‘Cats Meet Huskies on Friday Night for the First Time Since 2010

Friday, November 11

Evanston, Ill.

7 p.m. CT

Northwestern

Northern Illinois

Tickets

November 7, 2022, Evanston, IL: A game between Northwestern and Chicago State at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois Monday, November 7, 2022. (Photo by Griffin Quinn/Northwestern Athletics)

‘Cats Meet Huskies on Friday Night for the First Time Since 2010

11/10/2022 2:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

NORTHWESTERN MEN'S BASKETBALL: GAME INFORMATION
DATE	Opponent	TIME	LOCATION	Watch	Live Stats
Friday, November 11	Northern Illinois	7 p.m. CT	Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Ill.	B1G+	Live Stats
Radio: AM 720 WGN Social: Twitter: @NUMensbball \| Instagram: @numensbball

EVANSTON, Ill. – Despite being separated by only 76 miles, the Northwestern men's basketball team will take on Northern Illinois for the first time since 2010 at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 11, inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. The game will air on B1G+ with Peter Ferreri (play-by-play) and Eli Berk (analyst) and on AM 720 WGN with Andy Masur (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst).

The Wildcats (1-0) won their season opener for the 14th time in the last 15 years by defeating Chicago State in wire-to-wire fashion, 85-54, on Monday night. Senior Robbie Beran scored a career-high 20 points with the help of a career-best 10-for-11 performance at the free throw stripe. He became the first Northwestern player to score 20 or more points in the season opener since Ryan Taylor (20) in 2018 against New Orleans. Senior Chase Audige distributed a career-best nine assists while also scoring 13 points.

Senior Boo Buie collected 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the opener. The Albany, N.Y. product is 31 points (969) away from becoming the 39th member of Northwestern's 1,000-point club. Buie is also one assist away from reaching 300 for his career. His mark of 299 helpers is the eighth-most in program history.

Northwestern shined defensively, holding the Cougars (0-1) to a 25.4% (16-for-63) mark from the field on Monday night, its lowest allowed field goal percentage since limiting Chicago State to a 20% (8-for-40) clip in 2017. On Monday night, the 'Cats surrendered just 21 points in the first half.

Meeting for just the third time since 1987, NU has a 9-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Huskies. The 'Cats are 5-0 against NIU in Welsh-Ryan Arena/McGaw Memorial Hall. Just five of the first 11 meetings have occurred on campus, with four in Evanston and one in DeKalb.

Tenth-year head coach Chris Collins is 3-1 against teams from the Mid-American Conference, last defeating Western Michigan 67-61 in 2014. Behind John Shurna's 31 points on a 7-for-10 mark behind the arc, Northwestern defeated NIU 97-78 in DeKalb on Dec. 11, 2010, the last matchup between the two teams. After missing 13 of their first 14 shots, the Wildcats shot at a 52% (26-for-50) clip.

Head coach Rashon Burno is in his second season leading the Huskies, who are 0-1 this season after falling to Division II member Illinois-Springfield 83-77 on Monday night. David Coit scored 31 points, the most by a Huskie in a season opener in the last 30 years, and attempted a school-record 20 three-pointers. NIU was selected to finish 12th in the MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll after finishing 9-21 (6-14 MAC) last year.

Northwestern will play its first road game of the season at 5:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov. 15, against Georgetown as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games.