Northwestern University Athletics
Murphy's Mark: March Madness Has Arrived
3/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | General
March 6, 2006
Big Ten Championships
Our winter teams' seasons are coming to an end and we have seen many great performances in the various Big Ten Championships. Our men's swimming team had another outstanding showing at the Big Ten championships -- finishing fourth overall and winning seven championships (tied for best in the conference). Junior Matt Grevers was named Co-Swimmer of the Meet. The highlight of the women's swimming Championships was freshman diver Chelsea Davis' first-place finish. The wrestling Championships were held in Bloomington, Ind., this past weekend and our team had a strong showing, placing fifth overall. Seven wrestlers qualified for NCAA's, highlighted by sophomore Jake Herbert, who won the Big Ten Championship at 174 pounds. Our men's basketball team heads to Indianapolis this weekend for the Big Ten Tournament. We open the tourney with a matchup against Penn State at 11 a.m. Thursday. A good showing by our team in the tournament will help our chances of earning a postseason bid.
Big Ten Basketball Tournaments
The Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament has rotated between Chicago and Indianapolis for the past six years. The tournament will be held in Indianapolis this year, and is scheduled to be held in Chicago next March. While both Chicago and Indianapolis are fine hosts for the tournament, the sense of the athletic directors is that we would be better off picking one site and going there on a permanent basis. Last week, both Chicago and Indianapolis made presentations to host the tournament on a long-term basis starting in 2008. A final decision will be made by the presidents in May. Each city and venue has different advantages -- Indianapolis is a more intimate venue and the city is easier to navigate, but Chicago has a larger arena, is the home to many more alumni of Big Ten institutions, and offers much more in terms of sightseeing and other attractions. I think it would be in Northwestern's best interests to have the tournament in Chicago, given our location and large alumni base here.
The Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament has been held in Indianapolis for 11 of the last 12 years. Conseco Fieldhouse is a wonderful venue and Indianapolis has done an outstanding job hosting the tournament. The arena seats 19,000, though, and for many of the games, especially in the early rounds, we have small crowds and the atmosphere is not what we would like for the tournament. Also, because Conseco hosts the finals of the Indiana girls basketball state championships, we have not been able to play games on Saturday -- which would normally be the best day in terms of attendance. The athletic directors heard presentations from Indianapolis and the new Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, Ill., regarding hosting the women's tournament in 2008 and beyond. The Sears Center will seat 10,000 and could provide a better atmosphere for this tournament.
Nationally Ranked Teams
Our winter and spring teams are enjoying great success. Seven of our teams are currently ranked in the top 25 of their sports, highlighted by our women's lacrosse team. The defending national champions now have won 25 straight games and are ranked first in the country. We defeated Ohio University in our home opener on Saturday, 19-3. The game was played before a packed house on our new FieldTurf practice field (because our grass field was not yet ready for play).
