Banged-up Northeastern tackles Towson
In his 30 years of coaching, Bill Coen hasn’t seen anything quite like what he’s had to experience with this Northeastern team.
Injuries are part of sports, but you couldn’t blame Coen if he put team doctors on speed dial. The Huskies roster has been stretched razor-thin, to the point they dressed just seven players last week. Only four players have appeared in all 30 games this season.
It’s gotten to a point where Coen has been asked multiple times if he’s ever been involved in a game in which he had four players left because everyone else fouled out.
“I’ve never seen it, and I don’t want to experience it,” he said.
Depleted or not, a Northeastern team on fumes will take what’s left of it down to Charleston, S.C., where the Huskies will start their CAA tournament quest tonight with a quarterfinal matchup against Towson (CSNNE, 8:30).
Junior guard Devon Begley, who missed the last four games of the regular season with a wrist injury, will be unavailable, Coen said, but Northeastern should have its other nine available players ready to play.
The Huskies grabbed the No. 6 seed in the tournament, and by virtue of that avoided a Friday night firstround game, an important achievement to Coen. But with a shorthanded roster, they still face a tall task in winning three games in three days to capture a bid in the NCAA tournament.
“You can only worry about the things you have some control over,” Coen said. “Health and injuries are all part of the game, and we’ve certainly had our share this year, but I think this group, no matter what the circumstances are, has shown that they compete. Whether we have seven guys or 13 guys, they’re coming to play, and I think that type of attitude is going to serve us well.”
After starting the season 12-5 with signature wins against UConn and Michigan State and victories in its first five conference games, Northeastern has slipped down the stretch. The Huskies are 3-10 since, something T.J. Williams, who was named the league’s Player of the Year on Thursday, chalked up to a learning experience.
Either way, the Huskies will get a fresh slate on a neutral court with the tournament, and they’re familiar with the Tigers, who they beat in last year’s quarterfinals. This season, the teams split their two meetings.
“We know it’s going to be a physical game from start to finish,” Williams said. “We have to make sure we rack up some rebounds and crash the boards, crash the boards, crash the boards. I feel like if we control the backboards, control our turnovers and make good shot selections, we’ll be OK.”
Coen has stressed rebounding all week, and he noted playing smart defense without fouling, given his team’s personnel, is important too. Getting out to better starts will be critical. Northeastern has fallen behind by double digits in seven of its past eight games.
“Now it just comes down to matchups and magical stories,” Coen said. “That’s what March is all about. Hopefully we’ll be able to capture some of that magic down in Charleston.”