Northwestern's Kevin Coble ain't dead yet

There was some disheartening news for the fighting Northwestern basketball Wildcats this weekend. Star forward Kevin Coble, a versatile scoring presence that makes Northwestern a dangerous offensive team, suffered a potentially season-ending foot injury. Coble is hands-down the Wildcats' best player; this is a fatal blow for Northwestern's outside chance of making the 2010 NCAA tournament, something the program has never done and something Bill Carmody very desperately needs. But hark! Carmody has a plan, and no, it doesn't involve inventing a crazy new offensive scheme wherein he starts shifting lines every 30 seconds like a hockey team. (Though that could work.) Instead, Carmody says he's spoken with Coble -- a long-shot NBA draft pick -- about redshirting and staying for a fifth year. Now this is intriguing. Coble has two options with his injury: Rest for four or six weeks and see how it feels, potentially resuming basketball activities then. Or he could have su...