Cats blitzed by Michigan
Northwestern ran into a buzzsaw in Ann Arbor on Sunday night.
No. 16 Michigan destroyed the No. 19 Wildcats in all phases in an 85-66 romp that wasn't as close as the final score.
It was the second straight Big Ten loss for Northwestern (6-3, 3-2) after winning its first three conference games. Michigan, meanwhile, posted its ninth straight win without a loss.
Here are our five takeaways from an ugly night for the Wildcats:
Michigan shot the lights out: Michigan was firing from behind the arc early and often. They started 6-of-9 from beyond the arc and finished the first half with nine triples.
Northwestern tried both man and zone looks to slow down the Wolverines' offense, but nothing really worked. Head coach Chris Collins credited Wolverine big man Hunter Dickinson for commanding defensive attention and being adept at kicking the ball out to open shooters.
And those open shooters knocked down shots -- 53% in the first half and 44% (12 of 27) for the game.
Northwestern's inability to defend against 3-pointers is a worrying trend. In their last loss, Iowa hit 11 triples (42.6%) against them. For a team that can struggle offensively at times, Northwestern cannot afford to give up open looks. Iowa and Michigan both have very good big men that Northwestern has tried to double-team. This has led to a lot of the open looks over the last two games.
Northwestern's next opponent, Illinois, boasts big man Kofi Cockburn, so it will be a test to see if the 'Cats can find away to help down low without getting torched from deep.
Size bothered the Cats: After the game, Collins talked repeatedly about how much Michigan's size and physicality bothered Northwestern's offense in the half court. Northwestern was unable to get clean looks for most of the game, shooting just 41.3% from the field and 27.8% from the 3-point line.
Michigan blocked eight Wildcat shots on the night, with five coming from Franz Wagner. Collins also mentioned that Northwestern was smaller at every position except point guard. With the Wildcats struggling to get stops on defense that would enable them to get out and run, an anemic half-court offense left them trailing for almost the entire game.
As a team, Northwestern finished with 12 assists, tied for a season-low. Collins said the Wolverines' physicality made it difficult for Northwestern to get into their usual offense based around cutting and ball movement. A season-low 66 points was the result.
Northwestern was also out rebounded 43-30, something that has been a problem all year.
For this Northwestern team, the offense starts with defense. The Cats need to get more stops so that they can get more transition buckets to offset their half-court struggles.
Buie struggled again: Boo Buie started Big Ten play hot, scoring 30 against Michigan State and hitting the game-wining 3 against Ohio State.
But Northwestern's point guard went cold in the last two losses. After finishing with 2 points against Iowa, Buie was held scoreless in Ann Arbor. Buie did leave the game at the end of the first half after taking a knee to the thigh, so that might have hampered him in the second half.
Regardless, Northwestern needs Buie to play well in order to have success. He is the initiator of the offense, and when he struggles it can drag down everyone else.
Buie's life won't get any easier when he matches up with Illinois' all-American Ayo Dosunmu on Thursday, but he has shown a knack for rising to the occasion in big moments. It Buie doesn't get back on track, it could be another long night for the Wildcats.
Nance started hot, then disappeared: Northwestern actually jumped out to an early 8-2 lead in this one, as Pete Nance scored all eight points on 4-for-4 shooting. Then he went to the bench, and when he re entered it was 18-12 Michigan and the game was never really in doubt after that.
Nance put up a career-high 21 points last time out against Iowa, but he couldn't repeat the performance in Ann Arbor. He only took three shots after his perfect start, making one, and finished with 10 points.
Nance had to deal with 7-foot-1, 255-pound Hunter Dickinson on the defensive end, and that certainly took its toll on Nance's body. For a team that struggled so much offensively, it seemed like Nance should have gotten more looks to see if he could continue his hot shooting and carry the offense.
The Cats suffered back-to-back losses: After jumping out to a 3-0 record in conference play and earning a No. 19 ranking, Collins' team has faltered, losing two straight. Iowa and Michigan are both Top 10 teams in the country in Collins' estimation, so playing them back-to-back on the road was no easy task.
Both of these double-digit losses have been marred by defensive struggles -- the Hawkeyes and Wolverines averaged 86 points per game against them. The Cats were allowing only 67.3 points per contest in their 3-0 Big Ten start. Northwestern has also been out rebounded in both contests.
Northwestern heads back home on Thursday to face their in-state rivals Illinois and look to right the ship.