EVANSTON, Ill. _ This matchup was a testament to the folly of preseason rankings and the fickle nature of team chemistry.
Northwestern opened the season with a familiar lineup and high hopes; Ohio State entered with a new coach and low expectations. The Wildcats opened at No. 18 in the KenPom.com rankings; the Buckeyes, 78th. Two months later, those rankings are basically flipped.
Northwestern's 71-65 loss to Ohio State reflected a Wildcats team that is, literally and figuratively, miles from where it was last year. Even during "home" games.
Last year Dererk Pardon beat the buzzer after Nate Taphorn's full-court heave against Michigan, setting off a frenzy at Welsh-Ryan Arena. On Wednesday night at Allstate Arena, Bryant McIntosh fed Pardon for a layup, but the first-half horn sounded as Pardon released the shot.
No good.
Kind of like this team, which fell to 11-9 and 2-5 in Big Ten play.
Northwestern did stage an impressive comeback, cutting Ohio State's 15-point lead to 68-65 on a Scottie Lindsey 3-pointer. But Lindsey needlessly fouled C.J. Jackson, and the point guard hit both free throws before Vic Law came up short on a 3.
Law led Northwestern with 14 points; Pardon grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
On the other end was Chris Holtmann, who left Butler to take the Ohio State job and became the Big Ten's first coach to start 6-0 in conference play since Iowa's Tom Davis in 1987. Now Holtmann's crew is 7-0, 16-4 overall and ranked 22nd in the AP poll.
A week ago in this same charmless arena, Northwestern played well enough against Minnesota to give some measure of hope. And then the Wildcats went to Indiana and shot like the baskets were 12 feet high.
The chemistry seems to be missing. And, at times, the same with Lindsey's jump shot. His frigid results against Oklahoma (1-for-12), Penn State (3-for-17) and Indiana (1-for-15) hampered NU, though he fared better against Ohio State, hitting 6 of 13.
But to point to one player would not be right; this fall from grace has been a collective effort.
So many moments made you shake your head Wednesday: Law not having enough spring to complete a twisting layup. A Gavin Skelly missed jumper that got wedged between the rim and backboard. McIntosh playing a scoreless first half.
Two months ago the Wildcats were embarking on the highest expectations in program history.
Now they're the 2006 White Sox, likely to miss the postseason after reaching the promised land. Or the 2002 Bears. A year after making the playoffs, they relocated to Champaign and looked lost.
