Northwestern University Athletics
NU Opens Big Ten Tournament Play Against Indiana Thursday
3/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 11, 2010
#7 Northwestern vs. #10 Indiana
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Conseco Fieldhouse (18,345)
Indianapolis, Ind. • 4 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN2 (Dave O'Brien and Steve Lavin)
Audio: WGN 720-AM and wgnradio.com (Dave Eanet and Bob Hildebrand)
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. - Seventh-seeded Northwestern and 10th-seeded Indiana meet up at approximately 4 p.m. Central time Thursday in an opening round matchup at the 2010 Big Ten Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It'll be the first time the schools have met in conference tourney play.
The showdown is a rematch of last Saturday's regular-season finale between the two schools won the by Hoosiers 88-80 in overtime in Bloomington. John Shurna tied a career high with 31 points to go along with 12 rebounds in the contest. Michael Thompson contributed 25 points and eight assists for NU. The Wildcats rallied back from down eight points with three minutes remaining in regulation to force overtime. However, Indiana never trailed in the extra session after scoring the first seven points.
The winner of Thursday's contest moves on to face Purdue, the No. 2 seed, at 5:30 p.m. Central time Friday.
Regular Season Series: Northwestern rolled to a 78-61 win over Indiana Feb. 7 in Evanston as all five Wildcats scored in double figures. Indiana won the rematch 88-80 in overtime March 6 in Bloomington.
Scouting Indiana
• Tenth-seeded Indiana (10-20, 4-14 Big Ten) was led by freshman Jordan Hulls' career-high 24 points and eight 3-pointers in last Saturday's overtime win over the Wildcats.
• Verdell Jones III leads all active Hoosiers with an average of 14.8 points per game. Christian Watford, who was named to the Big Ten all-freshman team, contributes 12.1 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game.
• Tom Crean is in his second season as the head coach at Indiana. He is 16-45 at IU and 206-141 in 11 overall seasons as a collegiate head coach.
All-Conference Accolades
Northwestern was well represented when the All-Big Ten honors were announced Monday, March 8. Sophomore forward John Shurna was a consensus second-team choice, while junior guard Michael Thompson was an honorable mention selection of both the coaches and the media. Freshman forward Drew Crawford was an honorable mention pick by the media and was their choice as Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Crawford was a unanimous selection of the coaches to the all-freshman team and senior guard Jeremy Nash was tabbed to the all-defensive team. Shurna was also the team's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Familiar Foe
Northwestern's matchup against Indiana marks the first time the Wildcats have faced the same opponent in consecutive games since facing Michigan State Jan. 22 and 27, 2000.
Quick Like a 'Cat, Not Slow Like a Snail
Remember that perception of Northwestern playing a slow-down style of play? Throw it out the window. The Wildcats ranked first in the Big Ten in conference play with an average of 68.7 points per game. It is the second time NU has led the league in scoring, dating back to 1939. Northwestern averaged 88.5 points per game to lead the Big Ten in scoring offense during the 1966-67 season.
Shurna Takes Charge
To say that John Shurna has elevated his game this season would be an understatement. After posting norms of 7.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game as a freshman, Shurna has raised those averages to 18.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in 2009-10. He ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring and eighth in rebounding. The 11.2 point-per-game boost is the largest increase of any Big Ten player from last season to this season, is the seventh largest nationally and is the second-best of any player in a BCS conference. He scored at least 20 points in five straight games from Dec. 19-Jan. 7 and 12 times overall this season. After twice scoring 29 points in a game this season, he established a new career high with 31 points at fifth-ranked Michigan State Jan. 30. Shurna averaged 30.0 points per game in his two contests against the Spartans this season.
30-30 Vision
By virtue of John's Shurna's 31-point effort at Michigan State Jan. 30, Northwestern joined Oklahoma and Lipscomb the only three schools this season to have three different players score at least 30 points in a game. Michael Thompson scored 31 vs. Tennessee State Nov. 22 and Drew Crawford tallied 35 against North Carolina A&T Dec. 13.
Spreading the Wealth
Northwestern is well known for sharing the basketball while protecting it from the opposition at the same time. That's the case again this season. The Wildcats lead the Big Ten and rank fifth in the nation with a 1.54 assist-to-turnover ratio, having handed out 523 assists while committing only 340 turnovers. In its Dec. 30 overtime contest against Illinois, Northwestern handed out 21 assists while turning the ball over just three times. The three turnovers tied a low in the Carmody era and none of them came over the final 35 minutes of play.
