Make no mistake about it- Alex Olah is the best player on this Northwestern basketball team. Bryant McIntosh may have a higher ceiling, and he could likely have a more successful college career by the time he’s done. Tre Demps obviously gets a lot of attention, maybe more than Olah or B-Mac, but you obviously know that Demps is far from the best player on this team.
With Olah out, NU is definitely not having a Ewing Theory going on. Dererk Pardon, freshman big and spellcheck nightmare, had a monster game at Nebraska as Northwestern basketball opened the Big Ten season.
The past two games since then (a rout at the hands of Maryland, and a close but ugly to watch defeat to Ohio State), both at home, have been very rough. Especially so on the interior.
Said Chris Collins after the OSU game: “Not having a guy like Alex [Olah], to just be able to drop it into the post and get some offense when things aren’t going well has really put a lot of pressure on our two guards. Teams are really going after those guys, and making them take tough shots, and we’ve gotta find a way to get contributions from other guys.”
So when will Northwestern basketball be getting their best player back in action?
Not today versus Minnesota. Probably not Tuesday versus Wisconsin, but it’s a possibility. A week from today, at home versus Penn State, seems probable. Maybe the rematch versus Maryland, this time at their house, could see his return.
“He’s getting better, he’s progressing, it’s just that we wanna make sure he’s in a place where we can’t do further damage,” Collins said.
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Northwestern started 13-1 against an early season schedule that was softer than 1000 thread count Egyptian Cotton sheets. While that 13-1 may have been misleading, perhaps the past two contests were also misleading.
Without the Romanian 7-footer, Northwestern basketball has become especially dependent on the perimeter. Said guard Bryant McIntosh after the game:
“Without Olah, we just don’t have the inside presence. That’s not a knock on Dererk (Pardon) or Joey Van (Zegeren). Olah is just an all Big Ten center, it’s tough to take him out.”
Northwestern’s hole in the middle allowed Ohio State center Trevor Thompson to put up a double double in Evanston Wednesday night.
McIntosh on the pick-and-roll chemistry he’s developed with Olah, and how much he misses it:
“Olah and I have been doing a pick-and-roll now for a year and a half to two years, so we just have an understanding of what one another wants to do with it. And we’ve played long enough against these teams that we kinda know what they’re trying to make us do, and how to counter it.”
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous television and radio talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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