Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats, Hoosiers Will Tangle Wednesday
2/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 24, 2004
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EVANSTON, Ill. - If you are a Northwestern basketball fan, you have to be happy with the way the schedule sets up down the stretch.
The Wildcats are coming off a loss at Michigan State Saturday, in a game that tipped off the final third of the 2004 Big Ten season. However, the excitement that this NU team has generated in recent weeks has not sufficiently waned -- in fact, it may only be growing with the realization the team is home for three of its final four games.
"I told the guys at practice Monday, just because we lost Saturday does not mean we did not play well," said NU head coach Bill Carmody. "Look at the rest of the conference this year -- good teams lose on the road. So while we had our winning streak snapped, I am hoping we do not lose our momentum. We knew we had a huge task ahead of us going into Michigan State."
Ever since Carmody arrived in Evanston prior to the 2000-01 season to accept the Wildcats' head coaching position, he has talked about making Welsh-Ryan a true home court advantage. Quietly -- or maybe loudly, considering the noise level the students have been generating at games this season -- his teams have made this come true. Perhaps the most startling fact: from 1999-2001, bridging Carmody's arrival, NU lost 15 straight Big Ten home games. Since their win over Iowa on Feb. 10, 2001 to snap that streak, the 'Cats are 14-10 against conference foes in the cozy confines of Welsh-Ryan. That includes a 4-1 mark this year, with two of those wins coming against ranked teams Illinois and Wisconsin (by the way, NU owns six home wins against ranked teams under Carmody).
Overall, Northwestern is 28-12 during the last three seasons at home. You have to go all the way back to the late 60s to find such a stretch of success, when the 'Cats constructed a 22-8 mark at McGaw Hall from the 1967-68 season to the 1969-70 campaign. Carmody's home record through three-plus seasons and 55 home games? 36-19, a ledger last topped by Arthur "Dutch" Lonborg who went 43-12 -- from 1927-33.
So what does all this mean? Nothing, unless Northwestern continues to hold court, beginning tonight with Indiana. The Wildcats are looking to repeat last season's recipe, when they avenged an early-season loss in Bloomington with a rousing victory in front of the home fans. This time the 'Cats must respond to a 73-62 loss that the Hoosiers pinned on them Jan. 17.
Beyond the importance of keeping the home court edge, there is the little matter of the Big Ten standings. Both NU and Indiana are in a pack of middle-tier teams as we head into the final two weeks of regular-season play. This game could go a long way toward setting the tone in these last few weeks, with the reward being a favorable seeding in a Big Ten Tournament that, most experts would agree, is wide open.
GAME 24
Northwestern (11-12, 6-6 Big Ten) vs. Indiana (12-12, 6-7 Big Ten)
Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004 * 8 p.m. CST
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117) * Evanston, Ill.
The Coaches
Northwestern: Bill Carmody, 4th season at NU (50-61); 8th season overall (142-86)
Indiana: Mike Davis, 4th season at IU (79-50); same overall
TV: ESPN Regional (John Rooney, play-by-play; Shon Morris, analyst)
RADIO: WGN Radio 720 AM (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; David Kaplan, analyst)
The Fun Fact
* A win tonight would guarantee Northwestern a winning record in the month of February; the 'Cats enter the game with a 3-2 record this month, and still have Illinois Saturday. The last time NU had a winning record in the month of February was 1966 (5-2).
* A win would also guarantee Northwestern a winning Big Ten home record this season, the second time in three years that has happened (the 2002 team went 5-3). Prior to 2002, the last NU team to have a winning home record in conference play was the 1983 squad (7-2); that team played its home games at DePaul's Alumni Hall due to the renovation of McGaw Hall to Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Northwestern vs. Indiana
* The Wildcats and the Hoosiers are meeting for the 144th time, with Indiana leading the series 103-40; earlier this season, the Hoosiers took a 73-62 decision in Bloomington (see story and box score on page 20 of these notes).
* These teams split last year's games-Indiana won in Bloomington on Jan. 15 (71-57), while Northwestern won here in Evanston on Feb. 5 (74-61); NU is looking to win consecutive home games against Indiana for the first time since 1969 (91-88) and 1970 (75-66).
* NU head coach Bill Carmody is 1-5 against the Hoosiers.
