BOSTON – Northeastern is playing well and at a good time. The non-conference slate saw a lot of ups and downs, as well as question marks, so the Huskies were something of an unknown heading into CAA play. But after Wednesday night’s 60-57 win over Georgia State, the Huskies are right in the mix with a tough stretch ahead.
Northeastern started the non-conference slate with some promising results, winning at arch-rival Boston University in overtime in the season opener and picking up a win at St. John’s before November was out. The Huskies didn’t seem primed to be as good as they were a couple of years ago, but it was a good start as they were 3-1 after winning in Queens.
Then December came, and the Huskies ran into backcourt issues. Behind juniors Jonathan Lee and Joel Smith are only freshmen, and they have had some struggles. At one point, Northeastern had at least 20 turnovers in five straight games, and not surprisingly they lost all five. In the meantime, the reserve guards weren’t getting a lot of minutes, and the Huskies at times put out a lineup that really had just one true guard on the floor.
But the Huskies closed out 2011 playing well, getting a big win at Vermont on a buzzer-beater, and since the calendar turned over they have been better. They have won six of seven, and the win over a Georgia State team that had won 13 of 14 is a big one for this team. Along the way, a key freshman has developed into a budding star in Quincy Ford, and it has happened as this team has been winning games.
Ford scored 14 points and was 4-5 from long range on Wednesday night. He also filled the stat sheet with five rebounds and three steals, and also had a key blocked shot in the second half. The team’s third-leading scorer is second in that category in conference games, having reached double figures in four of the last five games now and getting his first career double-double last week. For good measure, he leads the team in rebounding and steals.
The CAA has a lot of young talent starting their college careers off well, and Ford is right there with the best of them, especially since conference play began.
“His versatility makes us a much better basketball team,” said head coach Bill Coen. “As scary as it sounds, he doesn’t know how good he can be.”
The Huskies now head into the conference’s annual stretch of four games in eight days, and they start it on the road at Drexel on Saturday and Old Dominion on Monday. The Dragons, who were preseason favorites and then had a so-so non-conference showing in part because of injuries, will come in with five straight wins, while the Monarchs are 6-1 and already came to Boston last month and left with a victory. On the flip side, the Huskies have a 3-0 road record in CAA play thus far.
Northeastern is still in need of more answers in the backcourt. Coen seems satisfied with the improvement of Alwayne Bigby, known more for his defense and competitive streak, at the offensive end, and he’s played as one of the guards at times. Ford has helped as well since he can handle and pass. But it wouldn’t hurt if either or both of freshmen Marco Banegas-Flores and Demetrius Pollard, the latter of whom sat out Wednesday night due to a sprained ankle suffered in practice, played well enough to get more minutes. Both Lee and Smith played 39 minutes on Wednesday night, and Lee leads the CAA in minutes at over 36 per game. In CAA play that number is well over 37.
Coen said the Huskies seemed to learn well from the non-conference slate. While they would like to have had a few more wins, and had a shot in a few of the games, he pointed to games like St. John’s as a game against a team that plays a style much like that of a conference opponent that they could draw from. Princeton, who beat the Huskies during the six-game losing streak in December when turnovers were a major issue, was a team they could look at when preparing for William & Mary, who they beat last week.
Northeastern has a tough stretch ahead that will give an idea of whether this team will be a contender or not. They go into that stretch with a good road record and playing well, all at a good time.
