Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Hosts Stanford in Key Nonconference Battle Saturday
12/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2009
Stanford at Northwestern
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009
Evanston, Ill. • 1 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network (Wayne Larrivee and Shon Morris)
Audio: WGN-AM 720 and wgnradio.com (Dave Eanet and David Kaplan)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 91 and XM 196
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern looks to match its second-best start to a season in school history Saturday as it hosts Stanford at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. with Big Ten Network providing live television coverage.
Fans will be entertained by a halftime performance from the Bucket Boys.
A victory over the Cardinal would move the Wildcats to 9-1, matching the 1958-59, 1968-69, 1982-83 and 1993-94 squads who also posted nine wins in their first 10 games. The 1930-31 Big Ten championship team opened its campaign with 12 straight victories. Northwestern has won seven straight games, the school's longest winning streak since the 1993-94 team opened with nine straight triumphs.
Northwestern is coming off an 84-54 home win over North Florida Wednesday night. Michael Thompson led six Wildcat players in double figures with 14 points. Luka Mirkovic added 13 points and eight assists as NU hit 14 3-pointers in the contest.
Series History: Stanford leads, 4-1.
Last Meeting: Stanford jumped out to a 13-point halftime lead and held off a second-half charge by visiting Northwestern to post a 65-59 victory Dec. 20, 2008.
Scouting Stanford
• Stanford (5-4) is coming off a tight 71-70 home loss Wednesday to Oklahoma State as part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. Senior forward Landry Fields led the Cardinal with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Jeremy Green added 19 points.
• Fields ranks eighth in the nation with an average of 22.9 points per game to go along with a norm of 8.8 rebounds per contest. Green, a sophomore guard, ranks second on the team with an average of 15.7 points per game. He is the Cardinal's top 3-point shooter connecting on an average of 3.33 per game from beyond the arch.
• Johnny Dawkins is in his second season as the head coach of the Cardinal.
Balancing Act
Northwestern placed six players in double figures in its win over North Florida Wednesday evening. Michael Thompson (14) led the way, followed by Luka Mirkovic (13), Jeremy Nash (11) and John Shurna (11) as well as Drew Crawford (10) and Alex Marcotullio (10). It was the first time the Wildcats had six individuals score in double figures since a season-opening game against Cornell Nov. 10, 2006.
So Far, So Good
Northwestern's 8-1 record is a tie for the best nine-game start to a season during the Carmody era, matching the 2001-02 and 2008-09 teams. The Wildcats have started 7-1 in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history. NU earned five wins in the month of November this season for the first time ever. A win over Stanford would give NU its longest win streak since the 1993-94 season when it opened the campaign with nine straight victories.
Bombs Away!
Northwestern's 20 3-point makes and 47 3-point attempts in the win over North Carolina A&T Dec. 13 both established new Big Ten records. The 20 makes bested the previous conference mark of 18 set by Ohio State against LSU Jan. 15, 2005, while the 47 attempts topped Michigan's total of 42 against Florida Gulf Coast Dec. 22, 2008. The previous school records were 15 makes vs. Arkansas State Dec. 3, 2007 and 36 attempts at Ohio State Feb. 1, 2003. Northwestern followed up the effort with 14 treys in Wednesday's win over North Florida. The Wildcats lead the Big Ten and rank fifth nationally with an average 10.4 3-point makes per game.
Helping Hand
Northwestern is well known for playing "team" offense and that's reflected in the statistics. The Wildcats have assisted on 75 percent of their field goals this season, posting 162 assists on their 216 made baskets. The percentage ranks first in the nation. In fact, NU has ranked in the top five nationally in assist percentage each of Bill Carmody's 10 seasons as head coach. The Wildcats assisted on 25 of their 30 field goals in Wednesday's win over North Florida.
Up Next...
Northwestern closes out its four-game homestand and wrap up the primary portion of its nonconference schedule Tuesday, Dec. 22 as it faces Central Connecticut State at 7 p.m.
