be the absolute winner.