Northwestern's undefeated start to the season came to a close with a down-to-the-wire loss to No. 13 Auburn, 43-42, in the championship game of the Cancun Challenge.
The game was an absolute rock fight, with two athletic defenses putting the clamps down on just about everything the offenses could think of. The teams combined to shoot 27-for-105 from the floor and 7-for-45 from three, and a mere 85 total points.
Auburn's K.D. Johnson led all scorers with 12, while Chase Audige led Northwestern with 10.
Here are our takeaways from a heartbreaking loss to a top-15 team that dropped Northwestern's record to 5-1:
Have defense, will travel
Auburn got the win, but Northwestern's defense delivered another exemplary performance. They blocked eight shots, stole the ball eight times and forced 14 turnovers. Auburn entered the game averaging 76 points; they reached around 56% of that against the Wildcats.
Auburn's leading scorer heading into this matchup, Wendell Green Jr., was held to just two points on 1-for-9 shooting. Forward Johni Broome had been averaging 12 points and nine rebounds. He scored just five points, on 1-for-3 shooting, and snared eight rebounds.
This Wildcat defense is for real. They have held five of their six opponents under 60 points, and have shown that their early success against non-Power Six teams like Purdue-Fort Wayne or Liberty can be translated to a Top-25 opponent like Auburn.
If the defense keeps this up, Northwestern can play with almost anyone in the country.
Northwestern was solid at the line
There was a lid over the basket, a moat around the lid and a ring of fire around the moat on Wednesday night in Cancun. So Northwestern stayed in the game by drawing fouls and making their free throws.
The Wildcats shot 12-for-16 at the free-throw line, and leaned on free throws to keep them in the game early. Northwestern hit the double-bonus with plenty of time to spare in the first half, and used it to score nine of their 19 first-half points in the final five minutes.
The WIldcats ended up shooting a 75% clip after Tydus Verhoeven missed a pair, Audige split a pair and Matt Nicholson went 3-for-4, but the team's ability to convert at the line kept Auburn from capitalizing on Northwestern's ice-cold offensive performance.
After shooting just 19 combined free throws in their wins over Purdue-Fort Wayne and Georgetown, Northwestern shot 21 against Liberty and now 16 against Auburn. There was a definite emphasis in Cancun on drawing fouls and getting shots at the line, and it helped the Wildcats stay in this one.
Tight rotation stepped up without Roper
It is hard to go upset-hunting against anyone, it is even harder with a rotation of just seven players. With Julian Roper in a sling on the sidelines, Head coach Chris Collins kept the rotation short once again. Credit to the team's strength and conditioning work, as they kept the pressure on with very little time to rest and recover throughout the game.
Brooks Barnhizer and Nicholson came off the bench with 29 and 19 minutes, respectively, and the Wildcats held their ground against an Auburn team that went 11-deep. Barnhizer struggled offensively, shooting just 1-for-6 from the field, but to say that kind of night was going around would be an understatement. He did draw a couple fouls and capitalize at the line, sinking all four of his free throws in a game where points were at a premium.
Nicholson also deserves credit for a quality game. I have been critical of his play, but he delivered a solid performance on Northwestern's biggest stage of this young season. He scored seven points, pulled down four boards and blocked a pair of shots. Crucially, he was 3-for-4 at the line.
Nicholson has struggled with fouls on both ends of the floor in the past, getting into foul trouble and failing to find consistency at the line. If he can provide about 20 minutes per game protecting the rim without foul trouble, and make 75% of his free throws, that is just what the doctor ordered for this Northwestern squad.
Northwestern's offensive sets continue to struggle
It was a grisly shooting night for Northwestern. The team was 14-for-55 from the floor and 2-for-24 from three-point range.
However, it would be dishonest to harangue the team or pick on players for the poor shooting night when the basket was practically under lock and key.
Northwestern needs to find a way to get better shots out of their sets, out of timeouts, and especially out of sideline out-of-bounds opportunities. Northwestern called timeout down by one with a little more than 12 seconds remaining. The ensuing sideline out-of-bounds play barely made a dent in the Auburn defense.
Little to no separation, followed by a fruitless drive, followed by a hoisted shot heavily contested by a defender, followed by a scrum for the ball as time expires has unfortunately become a time-honored tradition for Northwestern late in games.
Collins needs to find ways to get shots for Buie or Audige down the stretch in a clutch opportunity, or even in half-court settings, in general. If he can't find a way to make that happen, a defense that is shaping up to be truly formidable will go to waste.