So Far, So Good
With 19 wins, NU established the school record for victories in a season. The total eclipses the 1982-83 squad's total of 18. Northwestern's 36 combined wins over the last two seasons are also a school record. 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. Northwestern's nine-game win streak which was snapped Dec. 30 at Illinois was its longest since the 1993-94 squad opened its season with nine straight victories. The Wildcats' 10 wins prior to the new year tied the 2006-07 team for the school record for most victories before Jan. 1.
Bombs Away!
The Wildcats lead the Big Ten and are fourth nationally with an average of 9.5 3-point makes and third with 25.9 3-point attempts per game. NU'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 are tied for the most by any team in the nation this season. NU matched the attempts record with 47 against Illinois Dec. 30. The 20 makes bested the previous conference mark of 18 set by Ohio State against LSU Jan. 15, 2005, while the attempt total 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 tries at Ohio State Feb. 1, 2003.
Defending the Perimeter
While Northwestern is very good at shooting from 3-point range, it is also quite proficient at limiting the opposition from behind the arc. The Wildcats ranked first in the Big Ten during the regular season in 3-point field goal percentage defense, holding their foes to 31.5 percent.
Helping Hand
Northwestern is well known for playing "team" offense and that's reflected in the statistics. The Wildcats have assisted on 72.1 percent of their field goals this season, posting 523 assists on their 725 made baskets. The percentage ranks 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.
Success Under Carmody
NU has reached at least six Big Ten wins for the sixth time in Bill Carmody's first 10 seasons as head coach. The program totaled six or more conference wins just five times in the previous 31 years prior to Carmody's arrival. NU's seven-game increase in conference wins from the 2007-08 to the 2008-09 season is the biggest jump since Minnesota went from three league wins in 2003-04 to 10 the following campaign.
Marathon Man
There is no questioning Michael Thompson's importance to NU. Not when you consider that he has played 38 or more minutes in 19 of Northwestern's first 31 contests this season. He leads the Big Ten and is fourth nationally with an average of 37.8 minutes per game. Despite playing as many minutes as he does, the NU floor general has committed either one or no turnovers 14 times this season and sports a 2.58 assist-to-turnover ratio. In Big Ten play, his assist-to-turnover ratio goes up to 2.75 (77 assists, 28 turnovers in 691 minutes played). Northwestern is 16-6 when Thompson scores in double figures and is 3-6 when he doesn't. He became the 29th member of NU's 1,000-point club Feb. 17 vs. Penn State.
Setting Standards
In addition to their record-setting win total, the Wildcats have set a number of new school statistical standards this season. The team's 293 3-point makes and 804 attempts have obliterated the previous marks of 255 makes set a year ago and 671 attempts in 2007-08. NU's 523 assists bested the 1993-94 squad's total of 516. The Wildcats need three more blocked shots to tie the 1966-67 team's standard of 123 and 37 points to eclipse the 1989-90 squad's total of 2,189 points scored.
Crawford's Contributions
Freshman Drew Crawford stepped into the Northwestern starting lineup from the opening game of the season and has paid immediate dividends. He had a memorable performance in a win over North Carolina A&T Dec. 13. His 35 points set a Northwestern freshman record, besting the 30 Billy McKinney had against Illinois Feb. 16, 1974. It is the second-highest point total by any freshman in the country this season. Crawford's eight 3-pointers in the contest were one shy of the school record of nine set by Craig Moore against Brown Nov. 22, 2008. He was named Big Ten Player of the Week for his efforts, the first NU freshman ever to earn the honor. Crawford is averaging 9.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Cardiac 'Cats
Northwestern has proven this season that it isn't over until it's over. The Wildcats first displayed their comeback potential Nov. 22 against Tennessee State. Trailing by eight with 5:26 remaining, NU ended the game on a 16-1 run to earn a 69-62 win. In a Jan. 10 contest at Michigan, Northwestern found itself facing a 17-point first-half deficit. However, Drew Crawford sparked the comeback as the 'Cats rallied for a 68-62 victory. Minnesota was victim to NU's heroics Feb. 14. The Gophers led by 13 with eight minutes remaining before the Wildcats used a 20-4 run to help force overtime before eventually winning 77-74. Northwestern nearly turned the trick again at Wisconsin Feb. 21. Trailing by 14 at the half, the Wildcats rallied back to within a point before coming up just short. NU was down eight with three minutes left in regulation before forcing overtime at Indiana March 6.
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 this season. Northwestern went 15-4 at home during the 2009-10 regular season with three of the losses coming to nationally ranked opponents: Butler Nov. 18, Michigan State Jan. 2, Wisconsin Jan. 13.
