Northwestern University Athletics
Men's Basketball Set for March Madness
3/8/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2000
NORTHWESTERN (5-24, 0-16) #11 seed
vs. Wisconsin (16-12, 8-8) #6 seed
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
DATE/TIME: March 9, 2000/6 p.m. CT
SITE (Cap.): United Center (21,711)
TV: ESPN Regional/WCIU Ch. 26
RADIO: WGN-AM 720
THE MATCHUP
The Wildcats open Big Ten Tournament play against the Wisconsin Badgers. The two teams met last Wednesday with the Badgers winning, 62-46, in Evanston. This is the first meeting in the conference tournament between the two schools. Northwestern is 1-2 all-time in Big Ten Tournament action. Last season, the 'Cats defeated Penn State, 54-44, before losing to the eventual champion Michigan State Spartans, 61-59.
THE SERIES: Wisconsin leads 98-54
SCOUTING THE BADGERS
The Badgers head into the tournament winners of their last three games after a come-from-behind upset of Indiana on Sunday in Madison. That win most likely pushed the Badgers' into the NCAA Tournament. Under head coach Dick Bennett, Wisconsin is led by their defense. The Badgers lead the Big Ten in scoring defense, giving up an average of 56.0 points per game in conference action. UW is led in scoring by junior forward Mark Vershaw. Vershaw averages 11.9 ppg.
NU PROBABLE STARTERS
(Big Ten statistics in parentheses)
F -- 14 -- Steve Lepore (6-5, 200, So., North Olmstead, Ohio) 9.4 (8.0) ppg, 3.7 (3.1) rpg
F -- 33 -- Tavaras Hardy (6-8, 223, So., Joliet, Ill.) 8.0 (7.1) ppg, 5.7 (5.1) rpg
C -- 55 -- Aaron Jennings (6-11, 210, Fr., Atkins, Iowa) 6.0 (7.0) ppg, 3.6 (3.7) rpg
G -- 5 -- Ben Johnson (6-2, 180, Fr., Minneapolis, Minn.) 11.7 (11.6) ppg, 2.9 (1.8) rpg
G -- 32 -- Collier Drayton (6-2, 189, So., Lyons, N.Y.) 3.3 (3.3) ppg, 3.2 (2.8) rpg
OFF THE BENCH
C -- 43 -- Brody Deren (6-7, 242, Fr., Harlan, Iowa) 3.6 (4.1) ppg, 2.3 (2.0) rpg
G -- 30 -- Jason Burke (6-6, 190, Fr., Plano, Texas) 2.5 (3.5) ppg, 1.4 (1.6) rpg
G -- 3 -- Winston Blake (6-5, 191, Fr., Plano Texas) 3.8 (3.0) ppg, 1.1 (0.8) rpg
F -- 41 -- Adam Robinson (6-10, 210, Fr., Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1.2 (1.5) ppg, 1.1 (1.5) rpg
G -- 24 -- David Newman (5-11, 170, So., Des Moines, Iowa) 4.4 (3.1) ppg, 1.4 (1.1) rpg
G -- 44 -- Jeff Eschmeyer (6-2, 192, Jr., New Knoxville, Ohio) 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
G -- 10 -- Langston Hughes (5-11, 186, Fr., Waukegan, Ill.) 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg
ILLINOIS RECAP
Illinois defeated Northwestern,73-44, in Champaign, Ill., in the regular season finale for both teams. Northwestern stayed with the Illini for the first nine minutes and trailed by five (19-14) at the 10:50 mark. Steve Lepore hit a pair of three-pointers as NU kept it close. However, Northwestern could get no closer as back-to-back three-pointers by Lepore and Ben Johnson rimmed out. Illinois held the 'Cats without a field goal for the remainder of the half and took a 37-18 lead into intermission and cruised to the victory. Johnson had 13 points to lead Northwestern, which shot only 31 percent from the field.
O'NEILL vs. KRZYZEWSKI -- A Comparison
The question is constantly asked, "Can it we done at Northwestern because of the academics?" Kevin O'Neill believes it can, that's why he took this job three years ago. Following the 'Cats third-ever postseason appearance last season, NU has obviously struggled with the youngest team in the nation. Comparing NU with another fine academic institution, Duke at the time when Coach Krzyzewski took over, we see some similarities in the building process.
