Northwestern University Athletics
Three Storylines to Watch: Northwestern vs. Chicago State
12/16/2018 1:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Northwestern welcomes its second crosstown opponent in a row to Welsh-Ryan Arena in Monday night for an 8 p.m. tip. Here's what to watch for…
TAMING THE COUGARS: Northwestern holds a pristine, 12-0 advantage against Chicago State in the all-time series and has won by an average of 37 points in the three matchups during Chris Collins' tenure. Last year the Wildcats won against the Cougars, 96-31, in the largest winning margin in NU history that featured a 55-8 lead at halftime. Senior Vic Law led all scorers in that contest with 18 points while Dererk Pardon and Anthony Gaines chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively.
TURNING THE TIDE: Redshirt junior A.J. Turner took over against DePaul last Saturday with a career-high 24 points fueled by a career-high six threes. Turner sparked a 25-0 run in the second half that turned a 15-point deficit against the Blue Demons into a 10-point lead with three made triples in a row. Turner has emerged as the de-facto point guard after dropping a season-high five assists for the second straight game and he leads the team in assists. Turner has also made a living at the free throw line, shooting 89.5% from the charity stripe, the second-best figure in the Big Ten.
PERIMETER LOCKDOWN: The Wildcats have made defense their calling card so far in 2018, ranking 34th nationally in defensive efficiency according to KenPom, allowing 94.7 points per game. Northwestern has allowed opponent three-point shooters to convert at just a 29% clip, the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten. In addition, NU is forcing teams to commit 14.5 turnovers per game, which ranks fifth best in the Big Ten. The Wildcats stifled DePaul's preseason All-Big East selection Max Strus, who was averaging 18.8 points per game heading into last Saturday's contest, to just eight points, on a 3-13 performance from the field and a 2-11 line from downtown.
TAMING THE COUGARS: Northwestern holds a pristine, 12-0 advantage against Chicago State in the all-time series and has won by an average of 37 points in the three matchups during Chris Collins' tenure. Last year the Wildcats won against the Cougars, 96-31, in the largest winning margin in NU history that featured a 55-8 lead at halftime. Senior Vic Law led all scorers in that contest with 18 points while Dererk Pardon and Anthony Gaines chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively.
TURNING THE TIDE: Redshirt junior A.J. Turner took over against DePaul last Saturday with a career-high 24 points fueled by a career-high six threes. Turner sparked a 25-0 run in the second half that turned a 15-point deficit against the Blue Demons into a 10-point lead with three made triples in a row. Turner has emerged as the de-facto point guard after dropping a season-high five assists for the second straight game and he leads the team in assists. Turner has also made a living at the free throw line, shooting 89.5% from the charity stripe, the second-best figure in the Big Ten.
PERIMETER LOCKDOWN: The Wildcats have made defense their calling card so far in 2018, ranking 34th nationally in defensive efficiency according to KenPom, allowing 94.7 points per game. Northwestern has allowed opponent three-point shooters to convert at just a 29% clip, the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten. In addition, NU is forcing teams to commit 14.5 turnovers per game, which ranks fifth best in the Big Ten. The Wildcats stifled DePaul's preseason All-Big East selection Max Strus, who was averaging 18.8 points per game heading into last Saturday's contest, to just eight points, on a 3-13 performance from the field and a 2-11 line from downtown.
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