Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Looks to Bounce Back Against Michigan Sunday
2/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2009
NU Game Notes vs. Michigan (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Two teams looking to make a late push to build their postseason resumes meet up at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Sunday as Northwestern plays host to Michigan. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. Big Ten Network is televising the game with Dave Revsine and Shon Morris on the call.
The game can be heard on 720 AM-WGN and online at wgnradio.com with Dave Eanet and Bob Hildebrand.
It'll be Kids Day at Welsh-Ryan Arena with face-painting, balloon animals and sign-making available pregame in the N Club which is located behind the stands on the 200 level of the south side of the arena. Members of the Northwestern football team will be in attendance and will also be honored at halftime.
The Wildcats are trying to respond from a disheartening 60-59 home loss Thursday to No. 22 Illinois. NU led by 14 with just over five minutes remaining before the Fighting Illini charged back and eventually got the game-winning basket with 2.9 seconds remaining. It was the Illini's first lead of the game. Freshman forward/center Luka Mirkovic made his first start of the season for Northwestern and posted career highs of 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Series History: Michigan leads, 100-53.
Last Meeting: Michigan won the first meeting between the teams this season 68-59 in Ann Arbor Jan. 24. Kevin Coble led NU with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Scouting Michigan
• The Wolverines (15-10, 5-7), like the Wildcats, are looking to make a late-season push to get themselves into contention for an NCAA tournament berth. Michigan has dropped seven of its last nine games, however, including a 54-42 home loss to Michigan State on Tuesday. DeShawn Sims was the lone Wolverine player to score in double figures, posting a game-high 18 points.
• Sophomore guard Manny Harris averages 17.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game for Michigan, while Sims contributes 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest.
• John Beilein is in his second season as the head coach at Michigan after previously serving stints at West Virginia, Richmond, Canisius, LeMoyne, Nazareth and Erie Community College. He is 25-32 at Michigan and is 576-350 in 31 seasons overall.
Illinois Game Notes
Of the Wildcats' three Big Ten home losses, all have come to ranked opponents by an average of 4.7 points. That includes a one-point loss to Illinois and a two-point loss to Purdue ... Illinois and NU entered the game ranked first and second, respectively, in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio. The Wildcats had 18 assists and seven turnovers while the Illini had 19 helpers and eight miscues.
Mirkovic Steps Up
Freshman forward/center Luka Mirkovic is playing the best basketball of his young collegiate career. After scoring seven and nine points in his previous two Big Ten games, Mirkovic scored a collegiate-best 14 points in Thursday's contest against Illinois. It was the first time he had been inserted in the Wildcats' starting lineup. Coupled with his team season-high 12 rebounds against the Fighting Illini, it gave Northwestern its first double-double of the season. He is averaging 7.8 points and 5.3 rebounds over the last four games.
Protecting the Rock
Northwestern has handed out 347 assists while committing just 247 turnovers this year for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.40. The mark ranks second in the Big Ten (Illinois, 1.47) and eighth nationally in the category through games played Sunday. The Wildcats ranked third in the country last season with a 1.43 team assist-to-turnover ratio.
Up Next...
The Wildcats conclude their stretch of three straight home games on Wednesday when they face Ohio State at 8 p.m.
