Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, December 1
Bloomington, Ind.
12 p.m.
Northwestern
at
Indiana
Photo by: Kohjiro Kinno / ESPN Images
Three Storylines to Watch: Northwestern at Indiana
11/30/2018 1:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Three storylines to watch during Northwestern's Big Ten opener at Indiana...
Defense: The 'Cats are ranked 25th in the nation for scoring defense, holding their opponents on average to 61.0 points per game. On Wednesday, Northwestern held Georgia Tech to 20 points in the first half, only allowing eight points in the first 10 minutes. Northwestern's defense has been strong straight from tip-off. The team has held its opponents to less than 30 points in the first half of five out of seven games. Vic Law leads NU in blocks [8] and Ryan Taylor leads in steals [7], proving to be contributors on both ends of the floor. The 'Cats have held their opponents to less than 62 points in six out of their seven games this season.
Rebounding: Recovering rebounds will be important for Northwestern heading into Saturday's matchup. The team is ranked eighth in the conference in total rebounds and has out-rebounded the opponent in six of seven games. NU averages 22.4 defensive rebounds per game. Dererk Pardon leads NU in rebounds, averaging 9.6 per game and has notched three double-doubles this season. Pardon has achieved 12 double-doubles in his career, all of which include points and rebounds, with eight of these games resulting in a Northwestern victory.
Starting Strong: Northwestern has won four consecutive Big Ten openers heading into Saturday's contest. The last time Northwestern played Indiana to open league action was on Jan. 5, 2005, and Northwestern came out on top, 73-52. The Wildcats are off to a 6-1 start, its best start since 2015-16, when NU went 6-1 en route to starting 13-1.
Defense: The 'Cats are ranked 25th in the nation for scoring defense, holding their opponents on average to 61.0 points per game. On Wednesday, Northwestern held Georgia Tech to 20 points in the first half, only allowing eight points in the first 10 minutes. Northwestern's defense has been strong straight from tip-off. The team has held its opponents to less than 30 points in the first half of five out of seven games. Vic Law leads NU in blocks [8] and Ryan Taylor leads in steals [7], proving to be contributors on both ends of the floor. The 'Cats have held their opponents to less than 62 points in six out of their seven games this season.
Rebounding: Recovering rebounds will be important for Northwestern heading into Saturday's matchup. The team is ranked eighth in the conference in total rebounds and has out-rebounded the opponent in six of seven games. NU averages 22.4 defensive rebounds per game. Dererk Pardon leads NU in rebounds, averaging 9.6 per game and has notched three double-doubles this season. Pardon has achieved 12 double-doubles in his career, all of which include points and rebounds, with eight of these games resulting in a Northwestern victory.
Starting Strong: Northwestern has won four consecutive Big Ten openers heading into Saturday's contest. The last time Northwestern played Indiana to open league action was on Jan. 5, 2005, and Northwestern came out on top, 73-52. The Wildcats are off to a 6-1 start, its best start since 2015-16, when NU went 6-1 en route to starting 13-1.
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