Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Gunning For Fourth Straight Win Saturday Night
12/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2006
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Dec. 9, 2006 -- 7 p.m. CT
Northwestern (4-2) vs. Western Michigan (3-5)
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Evanston, Ill.
Radio -- WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; Dave Kaplan analyst).
Television -- none
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Winners in four of its last five, Northwestern (4-2) returns to the court this Saturday night after a week of final exams when they welcome in the Western Michigan Broncos (3-5) to Welsh-Ryan Arena. Game time is 7 p.m. CT.
Five-dollar ($5) 300-level seats are available as we recognize Hometown Heroes Sterling Williams (Chicago, Ill.) and Jason Okrzesik (Wood Dale, Ill.) throughout the game. Offer valid on the day of the game only.
Northwestern is coming off a 61-59 win over Miami (Fla.) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Nov. 28 when sophomore Craig Moore stole the show, connecting on a school-record tying seven 3-pointers and a career-high 24 points as the Wildcats won their third-straight.
The Broncos come in having dropped their last game on the road at Temple, 76-71. In that game Shawntes Gary and Michael Redell led Western Michigan with 18 and 16 points, respectively, but could not overcome Temple's Dustin Salisbery and Dionte Christmas who scored 34 and 21, respectively.
The Series
Northwestern leads the all-time series 19-5 and have won the last nine meetings. However, the two teams have not met since the opening game of the 1964-65 season. The Wildcats and Broncos squared off 18-straight seasons from 1947-1964.
About The Broncos
Western Michigan is 3-5 on the season. But don't let the record fool you. The Broncos play in the Mid-American Conference, one of the most underrated leagues in the country. WMU's setbacks this season have come at the hands of Pittsburgh, Indiana State by two points, West Virginia and most recently on the road at Temple by five points. The Broncos most impressive win came against ACC opponent Virginia Tech (71-68) at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando.
Moore Ties School Record
Craig Moore enjoyed the best game of his young career in the win over Miami (Fla.) on Nov. 28. The sophomore from Doylestown, Pa., tied the school record with seven 3-pointers and notched a career-high 24 points in the process. He was 7-of-10 from long range and 8-of-11 from the field overall. Moore leads the Wildcats this season with 13 3-pointers and is second on the team with 9.0 ppg. He is 12th in the Big Ten with 2.17 3FG per game.
'Cats Lead NCAA in Fewest TO's
According to the latest NCAA statistical report, Northwestern ranks No. 1 nationally in fewest turnovers per game (9.7) and is third in scoring defense, giving up just 49.8 ppg. They also are third with only 14.0 personal fouls per contest and 30th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.378). The Wildcats turned the ball over a season-low five times in the win over cross-town rival DePaul--with two of those coming on shot clock violations. They also kept the TO's in the single digits against Miami (Fla.) with only nine miscues.
Northwestern In The Big Ten
The Wildcats are the top defensive team in the Big Ten, giving up a league-low 49.8 ppg. They also rank first in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.238), fourth in field goal defense (.378) and second with 8.5 steals per game. They have the best assist/turnover ratio in the league (+1.59) and the second-best turnover margin (+5.33).
Doyle Among Big Ten's Best
Tim Doyle is one of the best in the business in terms of getting his teammates involved and finding the open man. This season he is third in the Big Ten with 6.17 assists per game (good for 20th nationally) and second with 2.2 steals. He has kept his turnovers to a minimum this season with only 14 in the first six games, good for fourth in the conference in assist-turnover ratio (+2.64). He averages 11.5 points per game (21st in the Big Ten), is shooting 72 percent (21-of-29) from the stripe and leads all Big Ten players with 36.8 minutes per game.
Doyle had one of the best offensive games of his career with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with eight assists and two steals in the win over Brown Nov. 21. He has recorded eight assists on three different occasions this season.
Wildcats Have Success When Leading at the Half
When Northwestern goes into the lockerroom at halftime with the lead, its odds for a "W" are very good. Over the last two-plus seasons, the Wildcats have been up at the half 27 times and have won 23 of them. In head coach Bill Carmody's tenure, the Wildcats are a remarkable 64-14 when leading at the half. They are 2-1 this season and 3-0 when leading with 10 minutes to go.
Ryan, Okrzesik Provide Spark
Newcomers Jeff Ryan (Fr., 4.7 ppg) and Jason Okrzesik (R-Jr., 6.5 ppg) have provided a consistent spark off the bench for the Wildcats this season. Ryan had his best game of the season with eight points and one 3-pointer in the close loss at Stanford. In the win over DePaul, he came up with a big steal and break-away layup that helped the Wildcats pull away from the Blue Demons. Okrzesik had his best game against Cornell with 11 points on 3-of-5 from downtown and scored 10 in the win over Brown. He is shooting 42 percent from the field and is second on the team with eight 3-pointers.
Noting Head Coach Bill Carmody
Though it sometimes gets overlooked, head coach
Bill Carmody has turned Northwestern into a consistent winner. Over the past six full years, the Wildcats have won 82 games, the best six-year win total in the program's history. Northwestern has won at least 11 games in all of Carmody's seasons--a program first--and the first time the 'Cats have reached double figures in the win column six straight seasons since 1938.
Every Class Represented
Through the first five games of the season, the Wildcats have started a fifth-year (Doyle), a fourth-year (Scott), a third-year (Williams), a second-year (Moore) and a first-year in true-freshman Coble
together.
Williams Shows Consistency
Redshirt sophomore Sterling Williams is playing with much more confidence this season and it has reflected in his statistics. Williams is averaging just under 7.0 points per game -- up from 3.4 points last season -- and shooting 47 percent from the floor. He had his best game with 11 points in the opener against Cornell where he also grabbed seven boards.
