After a poor showing in its two exhibition games, Northwestern came out firing against Binghamton in its season opener, winning 86-60.
Transfer Jack Karasinski scored 24 points, the most ever for a Wildcat in a debut. Jake West also set a career high with 20 points and added 12 assists.
Head coach Chris Collins’ squad definitely inspired much more confidence in me and many others. Now, as they look ahead to a matchup against Stony Brook, what will the Wildcats need to do to stay rolling? Here are the three
keys for Northwestern this Friday:
More from the bench
While Northwestern scored 86 points against Binghamton, only six came off the bench. What’s more striking is that all six came from sophomore guard Phoenix Gill.
Northwestern needs more from its bench to ease the burden on the starters. If the bench gets going, the team can find its identity, since Collins will know what he can get from those players and whom to trust.
Once Big Ten play starts, the Wildcats can’t rely solely on their five starters every game. This was already clear in the exhibition game against Iowa State, where every starter, with the exception of junior guard Angelo Ciaravino, shot under 50% from the field. In that 94-59 loss, only eight points came from the bench.
If Northwestern hopes to have a chance against stiffer competition later in the season, the bench needs to produce. There’s no better time to start than against Stony Brook.
Shoot the three
Northwestern shot 12-for-30 from three against Binghamton. While that is a 40% clip, seven of the 12 makes came from Karasinski. It is nice to know that one of the major transfers is capable of shooting the three effectively and at volume; it can’t just be him.
West and transfer LA Pratt each attempted five threes and accounted for the additional five makes. Five attempts is solid, but I expect more from West and Pratt, who both attempted more in the exhibitions.
Furthermore, the rest of the team needs to be more active from beyond the arc. Ciaravino went 0-for-4, and transfers Aleksej Kostic and Colin Smith each went 0-for-2. These players were expected to space the floor.
If they cannot do that, teams will not respect them as shooters, which allows defenses to pack the paint and make life harder for players like Karasinski, West and Pratt.
If the three starts to fall, the offense will become far more dynamic and help the team find its rhythm.
Crash the glass
With projected starting center Luke McEldon taking a leave of absence, Northwestern loses significant size. But even with McEldon, guards and forwards collected most of the rebounds.
In the exhibition against Iowa State, Pratt and Ciaravino led the team in rebounds, with seven and four, respectively. This trend continued in the matchup against Binghamton, as the leading rebounders were Ciaravino, West and Gill.
Northwestern needs more from its big men, such as transfer Okku Federiko and first-year Symon Ghai. Both peaked at six rebounds in the first exhibition against Illinois State. Neither has had more than three since.
Once Northwestern starts playing more physical and aggressive teams, it cannot rely on guards to be its leading rebounders. Federiko and Ghai have to put themselves in better positions and box out to get the rebounds the team needs.
This will allow NU’s guards to get out in transition and play faster. Stony Brook has two players 6-foot-10 or taller, but combined have played only 21 minutes this season. Stony Brook gives Federiko and Ghai a chance to impose themselves on the boards.
