Northwestern University Athletics
NU Squares Off With Creighton in Sunday Night Tilt
11/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2010
Northwestern (3-0) vs. Creighton (4-1)
Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Evanston, Ill. • 7:30 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network (Tom Hart and Shon Morris)
Audio: WGN 720 AM and wgnradio.com (Dave Eanet and Bob Hildebrand)
WNUR 89.3 FM and wnur.org
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Tickets: On sale at NUsports.com, by calling 888-GO-PURPLE or on site prior to tip-off
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern shoots for its first 4-0 start in 17 years Sunday as it hosts Creighton at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. The contest is being televised live by Big Ten Network.
The Wildcats return to action following an eight-day hiatus, most recently cruising to a 71-45 home-opening win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Nov. 19. Drew Crawford and John Shurna led the way with 17 points apiece, while freshman JerShon Cobb snared a team-high eight rebounds. NU limited the Golden Lions to 31.4 percent shooting in the contest, including a 6-for-24 performance in the second half.
Meanwhile, Creighton played a home game Friday night, defeating Kennesaw State 75-57. Freshman forward Doug McDermott led three Bluejays in double figures with 18 points. This is the first road game of the season for Creighton.
It's been quite some time since Northwestern has played an opponent from the Missouri Valley Conference. Sunday's contest is the Wildcats' first against a MVC foe since head coach Bill Carmody's first season when NU defeated Evansville 68-52 Dec. 22, 2000 in the Carolina Shootout in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Series History: Northwestern leads, 2-1
Last Meeting: The Wildcats posted a 76-57 win over the Bluejays Dec. 27, 1991 at the ASU/Tribune Classic in Tempe, Ariz.
Scouting Creighton
• The Bluejays (4-1) shot 51.8 percent from the field Friday night in posting a 75-57 home win over Kennesaw State. Freshman Doug McDermott led the way with 18 points.
• McDermott paces a balanced scoring effort by Creighton, averaging 14.4 points per game, while Antoine Young is close behind at 13.6 points per contest.
• Greg McDermott is in his first season as the head coach at Creighton. NU faced McDermott last season when he was at the helm at Iowa State. The Wildcats defeated the Cyclones 67-65 in the championship game of the Chicago Invitational Challenge.
So Far, So Good
With three straight wins to open the season, Northwestern is seeking its first 4-0 start since the 1993-94 campaign. The Wildcats opened that season with nine consecutive victories en route to earning an NIT berth.
Bombs Away!
Northwestern has 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. NU leads the Big Ten with an average of 10.3 3-point makes per game so far this season.
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. With games at Northern Illinois Nov. 12 and Texas-Pan American Nov. 17, the Wildcats started the 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. With victories in both contests, Northwestern tied it total of road victories from all of last season.
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.
Shurna Selected to Watch List for Naismith and Wooden Awards
John Shurna is one of 50 individuals named to the preseason watch list for both the John Wooden Award and the Naismith Award which are presented to the nation's top college basketball player. The Big Ten led all nation's conferences with 10 individuals named to each of the lists.
Thompson Leads the Way
Entering his senior season, Michael Thompson already established himself as one of the top players in program history. Thompson is currently 18th in school history with 1,179 career points. He is also second all-time at Northwestern with 396 career assists, just 57 shy of surpassing the record of 452 held by Patrick Baldwin (1991-94). A starter at point guard each of his four 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 98 games during his career as a Wildcat, the second-longest streak of consecutive starts in the country. Only Dairese Gary of New Mexico (101) has made more consecutive starts than Thompson.
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.
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 in Turkey.
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 48 career wins, 10 shy of tying the Northwestern record for most victories by one class.
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.
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.
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.
Ryan Back in the Lineup
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 83 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.
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.
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 has just one day off before returning to action Tuesday when it hosts Georgia Tech as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
