Northwestern University Athletics
NU Entertains Michigan at approx. 8 p.m. Thursday Evening
1/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2011
Northwestern (14-5, 3-3) vs. Michigan (10-7, 3-2)
Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Evanston, Illinois • approx. 8 p.m.
Streaming Video: Bigtennetwork.com
Audio: WNUR, 89.3 FM
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
NOTE: Northwestern's men's basketball team will faceoff against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at 5:30 p.m. with the women's team taking the court approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the men's game. Any fan purchasing a ticket to the men's game will receive free admission to the women's game that night.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern takes to the hardwood Thursday evening for its only game of the week--an 8 p.m. (approx) matchup against Michigan at Welsh-Ryan Arena--which will be streamed live on bigtennetwork.com. The Wildcats (14-5, 3-3) enter the game having won two out of their last three games--victories over Ohio State and Illinois, teams whom they had not defeated since 1999. Michigan, meanwhile, has dropped two of it's last three efforts, with losses coming at the hands of Purdue and Michigan State. The Wolverines' last defeated Wisconsin on Sunday, 75-59.
You Again?
Think of Michigan as a bad dream that you can't shake from your mind no matter how many times you wake up and attempt to return to slumber. Northwestern faced Michigan four times last season and split the series. The Wildcats swept UM in the regular season series but Michigan got the best of Northwestern in the postseason, knocking it out of both the Big Ten Tournament and the WNIT.
Bringing The Wildcats Back
What Northwestern has accomplished in the past 10 days--defeating Illinois and No. 24 Ohio State--is unprecedented in the past decade. The Wildcats snapped a 21-game losing streak dating back to Feb 5, 1999 with their 69-66 overtime victory over Illinois last Sunday. NU continued the trend Thursday against No. 24 Ohio State, claiming a win over the Bucks for the first time since that same year (Jan. 17, 1999), a 19-game drought.
You Must Clean the Glass
Against Ohio State and Illinois, Northwestern recorded a season-high 51 rebounds, which is, on average, 10.5 more than its opponents. Brittany Orban led the squad over the two games, averaging 11 rebounds, 12 of which are of the offensive variety.
'Cats Among Nation's RPI, Strength of Schedule Leaders
Northwestern owns an RPI of 29 in the this week's rankings. The Wildcats are in good company, joining fellow Conference squads Iowa (12), Ohio State (13), Michigan State (17) and Michigan (27) in the top 30. Additionally, the Wildcats' schedule is ranked 29th according to RealtimeRPI.com.
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