Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Continues Opening Road Swing at UTPA Wednesday
11/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2010
Northwestern (1-0) at Texas-Pan American (1-2)
Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010
UTPA Fieldhouse (4,000)
Edinburg, Texas • 7 p.m.
Streaming Video: www.utpa.edu/broncslive
Audio: WIND 560 AM and wgnradio.com (Dave Eanet and Tim Doyle)
Live Stats: utpabroncs.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern plays its second consecutive road game to open the 2010-11 season Wednesday as it travels to Edinburg, Texas, to face Texas-Pan American. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
The Wildcats are coming off a 97-78 win at Northern Illinois last Friday behind 31 points and nine rebounds by John Shurna. Drew Crawford added 20 points, while Michael Thompson contributed 15 points and six assists. NU forced 19 turnovers in the contest and converted them into 30 points.
Northwestern shot 50 percent from the field in the game and totaled 97 points despite making only one of its first 13 field goal attempts to begin the contest.
Wednesday's contest marks Northwestern's first visit to Texas since Dec. 27-28, 2003 when it competed in the S.P. SunClassic in El Paso.
Series History: Northwestern leads, 5-0.
Last Meeting: John Shurna had a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds as Northwestern shook off a slow start to defeat the Broncs 53-44 Jan. 7, 2010 in Evanston. Luka Mirkovic contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Scouting UT-Pan American
• The Broncs played their first three games of the season in Chicago at Loyola's Nick Kladis Classic. UTPA defeated Eastern Kentucky in between losses to Indiana State and the host Ramblers.
• Sophomore guard Aaron Urbanus leads the Broncs with an average of 12.7 points per game, while Perry Petty is second at 10.0 per contest. Urbanus scored 21 points in UTPA's 67-53 win over Eastern Kentucky.
• Chicago native Ryan Marks is in his second season as the head coach at UTPA, posting a 6-27 record in 2009-10.
Scoring Spree
Northwestern's 97 points in its season-opener at Northern Illinois Nov. 12 marked its highest total in the 11-year Bill Carmody era and was its most since a 97-93 overtime win over No. 8 Michigan March 12, 1994. It was also the Wildcats' most points in a true road since a 98-77 victory at Valparaiso Dec. 9, 1975.
On the Road Again
Opening the season on the road is a rare thing for Northwestern. Coupled with a game the season-opener at Northern Illinois last Friday, the Wildcats are starting a campaign with consecutive true road games for the first time since the 1974-75 season when they went to No. 16 Kentucky and No. 13 Notre Dame.
Shurna Named Big Ten Player of the Week
Junior forward John Shurna was named the Big Ten Player of the Week Nov. 15, the third such honor of his career. He earned the award twice as a sophomore. Shurna matched a career high with 31 points, including 22 in the first 10 minutes of the second half, and grabbed nine boards in a season-opening win at Northern Illinois Nov. 12. In all, he scored 25 points in the second half, including hitting all of his career-high seven 3-pointers.
Four Starters, 12 Letterwinners Return
Northwestern welcomes back 12 letterwinners from a season ago, including four starters. The 'Cats return 87.1 percent of their scoring and 88.2 percent of their rebounding. The only player Northwestern loses who appeared in a game a year ago is Jeremy Nash. The 12 letterwinners returning tie NU with Wisconsin for the highest total in the Big Ten.
Thompson Returns for Final Season
Entering his senior season, Michael Thompson already established himself as one of the top players in program history. Thompson is currently 19th in school history with 1,151 career points. He is also second all-time at Northwestern with 387 career assists, just 66 shy of surpassing the record of 452 held by Patrick Baldwin (1991-94). A starter at point guard each of his first three seasons, Thompson was a consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten pick in 2009-10, averaging 14.2 points and 4.1 assists per game with a 2.40 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Mr. Reliable
It's a rare thing when Michael Thompson isn't on the court for Northwestern. Last season, he ranked fourth in the nation with an average of 37.7 minutes played per game. He has started all 96 games during his career as a Wildcat, the second-longest streak of consecutive starts in the country, trailing only Dairese Gary of New Mexico who has started 98 in a row.
