2005-06 Season In Review

April 6, 2006

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

The Season At A Glance
In a season full of highs and lows, it's easy to look back at the 2005-06 season and be disheartened. The Wildcats ended the season with a 14-15 overall record and a 6-10 mark in the Big Ten for the second straight year, tying for eighth place while falling just short of postseason play for the third straight year.

But despite all that, last season had its share of memorable moments: From the last second win at Seton Hall in December, the 2-0 start in the Big Ten for the first time in 23 years, freshman Craig Moore's deep three-pointer in the final second of regulation in the win at Purdue, the thrilling upset win over No. 18 Iowa, and Mohamed Hachad's career performance (25 points) in the win over Wisconsin on ESPN2. And let us not forget Vedran Vukusic's record-breaking season in which he broke NU's career record for three-pointers (212) while claiming the Big Ten's regular-season scoring crown.

And despite just missing out on the postseason, make no mistake about it-Carmody has won more games at Northwestern than any other coach in a six-year span-82 games. Compare that to just 49 wins in the six years before his arrival. He also has 33 Big Ten regular-season wins, the most in six years since 1971-35 years ago.

NU got off to the quick start it needed back in November, going 2-1 at the BCA Invitational in Laramie, Wyo. which included a 61-47 win over Charlotte. Vedran Vukusic played like a man possessed, averaging 25.3 points over the three games and was named to the all-tournament team. He was 25-of-45 from the field, 12-of-22 from 3-point range, 14-of-18 from the FT line and blew up for 28 points in the surprise win over Charlotte. After a 69-59 win over Florida Atlantic on Nov. 21, the Wildcats dropped two on the road at DePaul and Virginia before going on to win six of their next seven, which included a thrilling road victory at Seton Hall at Continental Airlines Arena one week before Christmas. That win, in which NU's defense held the Pirates to just five second half field goals and 12 overall (tied for the fewest given up in the Carmody era), sparked a five-game win streak.

Northwestern rode that momentum into conference play, opening the Big Ten season 2-0 for the first time in 23 years (1982-83 season) with wins over Purdue and Minnesota. The win at Minnesota moved NU to 9-4 overall, giving Carmody his best start in six seasons at Northwestern and the best start for NU since the 1998-99 season.

But the 'Cats hit a wall after that point and dropped their next four games. They stopped the bleeding with a dramatic 78-76 overtime win at Purdue on Jan. 25 in which Moore sent the game into overtime with a deep three-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining in regulation. Vukusic scored a season-high 29 points in the win. Then, after consecutive defeats to Indiana and Michigan State, Northwestern picked up its biggest win of the year, knocking off 18th-ranked and eventual Big Ten Tournament Champion Iowa 51-48. Vukusic scored 26 points in the win. A 73-49 win over IPFW Feb. 11 moved the Wildcats to 12-10 before dropping a hard-fought game at No. 14 Illinois-where the 'Cats were without the services of Vukusic who sat out the game with a sore back. They then gave Big Ten regular-season champion Ohio State a run for their money in Columbus on Feb. 18, jumping out to a 13-1 lead and trailed by only two with five minutes left.

After a series of close defeats, the Wildcats made certain to defend their home court against Wisconsin in front of a nationally-televised ESPN2 audience, winning 62-51 behind a career-high 25 points from Hachad. After dropping a 68-55 decision at Penn State, the Wildcats returned home once again and nearly pulled off the biggest upset in the Carmody era against No. 9 Ohio State. NU led by one with under a minute left, but costly mistakes down the stretch ultimately let the Buckeyes escape Welsh-Ryan Arena with the 56-53 win. But Carmody and the 'Cats would rebound, ending the regular-season on a positive note with a 57-53 win over Minnesota on senior night, setting up the first round game with Penn State in the Big Ten tournament.

Noting the 2005-06 Season

The season sweep over Minnesota gave NU five straight wins over the Gophers, a feat not accomplished by the Wildcats since the 1930's. The Wildcats also swept a two-game season series from Purdue for the first time since 1951 and have now won five straight over the Boilers, the longest NU winning streak in the series history.

Of the 21 Division I opponents the Wildcats faced this season, 14 of those teams qualified for postseason play, including eight NCAA qualifiers. The Wildcats were 7-13 this season in games against those teams, including 1-0 against Big Ten Tournament champion Iowa and 2-0 against NIT qualifier Minnesota. The NCAA Tournament teams included Iowa (1-0), Wisconsin (1-1), Seton Hall (1-0), Ohio State (0-2), Indiana (0-1), Illinois (0-2), UNC Wilmington (0-1) and Michigan State (0-1). NIT qualifiers included Minnesota (2-0), Delaware State (1-0), Charlotte (1-0), Virginia (0-1), Michigan (0-1) and Penn State (0-3).

Senior Vedran Vukusic enjoyed a banner year for the Wildcats, one that will go down as one of the best in NU history. He capped off his stellar year by claiming the regular-season scoring crown in the Big Ten with 19.4 ppg, ending the season with an average of 19.0 ppg. He finished fourth on NU's all-time scoring list with 1,581 points and is just the seventh player in 101 years of Wildcat basketball to eclipse 1,500 points. But his record-setting season didn't stop there. He also broke NU's all-time record for career 3-pointers with 212 career makes. Vukusic ranked among the national leaders in scoring and ranked among the Big Ten leaders in several major statistical categories, including a 2.6 3-point field goal per game average which led the league in Big Ten games. He led the 'Cats in scoring in all but nine games and hit the 20-point plateau 14 times, including a season-high 29 points in the win at Purdue where he connected on a career-high 12 field goals.

Vedran Vukusic led a list of three Wildcats receiving all-Big Ten honors this season. Vukusic was named to the all-conference second-team by the coaches, third-team by the media and became the first Wildcat since Evan Eschmeyer (1997-99) to garner all-Big Ten honors three-consecutive seasons. He was an honorable mention honoree in 2004 and a third-team selection in 2005. Joining Vukusic was senior Mohamed Hachad who was named to the Big Ten's inaugural all-defensive team and true-freshman Craig Moore who was named to all-freshman squad. Hachad wrecked havoc in the backcourt of opposing teams, ranking among the league leaders in steals and is currently third on NU's all-time steals list with 163. He anchored a Wildcat defense that ranked first in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of just 58.5 points per game. Moore became the first Wildcat to receive all-freshman honors after leading all newcomers with 2.5 assists and 35 3-point field goals in Big Ten games. He ranked second in scoring with 8.1 points and 3-point field goal percentage (.365). Moore recorded 66 assists at the point guard position while averaging more than 32 minutes per game in league play. He hit at least one 3-pointer in all but one Big Ten game, including the game-tying trey with 0.9 seconds left to force overtime in the win at Purdue. He also connected on multiple 3-pointers on 17 occasions, including a season-high five 3-pointers in the win at Minnesota.

NU won five games away from Welsh-Ryan Arena, marking just the second time in 13 years the Wildcats have won five or more outside of Evanston. NU won six away from home in 2001-02.

NU enters 2006-07 with 33 Big Ten regular-season wins under Carmody, the most for the program in a six-year span since 1966-71 (37).

For the complete release click the link above.

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Craig Moore

Related Videos