Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Trek to Michigan in Search of Season Sweep
2/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2011
Northwestern (14-8, 4-7 Big Ten) at Michigan (14-10, 4-7 Big Ten)
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011
Crisler Arena (13,751)
Ann Arbor, Mich. • 5:30 p.m. CT
TV: Big Ten Network (Gus Johnson and Shon Morris)
Audio: 720 AM WGN and wgnradio.com (Dave Eanet and Craig Moore)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 121 and XM 141
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern heads to Ann Arbor on Wednesday seeking to sweep its season series with Michigan for the second consecutive year. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. Central time from Crisler Arena.
NU's current three-game winning streak against the Wolverines is its longest in the series since winning eight in a row from 1958-62.
The Wildcats are coming off a 71-70 home win last Saturday over Illinois which was ranked 24th in the USA Today/Coaches poll at the time. Michael Thompson led the way with 22 points, including hitting four of his five 3-pointers in the second half. Northwestern led by as many as 12 in the contest and never trailed.
The Wolverines and the Wildcats enter Wednesday's contest with identical 4-7 records in Big Ten play, just one game removed from fifth place.
Northwestern and Michigan rank first and second, respectively, in the conference 3-point field goals per contest. The 'Cats average 9.2 makes per game, while the Wolverines knock down 8.4 per contest.
First meeting: John Shurna scored 22 of his game-high 24 points in the first half as Northwestern defeated Michigan 74-60 Jan. 18 in Evanston. The Wildcats dished out 18 assists while committing only five turnovers in the matchup.
Scouting Michigan
• The Wolverines (14-10, 4-7) posted a 65-62 win at Penn State on Sunday. Darius Morris led Michigan with 23 points.
• Morris ranks fourth in the nation with an average of 6.9 assists per game and also leads the team with an average of 15.6 points per game. Freshman Tim Hardaway Jr. contributes 12.0 points per contest.
• John Beilein has a 60-63 record in four seasons at Michigan and a 611-381 mark in 33 overall seasons as a head coach.
Setting the Standard
With a victory over Illinois Feb. 5, this year's senior class earned its 59th career win to surpass last year's class as the winningest in Northwestern history. The 37 combined wins by the Wildcats over the previous two seasons are a school record for back-to-back campaigns.
Mr. Reliable
It's a rare thing when Michael Thompson isn't on the court for Northwestern. He has started all 117 games during his career as a Wildcat and is set to surpass Jitim Young (2001-04) on Wednesday for the most starts in school history. On Jan. 12 at Iowa, he became the school's all-time leader in minutes played, surpassing Jim Stack (1979-83). He eclipsed 4,000 minutes for his career Jan. 20 vs. SIU Edwardsville. Last season, Thompson ranked fourth in the nation with an average of 37.7 minutes played per game. His average of 36.0 minutes per game this season ranks second in the Big Ten.
Longest Active String of Consecutive Starts
Through games of 2/2/11
Source: STATS -- Chicago
1. Dairese Gary, New Mexico - 120
2. Tyler Newbold, Utah State - 119
3. Kevin Anderson, Richmond - 118
4. Michael Thompson, Northwestern - 117
Climbing the Charts
Senior point guard Michael Thompson currently has 1,456 career points, ranking him eighth in Northwestern history. He started the season in 21st place. The Chicago native also has 483 career assists. He surpassed Patrick Baldwin (1991-94) for first place in school history Jan. 15 at Michigan State. Thompson became the second player in NU history to post 400 career assists when he reached the milestone Nov. 30 in a win over Georgia Tech. He also ranks second all-time at Northwestern with 237 3-point field goals.
Capocci's Contributions
Senior forward Mike Capocci stepped up for Northwestern Jan. 29 against No. 1 Ohio State when John Shurna was unable to go due a concussion he suffered three days earlier at Minnesota. Capocci hit four of seven field goal attempts and scored 11 points against the Buckeyes. It was just the second double-figure scoring game of his career and his first since the third game of his freshman season vs. Benedictine (Ill.). In his only other start this season, Capocci had nine points, six assists and five rebounds in a win over SIU Edwardsville Jan. 20.
On Target
Northwestern has long been known for its accurate 3-point shooting. The Wildcats sport a .387 3-point percentage this season. NU is also seventh nationally with an average of 9.2 made 3-pointers per game. Individually, John Shurna is third in nation with a .516 3-point percentage. Shurna's 10-for-11 performance overall from the field in a win over Long Island Dec. 13 ranks as a tie for the second-best effort in program history.
Helping Hand
Northwestern is well known for playing "team" offense and that's reflected in the statistics. The Wildcats lead the Big Ten and rank seventh in the nation with an average of 17.8 assists per game. NU's assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.70 (391 assists, 230 turnovers) is the nation's second-best mark, trailing only Wisconsin. The 'Cats are also fifth nationally with an average of only 10.5 turnovers per game.
Bombs Away!
A year after shattering the school season record with 317 3-point makes, the Wildcats have picked up right where they left off. NU leads the Big Ten and is eighth nationally with an average of 9.2 3-point makes per game this season. John Shurna ranks third among all Big Ten players with an average of 2.5 triples per contest.
Up Next...
Northwestern remains on the road Sunday as it travels to Penn State. Tip time is set for 2:30 p.m. Central time with Big Ten Network providing live television coverage.
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