ESPN's Jay Bilas Weighs in on Wildcat Chances

Evanston Patch turned to ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas for an early preview of Northwestern basketball.

Despite college basketball being more than two months away, many are anticipating the return of the Northwestern team after a respectable 2009 season.

Coming off a school record 20 wins, expectations have never been higher. For the first time ever, the Wildcats might make the NCAA Tournament, a goal that has eluded them in the past; Northwestern is the only school from a power conference never to appear in a March Madness game.

There are legitimate reasons for optimism in Evanston. The Wildcats return 85 percent of their scoring from last year. They will welcome back senior Jeff Ryan, who sat out last year with an injury. Some of the optimism dissipated after Kevin Coble, the leading scorer in 2008-2009, announced he was leaving the basketball program. He had missed the entire season last year due to a foot injury.

Are the expectations realistic? How much will Coble's loss effect the team?

Evanston Patch: What will it be like to watch Northwestern when they have expectations they have never had?

Jay Bilas: I think it will be great theater to watch Northwestern this year. I think Northwestern is a good team.

Evanston Patch: Are they a NCAA Tournament team?

Bilas: With the Pac-10 being down, could that be the difference in them maybe getting a [NCAA] tournament bid? Possibly. A few teams in the Big Ten lost some great players. A difference that might be in their favor is I'm not sure if there will be as many strong mid-major teams as there were last year. Add that with the expanded tournament field and Northwestern certainly has a good opportunity to make the [NCAA] tournament.

Evanston Patch: How impactful is the loss of Kevin Coble?

Bilas: It's tough to say. They won 20 games without him last year, but they'd certainly be better with him. Their young guys should get better and they have some talent. I think they can be fine since they went through it last year, but that isn't to say they're better off without him.

Evanston Patch: What about the players that are there? What's your opinion on their roster?

Bilas: They've got some players, and that's not been the case for a while. You can't always say Northwestern's got some players, but this year they really have some players. Jon Shurna's a heck of a player and he can really shoot it. [Michael] Thompson's very solid at the point. I think [coach] Bill Carmody has done a really nice job there. They've got a good group of players and they're great kids.

Evanston Patch: Why do you think this program has struggled so much throughout their history?

Bilas: It's really stunning that Northwestern has never made the [NCAA] tournament field. While I'm sensitive to how high their academic standards are, that's not the reason. They've not been a good program over the years. They've had good teams here and there, but they've not been committed to winning.

Evanston Patch: How do you think the support will be like from the average college basketball fan to Northwestern.

Bilas: Nobody will be rooting for them to the extent that an objective observer can root. For a team that has never made the [NCAA] tournament, I think anybody with a heart would be rooting for them this year to try to make it. I certainly wish them the best.