'Cats Head to Southwest Florida for Fort Myers Tip-off

NORTHWESTERN MEN'S BASKETBALL: GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	TELEVISION	LIVE STATS
Monday, Nov 25	Bradley	8:30 p.m. EST	Suncoast Credit Union Arena (Fort Myers, Fla.)	FS1	Live Stats
Wednesday, Nov 27	K-State/Pitt	TBD	Suncoast Credit Union Arena (Fort Myers, Fla.)	FS1	Live Stats
Radio: WGN 720 \| Social: Twitter (@NUMensBball) \| Instagram (@NUMensBball ) Game Notes

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern will head to southwest Florida to participate in the 2019 Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans Fort Myers Tip-Off. The Wildcats will take on the Bradley Braves in their first matchup of the tournament. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. EST.

Each tournament game will be televised live on FS1 and will include analysis from veteran Final Four color commentator Bill Raftery, with Brandon Gaudin and Dave Ryan handling the play-by-play duties on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.

Pitt and K-State will square off in the first matchup on Monday at 6 p.m. EST. The third place and championship games are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. All games will be contested at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers.

The 'Cats are coming off a 70-59 win over the Norfolk State Spartans in Welsh-Ryan Arena led by redshirt first-year Ryan Young, who recorded his first career double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. As a team, the Wildcats forced a season-best 15 turnovers and shot 27-for-30 from the free throw line.

STORYLINES

The Opening Tip: Northwestern and Bradley are meeting for the 10th time. The Wildcats own an 8-1 advantage over their in-state foe in the series. The last meeting came in 1985. Northwestern will play the winner/loser of Pitt/Kansas State. NU is 10-8 all-time vs. Pitt and 2-1 vs. Kansas State.

Young, The Giant: After redshirting last season, center Ryan Young has burst onto the scene in his first four games. Both of NU's wins have come when Young scores 15-or-more points and leads the team with a 61.9% mark from the field.

Free Throw Fire: Northwestern made its mark at the free throw line, shooting 27-for-30 (.900) from the stripe. The 27 made free throws were the most by NU since converting on 35 attempts against La Salle (11/23/18) last season. NU's 90% conversion rate (min. 15) was its highest since shooting 95.8% from the line against St. Peter's (11/13/17).

QUOTABLES

"You're going see a team that's going to continue to improve. I know the guys are excited about the tournament in Florida and have a chance to compete for a championship."

- Sullivan-Ubben Men's Head Coach Chris Collins on the excitement heading into the Thanksgiving tournament

"Excelling in my role has been key for me. I think I make the most impact when I excel in the things I can control like energy, offensive rebounds, being aggressive and just being an overall hustle guy."

- Redshirt first-year Ryan Young on his role on the team

"We are a young team and there are a lot of guys without experience, it's not an excuse for us but what it comes down to is that it is something that comes with those up and downs in a season and I think it's important for us to just take it game-by-game."

- Young on the team's youth

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'Cats Head to Southwest Florida for Fort Myers Tip-off

NORTHWESTERN MEN'S BASKETBALL: GAMEDAY INFORMATION

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Players Mentioned

Ryan Young

Northwestern University Athletics