Confidence Rising as 'Cats Get Set to Tip off 2015-16 Season

11/4/2015 10:20:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Northwestern returns seven of top eight scorers from last season

By: Nick Brilowski

NORTHWESTERN BASKETBALL: GAME DAY INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	BROADCAST	LIVE STATS
Thursday, November 5	Quincy	7 p.m.	Welsh-Ryan Arena	BTN2Go	SIDEARM
BTN2Go: Greg Mroz and Adam Rossow 89.3 FM WNUR: Ben Goren and Grace Choi Social: Twitter (@NUMensBball and @NU_SportsLive) \| Instagram (@numensbball) \| Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern

In his third season at the helm of the Northwestern men's basketball program, head coach Chris Collins has his squad primed to make a breakthrough.

The Wildcats will be challenged by an always rugged Big Ten Conference that features six teams ranked among the top 25 in the Associated Press preseason poll.

Coming off a 15-17 record a year ago, including a 6-12 mark in Big Ten play, Northwestern returns seven of its top eight scorers including all five starters. The Wildcats' young lineup last season suffered an excruciating string of heart-breaking defeats before finishing strong down the stretch. NU won four straight league games and five out of six at the tail end of the regular season, giving the Wildcats and their fans reason to be optimistic for the road ahead.

The roster is headlined by a pair of seniors who earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades in 2014-15. Guard Tre Demps was the team's leading scorer last season, averaging 12.5 points per game while continuing his reputation as one of the top clutch performers in the country. Meanwhile, 7-foot center Alex Olah provides NU with a force on the low block. Already the program's all-time leader in blocked shots through just three seasons, Olah averaged 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game a year ago while ranking third in the Big Ten with seven double-doubles.

Northwestern also returns one of the top point guards in the league in sophomore Bryant McIntosh. He answered the challenge of being the starter from the opening game of the season as he earned a selection to the five-member Big Ten All-Freshman Team. McIntosh was one of only four major conference true freshmen to average at least 11.0 points and 4.5 assists per game in 2014-15, joining Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell, Duke's Tyus Jones and USC's Jordan McLaughlin. The 150 assists recorded by McIntosh set a school freshman record and were the third most overall by an NU player in program history.

McIntosh isn't the only talent sophomore on the roster, however. Forward Vic Law and wing Scottie Lindsey are poised for breakout seasons in 2015-16. Law averaged 7.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in his freshman campaign while playing his best basketball at the end of his rookie season. Lindsey is considered one of the best pure scorers on the team and is expected to see his production take off in his second year with the squad. Forward Gavin Skelly is a high-energy player who can provide the Wildcats with a boost when needed.

A pair of veterans are expected to play a large role at the forward spots for Northwestern. Redshirt junior Sanjay Lumpkin has started 58 games for the Wildcats over the last two seasons and is one of the top glue players and defenders in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, junior Nathan Taphorn is a versatile player with size who can step outside and stretch the defense as one of the team's best perimeter shooters.

Olah should get a boost with the addition of graduate student center Joey van Zegeren to the Northwestern roster. After spending the last four seasons at Virginia Tech, van Zegeren will help give the Wildcats one of the top post tandems in the league thanks to his freakish athleticism.

Of the three scholarship freshmen on the roster, forward Aaron Falzon is likely to make the biggest impact in 2015-16. The Massachusetts native is a deadly shooter from the outside which is likely to earn him immediate playing time. Guard Jordan Ash is a blue-collar player in the backcourt who can spell McIntosh, while center Dererk Pardon has impressed the NU coaching staff with his potential but is likely to play behind Olah and van Zegeren this season.