Northwestern University Athletics
Three Storylines to Watch: Northwestern vs. American
11/11/2018 4:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Wildcats will face American on Monday at 7 p.m. at the new Welsh-Ryan Arena as they try to move to 2-0 on the season. Here are three storylines to watch as the 'Cats face the Eagles for only the second time in history.
1. Three-point shooting
The Wildcats shot 36.7 percent (11-for-30) from deep in their season-opener against New Orleans. This included a career-high six threes from newcomer Ryan Taylor. The addition of Taylor, as well as first-years Miller Kopp and Pete Nance, should be a boost to Northwestern's shooting arsenal. They will join Vic Law (51 for 133 from three last season) and Jordan Ash (11 for 34) as the primary weapons the team has from beyond the arc. The 'Cats shot 35.4 percent (255 for 720) from three last season, but 73 percent of their triples came from players no longer on the team.
2. 1,000 point milestone
Vic Law became the 36th player in program history to reach 1,000 points on their career. He got to the mark with a 3-pointer in the first half against New Orleans. If he continued with his career average of scoring, it would put him at 1,323 points for his career, putting him at 16th in Northwestern history. A 542-point season from Law would put him in the top 10 all-time for Wildcat scoring. His current season high is 443 points, done in the 2016-17 season.
3. Lockdown defense
Northwestern only allowed 52 points versus New Orleans on Thursday after holding McKendree to 44 in their exhibition last week. New Orleans shot just 2-of-10 from beyond the arc and 40.8 percent from the field. The Wildcats also generated 15 turnovers in their season-opener. Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins has said that he thinks the team's defense is their calling card and that it will carry them most games.
1. Three-point shooting
The Wildcats shot 36.7 percent (11-for-30) from deep in their season-opener against New Orleans. This included a career-high six threes from newcomer Ryan Taylor. The addition of Taylor, as well as first-years Miller Kopp and Pete Nance, should be a boost to Northwestern's shooting arsenal. They will join Vic Law (51 for 133 from three last season) and Jordan Ash (11 for 34) as the primary weapons the team has from beyond the arc. The 'Cats shot 35.4 percent (255 for 720) from three last season, but 73 percent of their triples came from players no longer on the team.
2. 1,000 point milestone
Vic Law became the 36th player in program history to reach 1,000 points on their career. He got to the mark with a 3-pointer in the first half against New Orleans. If he continued with his career average of scoring, it would put him at 1,323 points for his career, putting him at 16th in Northwestern history. A 542-point season from Law would put him in the top 10 all-time for Wildcat scoring. His current season high is 443 points, done in the 2016-17 season.
3. Lockdown defense
Northwestern only allowed 52 points versus New Orleans on Thursday after holding McKendree to 44 in their exhibition last week. New Orleans shot just 2-of-10 from beyond the arc and 40.8 percent from the field. The Wildcats also generated 15 turnovers in their season-opener. Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins has said that he thinks the team's defense is their calling card and that it will carry them most games.
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