Duke Under Krzyzewski
1980-81 -- 17-13 (6-8 ACC)
1981-82 -- 10-17 (4-10 ACC)
1992-83 -- 11-17 (3-11 ACC)
1983-84 -- 24-10 (7-7 ACC)
1984-85 -- 23-8 (8-6 ACC)
NU Under O'Neill
1997-98 -- 10-17 (3-13 BT)
1998-99 -- 15-14 (6-10 BT)
1999-00 -- 5-24 (0-16 BT)
Also take note that three seasons before Coach K took over the Duke program the Blue Devils reached the Final Four. Coach O'Neill took over a program that had had one winning campaign in the previous 14 seasons.
AGE BEFORE BEAUTY - 'Cats Are Youngest In The Nation
According to statistics compiled by Stats Inc., Northwestern is the youngest basketball team in Division I basketball. NU has 99.97 percent of its minutes played by freshmen and sophomores. Walk-on Jeff Eschmeyer's two minutes are the only minutes played by an upperclassman. Only three other Big Ten teams are in the top 125 -- Michigan is 20th at 75.19 percent, Illinois is 36th at 66.97 percent and Minnesota is 58th at 58.30. NU's freshmen have played the most percentage of a team's minutes in the country at 60.53%. NU is also the least experienced team in America. Stats Inc. rated all 319 Division I basketball teams experience based on eligibility of the athletes and the percentage of minutes played by each class. NU grades out at 1.395 (1.00 = freshmen have played 100% of minutes, 4.00 = seniors have played 100% of minutes). Michigan is seventh at 1.776, while Minnesota is 33rd at 2.096.
3s-A-PLENTY FOR 'CATS
Against Michigan on Jan. 19, NU set a team record with 14 three-point field goals. That broke the old record of 13, set in 1995 vs. Minnesota. Five different Wildcats hit threes vs. the Wolverines (Lepore-4, Burke-3, Johnson-3, Blake-2, Newman-2). The 'Cats were 14-of-23 (.609) from beyond the arc. It was the second time this season that NU had hit double-digit threes in a game. On Dec. 18 vs. Western Carolina, NU was 10-of-15 (.667) which was the fourth-best team three-point percentage in school history. The best is .714 (10-of-14) vs. Army in 1996.
JOHNSON, LEPORE START EVERY GAME OF 1999-2000
Ben Johnson and Steve Lepore were the only two players to start all 29 games in the regular season. NU used six different starting lineups during the year with the current lineup of Johnson, Collier Drayton, Lepore, Tavaras Hardy and Aaron Jennings starting the final 10 games of the season. In all, six different players in their first-year, saw time in the starting lineup this year. Thursday's game will be the 12th time this season that the 'Cats have started three freshmen. On five occasions, NU started four freshmen.
JOHNSON SHINES IN FIRST YEAR
Freshman guard Ben Johnson has lived up to his advance billing coming out of De La Salle High School in Minneapolis, Minn. Johnson has started every game as a true freshman, and he became just the fourth Wildcat to lead NU in scoring as a true freshman. The last freshman to accomplish the feat was Cedric Neloms in the 1991-92 season. Johnson led the team with an 11.7 points per game average. The other two players to lead the team in their first year were Billy McKinney in 1973-74 and Jim Stack in 1979-80. On Feb. 12 vs. Purdue, Johnson led all scorers and set a career high with 26 points. In his Big Ten debut, he led the 'Cats in scoring with 17 points at Iowa on Jan. 5. On Jan. 15 against Ohio State, the freshman led all scorers with 19 points. Johnson has led the 'Cats in scoring 15 times this season. At the Hoop and Quill Classic over Thanksgiving weekend, Johnson registered nine points against Evansville, 18 vs. Nebraska, and 17 against Mississippi State. On Dec. 14 vs. Jacksonville, he scored 18 against the Dolphins. Johnson is leading the team in scoring at 11.7 ppg and free throw percentage (72-of-87 from the line, .828). In addition, he leads the team in minutes played averaging 32.9 per game.
A BOY NAMED `T'
Sophomore forward Tavaras Hardy recorded the fifth double-double of his career and fourth of the season on Feb. 26 vs. Michigan. Hardy scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the overtime loss. From Feb. 16 to Feb. 26, he averaged 11 rebounds per contest. On Feb. 16, he scored a team-high 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against Penn State. Hardy has also excelled defensively against the best power forwards in the conference, holding Purdue's Brian Cardinal to seven points on 2-of-11 shooting and Penn State's Jarrett Stephens to six points, also on 2-of-11 shooting from the floor. At Ohio State on Feb. 23, he set a career rebounding high for the second straight game with 12 boards. Against Illinois on Feb. 19, Hardy had 11 boards. Earlier this season, he scored 13 points and grabbed 10 boards against Jacksonville on Dec. 13, and scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss to Nebraska on Nov. 27. The next day against Mississippi State, he came within one rebound of his second straight double-double when he registered 16 points and nine rebounds. Hardy is third on the team in scoring at 8.0 ppg., and leads the team in blocked shots (24) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). In all games, he is ranked in the top 15 in four separate categories -- blocked shots (10th), offensive rebounds (12th), defensive rebounds (14th) and total rebounding (15th). Hardy led the 'Cats in rebounding 14 times this season, including six of the final eight games.
