Chris Collins knows how quickly a losing streak can snowball and ruin a season. He’s seen it first hand at Northwestern.
In his first season in Evanston, his Wildcats were 12-11 (5-5 Big Ten) on Feb. 1 before dropping seven straight. In 2014-15, they won the Big Ten opener and then lost 10 in a row. Last year, they were 15-3 (3-2) on Jan. 16 before losing five straight, and 8 of 10, as any chance of postseason play slipped away.
So to him, Tuesday night’s game is much more than just a matchup against an Illinois team riding a three-game losing streak of its own. Coming off of a 21-point loss to Purdue and with games against the top two teams in the conference looming, he knows the Wildcats have to notch a win tonight to avoid going into the type of tailspin that can destroy momentum, let alone dreams of an NCAA Tournament bid.
“Our big thing too has always been, most likely you’re not going to run the table in the Big Ten,” said Collins. “What you have to eliminate are extended losing streaks. When you do get beat…you have to stop the bleeding. You have to find a way to win the next game.”
Northwestern (18-5, 7-3) did just that earlier this season. After losing two in a row – at Michigan State and at home to Minnesota – the Wildcats went on the road to beat Nebraska, then 3-0 in the Big Ten. That turned out to be the first of six straight conference wins, something no Wildcat team had accomplished since 1932-33.
So while Collins talked about the importance of not overreacting to a loss at Purdue, he knows darn well that the Wildcats can’t afford another setback to Illinois with games at No. 7 Wisconsin (9-1 Big Ten) and against No. 21 Maryland (8-2) coming up next Sunday and Wednesday, respectively. A lone defeat can turn into a four-game losing streak in a hurry.
“When you’re playing at home, when you’re coming off a loss, there’s got to be some extra urgency to take care of business and get back on the winning track,” he said.
If Northwestern is to get a W tonight, it will have to do so without leading scorer Scottie Lindsey (15.4 ppg), who will miss his second straight game with an illness. Collins says that, in addition to Lindsey’s shooting, his Wildcats miss his length and rebounding on the defensive end.
On the bright side, reserve forward Nathan Taphorn should be available. “I have been encouraged by his response to the (sprained) ankle,” said Collins. “I think he’ll be ready to go.”
One good thing is that Collins’ team has gotten accustomed to missing key players. Starting center Dererk Pardon missed eight games earlier this season and forward Aaron Falzon, a starter last year, has been out since Nov. 16 and will miss the rest of the season. Besides, Collins points out, “Everybody in this league is going through that. Every team has injuries.”
Illinois (13-11, 3-8) has been struggling lately, dropping home games to Penn State and Minnesota sandwiched around a loss at Wisconsin. But Collins looks beyond the won-loss record and sees a “talented” team featuring Malcolm Hill, who averages 17.0 points per game.
“When you play a rivalry game, an interstate game like this, records don’t matter…we have a lot of respect for who they are,” said Collins.
Still, the coach is confident that his team will rebound from Saturday’s disappointing loss. They’ve had six days between games to sharpen their play.
“Our effort is going to be there,” said Collins. “We’re going to play hard .We’re going to have a sense of urgency. The thing now is will we be good enough over 40 minutes to beat Illinois. That’s going to be the story of the game.”
