Imagine a world in which Illinois’ men’s basketball program returned an All-American point guard and four of the top players from a team that finished tied for second place in the Big Ten, yet was nowhere to be found in the Top 25 rankings heading into the new season.
Or Indiana’s, Iowa’s, Michigan’s, Ohio State’s or Wisconsin’s.
You can’t, and do you know why? It never would happen.
It’s the sort of curious indignity that might happen only to Northwestern in all of Big Ten country.
The Wildcats have star Boo Buie back along with Ty Berry, Brooks Barnhizer and Matthew Nicholson. Their newcomers include Princeton transfer Ryan Longborg, who last was seen leading the Tigers in scoring in the NCAA Tournament as they fought their way to the Sweet 16. The Wildcats themselves nearly got that far, losing a marvelously contested game to UCLA in the second round.
Pretty good team up in Evanston, right?
Yet voters from all corners suspended logic and overlooked the Wildcats — purple pretenders? — as if last season never even happened. As if it was all just a dream.
“To me, it’s fine,” coach Chris Collins said Monday in a post-practice phone call, the opener still nearly three weeks away. “I think it’s a great message to our guys. Like I always preach, it’s never as good as they print and it’s never as bad as they print. That’s the beauty of basketball. It’s not like figure skating or gymnastics. [Scores] aren’t up to the judges.”
Thank goodness for that, because the preseason judging couldn’t have been harsher.
Out of 63 voters in the AP poll, not one had Northwestern anywhere on their ballot. Forty-four teams in all received votes.
And what about Collins’ peers? Out of 32 voters in the coaches’ poll, zero had Northwestern in their top 25s. A total of 46 teams received votes in that one.
Seven Big Ten teams were either ranked — with both Purdue and Michigan State in the top five — or among the others receiving votes in either or both of those polls. And then there was the 28-voter media poll conducted by reporters from The Columbus Dispatch and the Athletic, in which Northwestern was picked to finish eighth in the conference standings. For those of you scoring at home, that’s the lower half of the 14-team league.
“Well, I’ve gotten so accustomed year in and year out to not really paying attention to this stuff,” Collins said. “I didn’t even see the polls until you just told me. It’s not like [being ranked] is something we have a right of passage to. And I think [preseason polls] are kind of silly, to be honest, because no one has seen anybody play.”
Yes, they’re silly. But they’re also conversation starters. Given all the sports fans out there who pay no mind to college basketball until it’s time to fill out an NCAA bracket, any and all conversation should be welcomed.
Anyway, enough stalling. It’s time to admit that a certain writer — a real blowhard, this guy — was one of the 63 who voted in the AP poll and one of the 28 who voted in the Big Ten media poll. What was that part about suspending logic and overlooking the Wildcats?
“Thanks,” Collins said with a wry laugh, “but that’s OK. As a coach, to be quite honest, you would rather have your team have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder and a hunger to them. I want guys to always keep that mentality. The chips on the shoulder and that edge was a big reason we won as much as we did last season.”
And it was a lot. The upset of No. 1-ranked Purdue on Super Bowl Sunday was the first highlight everyone will remember, but take a guess what the Wildcats’ record was last season against all the teams — Purdue, Michigan State, Maryland, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio State — being ranked ahead of, and instead of, them now.
Try 8-3. Again, pretty good team up in Evanston.
As you know, it hasn’t been the most pleasant few months at Northwestern. No doubt, fans have been waiting to turn their lonely eyes to their basketball team. The same one the rest of the world seems to have forgotten about.
“It’s not all bad to kind of be reminded that we still have a lot of respect to earn,” Collins said. “We’re going to try.”
Steve Greenberg’s AP preseason Top 25 ballot
1. Kansas
2. Duke
3. Purdue
4. Michigan State
5. Marquette
6. UConn
7. Creighton
8. Tennessee
9. Houston
10. Arizona
11. Florida Atlantic
12. Baylor
13. Villanova
14. Arkansas
15. Wisconsin
16. Gonzaga
17. Texas A&M
18. Miami
19. Kentucky
20. Saint Mary’s
21. Texas
22. North Carolina
23. Maryland
24. USC
25. Illinois
