During my last three years at Northeastern, it seems that the Husky men’s basketball and hockey teams have followed similar trends. They’ll have unbelievable streaks or surprising wins that will get you excited about the season, mixed in with stretches when the teams will inexplicably struggle, spots of brilliance marred by weeks of disappointment.
Two years ago, the men’s basketball team beat Virginia Commonwealth University (91-80), which went on to a spot in the Final Four during the NCAA March Madness Tournament.
This year, men’s basketball boasts a 12-7, but have started 7-0 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play. The Huskies have 11 more games left to play, which are all conference games. Currently, Northeastern is leading the CAA in wins and has beaten the second, third and fourth place teams. The Huskies also still have some games to play against basement teams such as Old Dominion University, which is currently 0-6 in the Conference.
The Huskies are currently the second highest scoring offense with 68.1 points per game, which is only one point behind the University of Delaware. Unfortunately, the Huskies are only seventh in scoring defense, letting up 67.2 points per game prior to Wednesday’s game. That very tight margin indicates we could be in for a lot of close games. Northeastern is second in the CAA in field-goal percentage and first in three-point percentage, which hopefully indicates future success.
The Northeastern offense is led by senior Joel Smith and sophomore Quincy Ford, who have both been sensational prior to last night’s win over William & Mary. Smith is averaging 16.8 points per game, which is a team high, while Ford has averaged 13.4. Captain Jonathan Lee, who has only played in nine games this season after returning from injury, has had a huge impact when he plays. He is the fourth highest scorer on the Huskies and averages 12.8 points per game when he plays. Lee is also second for the team in rebounds with 109, behind only sophomore Reggie Spencer’s 113. Spencer leads the Huskies in field-goal percentage as well and averages over 10 points per game. Needless to say, the Huskies have a very potent offense that should continue to improve as they spend more time on the court together.
The weak spot for this team is the defense, which has been struggling. Shooters facing the Huskies have a .446 field goal percentage, which is actually higher than the Huskies’ own. They are also frequently scoring close to 70 points. So far, the offensive prowess has compensated for the defense, but the defense has to get better before conference championships. When the offense falters, the defense isn’t good enough to compensate and carry the team.
The most important question is whether the Huskies can maintain their high level offense performance for the second half of the season. They have been routinely scoring above 60 points, when in previous years they struggled to get to that mark. The Huskies have beaten some good competition in Towson University (5-2 CAA) and George Mason University (4-2 CAA). But high-performing sports teams do have streaks, and Northeastern will need to make sure the 7-0 run is more than just that .
While the Huskies are boasting good numbers across the board when it comes to stats, they haven’t completely dominated one phase of the game. This conference race is far from over and I would expect the Huskies to lose a couple down the stretch. Their offense is one undeniably of the best in the CAA though. If the Huskies continue to make their shots and average close to 70 points per game, it will be tough for other teams to keep up with them, and they could be heading towards a high-seeded CAA tournament berth.
-Chris Judd can be reached at [email protected]
