Morning Box Score: Bulls Lose At Home, NU's NCAA Tourney Hopes Out Of Their Hands
By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 9, 2012 3:50PM
Derrick Rose said he was "sick and tired" of hearing about trade talk involving Orlando center Dwight Howard, especially since Howard has repeatedly indicated he Chicago doesn't figure in his plans. Rose may have been particularly testy after Howard's 29 points and 18 rebounds were a major factor in snapping the Bulls eight-game winning streak. To quote Stacey King, Howard was too big, too strong, too fast, too good, and the Magic were fast out of the blocks and built an 18-point lead they only relinquished briefly in the fourth quarter. Jason Richardson added 18 points for the Magic. Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with 26 points. Rose added 17 points and nine assists.
Northwestern's hopes for its first NCAA tournament bid now rests with the whims of the selection committee after they lost to the Golden Gophers in overtime in the Big Ten Tournament yesterday. John Shurna did his part, scoring 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while JerShon Cobb led the Wildcats with 24 points.
NU has a couple of things in its favor with the selection committee. They have an 18-13 overall record, a decent RPM ranking and they've played conference opponents very tough. But an 8-10 conference record may be the difference between going to the Big Dance and an invitation to the NIT. Wildcats fans will find out Sunday.