Next season Northwestern basketball is exactly like Jay-Z rapped in “Do you Believe (Hova Interlude)”:
“When you’re expected to win, they ain’t surprised no more.”
A 24 win team returns everybody who matters except Nate Taphorn and Sanjay Lumpkin next season. On paper, they will only get better, and should in fact be substantially better. They also get back Aaron Falzon and Rapolas Ivanauskas, two guys with high potential who had to sit out with injuries. Incoming freshman guard Anthony Gaines will be a nice piece as well.
The arrow is definitely pointing up for this program; no question about it. However, what about having to play all of their home games next season in an arena that’s seen much better days way out by the airport?
Will Northwestern basketball be able to retain a true home court advantage, while their actual home court is getting a $110 million renovation?
Will the NU media elites act in fashion that’s at least tolerable, if not likable next year at this time?
Press row purple. Go team! pic.twitter.com/bDbSABISW8
— Steve Greenberg (@SLGreenberg) March 18, 2017
Act Like You’ve Been There Before Now
While no one could have really expected the NU alumni in the sports media to be unbiased, fair and objective during this historical month, at the same time, no one really thought such a classy group of people would be so obnoxious too. Let’s just hope they got it out of their system now, and 2017-18 is much better.
What should have been a story about just basketball, and purely basketball, instead degenerated into the mainstream media constantly reminding us about the existence of a few media and entertainment industry elites who went to school there.
Indeed the in crowd just couldn’t stop telling us how insider they really are.
No Free Passes in 2017-18
Next year a NCAA Tournament trip won’t be novel, and perhaps the local Chicago media will take their kid gloves off in their coverage of the Northwestern basketball program. Chris Collins is achieving amazing things, but eventually he will make a mistake, like all of us do. It will be interesting to see if the media do actually criticize him, when the time warrants it.
He’s one of the finest minds and most up-and-coming coaches in the college game right now, but how what will become of the all the NU media cheerleading if and when the program takes a step back?
That’s what being a big time program is all about- you have high expectations, and intense scrutiny. The puff pieces ship has now sailed.
On the Court, Future Looks Very Bright
Given all that the Wildcats have coming back, and everything that they accomplished this season, the sky is the limit in 2017-18. Think 27ish in the total wins count. Imagine a double bye in the B1G Tournament, and perhaps a Sweet 16. Maybe even more.
Of course, this is evaluation is made strictly on paper, and games are not played on paper. Injuries and unforeseen issues arise, and the B1G will be much better. However, Scottie Lindsey may have been on his way to an all-conference first team kind of season before mono struck. He made the leap, and he should only get better.
I love Vic Law’s game too. The highest rated recruit in the history of Northwestern basketball is a star in the making. Another year of a very talented, and now seasoned, nucleus playing together means Cats fans should dream big. Especially given how they actually arrived a year earlier than expected in this past season.
Major Issues with Having Access to a True Home Court
From Welsh Ryan to Allstate it’s about a 40 minute drive, in light traffic, which means it’ll be about an hour to an hour-fifteen minimum in late afternoon, early evening traffic. By bus, you can get there in an hour and a half, in ideal traffic situations, which never exist in the Chicagoland area. At least these kinds of traffic situations don’t exist in these northern suburbs, on any weekday from 2-8 pm, and thus going the public transportation route on game day will be an easy two hours for each leg.
There is no expressway between W-R and AA so this is a serious logistical issue. At least when you get there, alcohol will now be served, and that’s a huge plus.
Let’s take a look at the commute from downtown. Given that it’s a Northwestern basketball story, we’ll pick a spot where many media are headquartered (because as was well documented all month long, everybody in the media went to NU).
From city front plaza (Michigan and Wacker) it’s an hour and a half by CTA, 35-40 minutes by car in off peak hours. In traffic, it’s easily double that. Or worse. Ready to fight rush hour traffic to reach an arena that’s next to one of the world’s busiest airports for a 6, 7 or 8 pm weekday tip?
At least for weekend games, the traffic conditions won’t be nearly as bad.
Shuttle Buses are a friend to Northwestern Basketball
The best way is probably to take the blue line to Rosemont, which is the last stop before O’Hare. However, you still have to walk a mile and a half to the arena from the L stop, or rely on the suburban Pace busses which are unreliable to say the least. Walking 1.4 miles from the L is no big deal of course for many fans, especially on the nights when the winter weather is more mild. However, it won’t be an option for some fans, and definitely not doable no those nights when the mercury dips into the teens and single digits.
The university should run shuttles on game nights from Evanston to Rosemont, and back. DePaul does it from Lincoln Park. They should also run shuttles from All State Arena to the Rosemont Blue Line station. That way fans will not have to deal with the grand theft time burglary that is driving on those Chicagoland roads at those times of day. Horrible traffic puts everyone in a bad mood.
Shuttle busses, and ramped up public transportation though would benefit everybody and that’s very important because you need atmosphere in the old barn.
See the picture below, as it’s the peak moment in Allstate Arena basketball history, and it’s a reminder of what can happen in the old barn when there’s real hoops being played there.
(related: 2017-18 Very Early Illini Season Preview)
That is of course, Deron Williams hitting the three that completed the Illini epic comeback in the 2005 Regional Final against Arizona. That moment, and that evening was the most electric sporting event I’ve ever experienced, and it was a different planet from every DePaul game I’ve attended there.
The Blue Demons have an atrocious and invisible program, so of course no one is going to fight nightmarish traffic and commuter headaches to watch it.
Northwestern basketball is a completely different place now though. They’re winning, and they should only get better. The fans will come, they just need the University, which has really deep pockets, to make it as easy and convenient as possible for them to get there.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times and NBC Chicago.com, contributes to Chicago Tribune.com, Bold, WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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