Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Look to Rebound Against No. 18 Minnesota Sunday
1/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2009
NU Game Notes vs. Minnesota (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -
One team that pulled off an improbable win Thursday and another that saw one slip away meet up Sunday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena as Northwestern hosts 18th-ranked Minnesota. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. with Big Ten Network televising the contest. Wayne Larrivee, Tim Doyle and Spencer Tollackson are on the call.
The contest can also be heard at 720 AM-WGN and online at wgnradio.com with Dave Eanet and David Kaplan.
The Wildcats controlled the majority of its contest against No. 19 Purdue at home Thursday, but the Boilermakers rallied back to steal a 63-61 victory. NU led by as many as 14 in the second half and was up 10 with under seven minutes remaining before Purdue stormed back to snatch the win. Northwestern, which forced 22 turnovers by the Boilermakers in the contest, was led by 16 points apiece by Kevin Coble and Craig Moore.
On the other hand, Minnesota came back from down 12 with under five minutes to go to force overtime at Wisconsin and then eventually earn a 78-74 victory. Lawrence Westbrook scored a career-high 29 points for the Golden Gophers, including hitting the game-tying 3-pointer with two seconds left in regulation.
Series History: Minnesota leads, 97-57.
Last Meeting: Northwestern led by as many as 16 in the first half, but wasn't able to hold on in dropping a 55-52 decision to Minnesota in the opening round of the 2008 Big Ten Tournament March 13, 2008.
Scouting Minnesota
• The Golden Gophers (16-1, 4-1 Big Ten) are just one game back in the loss column behind Big Ten leader Michigan State following their 78-74 overtime comeback win Thursday over Wisconsin. At No. 18 in the Associated Press poll, Minnesota is nationally ranked for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
• Junior guard Lawrence Westbrook is the lone Gopher player averaging double-figure scoring at 13.8 points per game. Junior forward Damian Johnson contributes 9.3 points and a team-high 4.1 rebounds per game.
• Tubby Smith is in his second season as the head coach at Minnesota where he has a 36-15 record. He previously led the programs at Tulsa, Georgia and Kentucky and has a 423-160 record in 18 overall seasons as a head coach.
Taking it Away
The Wildcats enter Sunday's game ranked first in the Big Ten in turnover margin at +4.29. Purdue led the conference at +5.25 entering Thursday night's game against Northwestern, but the 'Cats forced the Boilermakers into 22 miscues while committing just eight themselves. NU has turned its opponents over an average of 15.8 times per game this season, with four of its foes committing over 20 turnovers in a contest. Northwestern ranks third in the Big Ten with a 1.35 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Purdue Game Notes
Northwestern got 23 points from it's bench, its second-highest mark in a game this season and trailing only a 33-point output by the reserves in a season-opening win over Central Arkansas ... Purdue's 22 turnovers were the third-most by a Wildcat opponent this season. Central Arkansas and SMU each had 23 in losses to Northwestern ... The Boilermakers 14 blocked shots in the game are the most ever by an NU foe during the nine-year Carmody era, topping the 13 by Rutgers Dec. 27, 2003 ... It marked the third loss by the Wildcats this season when leading by double-digits in the second half. NU led by 11 in the second stanza on the road at both Butler and Penn State.
Up Next...
The Wildcats hit the road next week for a pair of games in the state of Michigan, starting with a 5:30 p.m. Central time tilt Wednesday at seventh-ranked Michigan State.
