NORTHWESTERN BASKETBALL: GAME DAY INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	TELEVISION	LIVE STATS
Wednesday, Jan. 2	#8 Michigan State	7:30 p.m.	Breslin Student Events Center East Lansing, Mich.	BTN	Sidearm
Radio: WGN Radio AM-720 (Dave Eanet and Joey Meyer) Social: Twitter (@NUMensBball) \| Instagram (@numensbball) \| Facebook Notes: Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern (9-4, 0-2 Big Ten) is set to kick off the new year with a Big Ten battle against No. 8 Michigan State (11-2, 2-0 Big Ten) on Wednesday evening at the Breslin Student Events Center.

The Wildcats are coming off a 75-54 win against Columbia in their non-conference finale on December 30. Senior Vic Law and graduate student Ryan Taylor both added 21 points apiece in the contest and NU limited Columbia to a 37.5 shooting percentage in the contest.

Chicago's Big Ten Team is set to battle the top-10 Spartan squad after dropping their first two Conference games by a combined four points, including a set-back to No. 5 Michigan on December 4.

The contest will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network, with Dave Revsine and Jon Crispin on the call.

STORYLINES TO WATCH

WELL, THAT'S JUST OFFENSIVE: Senior center Dererk Pardon paces the Big Ten in offensive rebounds, averaging 3.7 per game. The mark, which is also top-20 in the nation, is indicative of the Ohio native's ability to create second-chance possessions for the Wildcats, but also indicative of a more important category: wins. When the big man tallies four or more offensive rebounds, the Wildcats are undefeated. And he has done so six times, highlighted by eight offensive boards against American (Nov. 12).

HOMECOMING: Redshirt junior A.J. Turner will be playing in front of a sizable contingent of family and friends at the game, as the Wildcat is a native of Mt. Clemens, Michigan, about an hour away from East Lansing. Turner is second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage, as the six-foot-seven forward has knocked down 36-of-41 attempts from the charity stripe.

GETTING MORE PT: Graduate student guard Ryan Taylor led the Wildcats with 38 minutes played in their December 30 victory over Columbia. The total is a season high for the Gary, Indiana, native, but Taylor has played significant minutes in his career. In his 2017-18 season with Evansville, he played 38 or more minutes 10 times, including five games of 40 minutes.

QUOTABLES

"I was really proud of the guys, it's never easy coming out of the holiday break. ... I thought our guys came back, they were in good shape, they were in great spirits, the attitude was good.
— Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins on NU's performance against Columbia

"Ryan Taylor is a prolific shooter, has been his whole career. ... He's been in the gym, he's been working, it's good to see that pay off and, hopefully, that will bode well going into the Conference."
— Collins on Ryan Taylor's performance against Columbia

"I just try to bring a pop to the team, just make hustle plays, just try to make my open shots, and crash the glass. All the stuff that I can do help the team."
— First-year Pete Nance on his contributions on the court

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Wildcats Resume Big Ten Play at No. 8 Michigan State

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Vic Law

Pete Nance

Dererk Pardon

Ryan Taylor

A.J. Turner

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

Wildcats Resume Big Ten Play at No. 8 Michigan State

••••••

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Vic Law

Pete Nance

Dererk Pardon

Ryan Taylor

A.J. Turner

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