Shurna Aims to Follow Up on Stellar Sophomore Season
There was no such thing as a sophomore slump for John Shurna a year ago. The forward was named the most improved player in the nation by Sporting News after increasing his scoring average 10.9 points per game from his freshman season. His average of 18.2 points per game ranked third in the Big Ten, while his norm of 20.1 points per game in conference play left him just one point shy of surpassing Ohio State's Evan Turner for the league scoring title. After playing on the United States' U-19 team which won the goal medal at the FIBA World Championships following his freshman season, Shurna was a member of the United States Select Team this past summer. The squad helped the USA National Team train for its own FIBA World Championships where it claimed gold.
Shurna Selected to Wooden Award Watch List
John Shurna is one of 50 individuals named to the preseason watch list for the John Wooden Award which is presented to the nation's top college basketball player. The Big Ten led all nation's conferences with 10 individuals named to the list.
Marcotullio Gains International Experience
Similar to Shurna the year before, Alex Marcotullio got the chance to play internationally over the summer. The sophomore guard competed as a member of Great Britain's under-20 team which played in the FIBA European Championships in Austria. Marcotullio averaged 13.9 points per game in helping the squad to a sixth-place finish. In the 17-team field, he ranked fifth in 3-pointers made (3.0 per game), sixth in steals (1.7 per game) and 17th in field goal percentage (48.6 percent).
Italian Summer Tour
Northwestern participated in a nine-day tour of Italy in late August and early September. The Wildcats visited Rome, Florence, Venice and Lake Como and posted a perfect 4-0 record which facing professional teams. Shurna was the team's leading scorer at 18.8 points per game, while Thompson was right behind at 18.5 per contest.
Trio of Award-Winners Return
The Wildcats return three individuals who have earned All-Big Ten honors. John Shurna was a second-team all-conference selection last season, while Michael Thompson was an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick in 2009-10. Drew Crawford was an honorable mention all-league pick a year ago while becoming the first player in program history to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, an honor he shared with D.J. Richardson of Illinois.
Ryan Returns
Senior guard/forward Jeff Ryan returns to the floor for Northwestern this season. Ryan suffered a season-ending ACL tear during the first half of the Wildcats' season-opener against Northern Illinois a year ago. He has appeared in 81 career contests, including making 22 starts. Ryan ranks sixth in school history with a .498 career field goal percentage while averaging 4.0 points per game. He was solid in his return to the court at Northern Illinois Nov. 12, posting five points and four rebounds in 14 minutes of action off the bench.
Bombs Away!
Northwestern returns a number of threats from 3-point range. The Wildcats' 317 3-point makes a year ago was the sixth-best total in the nation and bested the previous school record by 62. Thompson paces all returners with 88 makes a year ago, while Shurna had 78, Crawford notched 51 and Marcotullio connected for 41.
Setting the Standard
The 37 combined wins by the Wildcats over the previous two seasons are a school record for back-to-back campaigns. This year's senior class currently has 46 career wins, 12 shy of tying the Northwestern record for most victories by one class.
Home Sweet Home
After setting a program best with 13 home wins in 2008-09, the Wildcats established a new mark with 15 victories at Welsh-Ryan Arena in 2009-10. Northwestern went 15-4 at home during the campaign with three of the losses coming to nationally ranked opponents: Butler, Michigan State and Wisconsin.
Success Under Carmody
Northwestern finished the 2009-10 Big Ten season with a 7-11 record. In head coach Bill Carmody's first 10 seasons in Evanston, the Wildcats have recorded at least six Big Ten victories six times. The program totaled six or more conference wins just five times in the previous 31 years prior to Carmody's arrival.
Helping Hand
Northwestern is well known for playing "team" offense and that's reflected in the statistics. The Wildcats assisted on 71.6 percent of their field goals in 2009-10, posting 565 assists on their 789 made baskets. The percentage ranked second 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.
Up Next...
Northwestern opens its 2010-11 home season Friday as it takes on Arkanas-Pine Bluff. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
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