MATURING IN THE MIDDLE
Freshman center Aaron Jennings continued his improved play with 17 points in 33 minutes vs. Michigan on Feb. 26. In a five-span between Feb. 5-19, Jennings averaged 12.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 26.4 minutes. Compare that with his first three Big Ten outings (1.7 pts, 1.3 rebs, 7.7 min.) and it's obvious A.J. is maturing in the middle for the 'Cats. At Penn State on Feb. 16, he scored 12 points and recorded a career-high nine boards. Against Rice on Feb. 9, he tallied 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting. It was the second straight game that A.J. set a career high in points and led the Wildcats in scoring. Against Indiana on Feb. 5, he scored 14 points and grabbed a career-high seven boards. All of his points and six of those boards were recorded in the second half. He and Steve Lepore led the team with 14 points.
LEPORE FROM WAY DOWNTOWN
Steve Lepore is fourth in the conference with 65 overall three-point field goals made. He is averaging 2.24 per game, which is also fourth in the Big Ten. His .367 three point percentage ranks seventh. In conference games, Lepore is sixth with 32 three pointers and a 2.00 average per game. Lepore set a career high with six three-pointers against Florida State. His six threes are the second most in a single game in NU history. He is tied with six other players. Todd Leslie holds the record with seven. Lepore's 13 three-point attempts against FSU is also third most in a single game in NU history. In his career, Lepore has hit 114 threes placing him fourth on the all-time list. Jeff Grose is third on the all-time list with 125. Lepore has led the team in scoring in 10 games this year.
BRODY IS BACK
In his first game back after a broken elbow, freshman forward Brody Deren scored a career-high 12 points and equalled a career-high seven rebounds against Penn State on Jan. 13. Deren started the first seven games of the season before suffering a broken left elbow against Nicholls State on Dec. 11. Deren was back in the starting lineup against Ohio State on Jan. 15.
LEPORE NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Steve Lepore was named the Big Ten's Player of the Week for his play during the week of Dec. 13-19. Lepore helped NU run its win streak to three games with a pair of stellar outings. Against Jacksonville, he scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting (4-of-6 from three point land) as NU won, 67-59. In the 'Cats 78-54 win over Western Carolina, he scored a career-high 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting (5-of-6 from three-point) and added four boards and two assists. Lepore scored 19 of his 25 points against WCU in the first half when Northwestern set the tone for the victory.
TRAVELIN' MAN
Sophomore Steve Lepore spent last summer traveling the globe playing basketball. Lepore was a member of the United States team at the World Junior Championships in Portugal. The Americans won a silver medal and Lepore finished second on the team in scoring with a 10.5 ppg average. He started all eight games and was tops in the team in three pointers, shooting 18-36 for the tournament. Lepore also traveled to Austria with a Big Ten All-Star team in August. The Big Ten team finished 3-3, as Lepore averaged 6.5 ppg and shot 47% from the field.
NU SIGNS YOUNG
Northwestern signed Jitim Young (guard, 6-2, 185, Chicago, Ill./Gordon Tech) to a National Letter of Intent to play basketball beginning in the fall of 2000. Young was the only player NU signed in the early signing period, the Wildcats have one scholarship remaining for this season. "Jitim is a great get for our program," said O'Neill. "He will have a great senior year and come and make an immediate impact at Northwestern. We hope we can fill our other scholarship with as good a player as Jitim." Young led Gordon Tech to a 22-8 record along with Catholic North and regional championships last season. He averaged 18.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, three assists and two steals per game. Young was named all-state by the IBCA and all-area by both the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times. This past summer, Young was named the Most Valuable Player of the 5-Star Camp All-Star Game and was given the 5-Star Sportsmanship and Defensive Awards. He is invited to play in the Reebok Capital Classic in April. Young is a four-year honor roll student and a member of the National Honor Society. Young chose Northwestern over Notre Dame, Michigan State, Penn State and Marquette.
WILDCATS ON THE AIR
All Northwestern games can be heard on WGN-AM Radio 720. Once again this season, Dave Eanet will handle the play-by-play duties while former DePaul head coach Joey Meyer handles the color analysis. Coach O'Neill can be heard after every game on his postgame show.
