In order for Northwestern basketball to reach the NIT, they’ll need more from JerShon Cobb. The second option behind Drew Crawford, Cobb is second on the team in scoring, and they’re the only two that average double figures for the Wildcats. NU Coach Chris Collins has said on a few occasions that his team does not have the depth of other Big Ten schools, therefore his margin of error is smaller.
JerShon Cobb needs to be on it as much as possible.
“We don’t have the firepower to run away from teams, so we’re going to play close games,” Collins said before admitting that Michigan and Michigan State are separated from the Big 10 pack. With the rest of the league a place where anyone can beat you and you can get beat on any given night.”
Northwestern plays great defense, but their offense needs serious work, and it starts with Cobb getting the offense into a flow. A highly touted recruit from Decatur, Georgia, JerShon Cobb was ranked a four-start recruit and the No. 90 collegiate prospect in his class by Rivals.com. He has a good mentor when it comes to learning how to be a floor general.
“Just learn from Juice, anything he can teach me, I’ll listen. I feel like I’m a natural two, but I’m converting to the one,” Jershon Cobb said during his freshman year in Evanston.
Northwestern lost for just the third time in eight games today, and it’s been awhile since they’ve lost a game that they were favored in. The wins at Minnesota and Wisconsin raised NU’s RPI from 123 to 85. A loss to Nebrasketball, RPI 74, really hurts the Wildcats NIT chances. Today was a crushing defeat.
“We putting everything of ourselves in this game. When you care that much and you’re invested that much, it hurts,” Collins said after the games.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An MBA and Fulbright scholar, he’s also a frequent analyst on news talk radio; with regular segments on ESPN,NBC, CBS and Fox. A former NBC Chicago and Washington Times writer, he’s also been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)