And so ends the John Shurna era in Evanston. With the nation's eyes focused on the Big Dance, the Northwestern Wildcats fell to the Washington Huskies in Seattle by the score of 76-55, thus ending a season that was both a success and a failure. The 2011-2012 season was one of the most successful in Northwestern history, and the Wildcats might have been as close to an NCAA Tournament bid as they've been in school history, but being that close to a tournament birth will certainly leave a sour taste in mouths of both players and fans alike.
On Friday night, Shurna lived up to his billing as one of the best players in the country, scoring 24 points and adding in six points, two assists, four steals and a block, but that production was not matched by the supporting cast. Second leading scorer Alex Marcotullio scored 11 points, but he was one the only Wildcat besides Shurna in double-digits.
As has been their Achilles heel for most of the season, the Wildcats were outworked down low, getting dominated in the rebound category by an almost unfathomable 42-28 margin. Washington guard Terrence Ross led the Huskies with eight rebounds, but that paled in comparison to his 32 points, which included six made three pointers.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For constant coverage of March Madness, stay with SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub. For more analysis on Northwestern, check out Sippin' On Purple. Washington Huskies talk can be found on UW Dawg Pound.
On Friday night, Shurna lived up to his billing as one of the best players in the country, scoring 24 points and adding in six points, two assists, four steals and a block, but that production was not matched by the supporting cast. Second leading scorer Alex Marcotullio scored 11 points, but he was one the only Wildcat besides Shurna in double-digits.
As has been their Achilles heel for most of the season, the Wildcats were outworked down low, getting dominated in the rebound category by an almost unfathomable 42-28 margin. Washington guard Terrence Ross led the Huskies with eight rebounds, but that paled in comparison to his 32 points, which included six made three pointers.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For constant coverage of March Madness, stay with SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub. For more analysis on Northwestern, check out Sippin' On Purple. Washington Huskies talk can be found on UW Dawg Pound.