You can start the story about the 9-1 Northwestern basketball team by noting that only one player in America is shooting 3-pointers better than John Shurna. No wonder Evanston, Ill., is still holding its collective breath over the severe left ankle sprain that Shurna suffered on Dec. 23.
You can remind the world how silly it is to consider the Wildcats a deliberate and methodical team when thunderous Ohio State is the only Big Ten team averaging more than the 79.1 points per game that coach Bill Carmody’s squad scores.
There is the absence of Kevin Coble, the emergence of Drew Crawford, the grit of Michael Thompson and the development of what Carmody calls his strongest bench in his 11 seasons in Evanston.
Excellent topics, every one of them.
But with Big Ten play moving into full roar, one four-word topic remains atop the list with Northwestern basketball:
Is this the year?
Is this the season the Wildcats finally make their first NCAA Tournament appearance so this story does not have to be sent to re-write again next season?
“It’s not something that we talk about or that we try not to talk about,” Carmody said. “We’ve gotten closer and closer, and I think this is our best team. But that doesn’t guarantee you anything. We’ve got to go out and prove it.”
The basketball world will study the early evidence like the frayed remainders of James Naismith’s first peach basket. Northwestern opens Big Ten play Friday at No. 12 Purdue. There’s no official word on whether Shurna will play. He reportedly was jogging, but not jumping, at practice Tuesday.
Shurna, who averages 23.3 points per game, will need to run and jump and dazzle for Northwestern to win at Purdue. The Boilermakers just thumped Michigan in Ann Arbor. Then the Wildcats host No. 20 Michigan State on Monday before visiting No. 23 Illinois on Jan. 6.
Three games against first-division opponents. Against three programs that are NCAA Tournament regulars. Against three teams expected to finish the season in the Top 25.
Lotsa luck.
“People have talked about how tough the opening of our schedule is, but that’s part of playing in this league,” Carmody said. “It is tough. But would you rather play Ohio State, Minnesota and Wisconsin? There won’t be any easy games in this league.”
And there isn’t any easy way to predict if Northwestern is finally going to have its first historic March after back-to-back first-round exits from the NIT.
Sure, the Wildcats are 9-1 and ranked among the top seven Big Ten teams by three computer power rankings. They’ve actually received a scheduling break because the two Big Ten teams the Wildcats play once are Purdue and No. 2 Ohio State.
But they didn’t beat a likely NCAA Tournament team during nonconference play, and they played a dreadful second half in losing at St. John’s by 16.
Beyond that, all vital signs look promising. Shurna is one of the five best players in the Big Ten and probably the league’s best shooter. He’s making a ridiculous 62.3 percent (33 of 53) of his shots from behind the 3-point line, second only to Gary Clark of Wake Forest, who’s at 65.6 percent but has taken 21 fewer attempts than Shurna.
At 6 feet 8 and with a bit of an unorthodox stroke, Shurna always was been able to beat people from the wing. But Carmody is convinced Shurna’s game, especially his passing, benefited from playing against NBA guys with the United States Select Team over the summer. Others agree.
“Shurna is obviously an all-American candidate,” said Glenn Braica, coach of St. Francis, a team Shurna torched for 26 points on Dec. 20.
Meanwhile, teammate Drew Crawford has bumped his scoring average from 10 to 15.5 and also fills the stat sheet with rebounds, assists and steals.
At point guard, Michael “Juice” Thompson does all the things that he has done for four seasons, the things that make Carmody talk and talk about him. Thompson plays. And plays. And plays.
He’s averaged at least 32.9 minutes per game every season, although Thompson is experiencing some sensible slack this season. After wondering if Thompson wore down last February, Carmody has cut Thompson’s minutes from 37.7 to 35.1.
As a trio, Shurna, Crawford and Thompson are giving the Wildcats 53.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game.
“They’re great, and one reason they’re great is they love to play,” Carmody said. “They really are gym rats. They wake up every morning in July thinking about getting in the gym and getting better.
“They can come into the gym and just light the place up with their energy and enthusiasm. I might be a little down and they’ll get me going, just by taking balls out of the rack and showing an incredible amount of energy. How could you not love coaching guys like that?”
Any coach would. It is players four-through-nine who must deliver -- and those are the players that Carmody believes make this Northwestern team better than the Northwestern teams that haven’t quite been able to push this program into the NCAA Tournament.
Luka Mirkovic, who grew up in Serbia, is the trademark European post player, a solid passer and rebounder, capable of an occasional double-double. Freshman JerShon Cobb provides energy.
“We’ve got a good blend of guys, with experience and energy,” Carmody said.
Are they guys who are good enough to make this year The Year at Northwestern?
The world will be watching.
