Winners of Two Straight, Northwestern Welcomes No. 1 Purdue on Sunday

NORTHWESTERN MEN'S BASKETBALL: GAME INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	WATCH	LIVE STATS
Sunday, Feb. 12	No. 1 Purdue	1 p.m. CT	Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Ill.	BTN	Live Stats
Radio: WGN Radio 720 \| Twitter: @NUMensBball \| Instagram: @numensbball \| Digital Game Program

EVANSTON, Ill. – The Northwestern men's basketball returns home after a 2-0 road trip to take on No. 1 Purdue at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, February 12 inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. Dave Revsine (play-by-play), Stephen Bardo (analyst), and Andy Katz (sideline) will have the call on BTN, while Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst) will handle radio duties on WGN Radio 720 and Sirius XM Channel 384.

Northwestern will look to win its first game in program history (0-18) against the AP No. 1 ranked team in the country. The Wildcats fell at then-No. 1 Michigan 68-46 on Jan. 30, 2013 in its last matchup against the nation's top team. On Jan. 29, 2011, Northwestern gave then-No. 1 Ohio State all it could handle in a 58-57 setback in the last game inside Welsh-Ryan Arena against No. 1.

Last time out, the Wildcats took down Ohio State in Columbus for the first time since defeating the Buckeyes 74-72 on Jan. 22, 2017. Boo Buie and Brooks Barnhizer led the team in scoring with 19 points apiece. Barnhizer's career night came on 70% shooting (7-of-10) from the field with career-highs in points, made field goals and made 3-pointers. He also added a team-high three offensive rebounds.

Sunday will mark Northwestern's fourth matchup against a ranked opponent this season. The Wildcats fell to No. 13 Auburn in the Cancun Challenge in November before defeating No. 20 Michigan State and No. 15 Indiana in December and January, respectively.

Northwestern has held its opponent to 60 or fewer points 11 times this season, tying its most in a single-season since 2018-19. Northwestern improved its record to 10-1 when holding its opponents to fewer than 60 points this season. The Wildcat defense ranks 21st nationally and third in the Big Ten holding opponents to an average of 62.1 points per game.

Buie comes into Sunday's matchup as the Wildcats' leading scorer, averaging 16.2 points per game. He's stepped up his play against Big Ten opponents, averaging 18.4 points per game in such contests, good for fourth in the conference. This scoring burst includes a streak in which the point guard has topped 19 points in six of his last eight outings. The Senior from Albany, N.Y. has scored in double figures in 18 straight games. Buie also has been the primary facilitator for the 'Cats, leading the team with 4.5 assists per game, the fifth-most in the Big Ten.

Chase Audige joins Buie in the backcourt, contributing to the only backcourt in the Big Ten where both players top 15 points per game. Audige has been a force on both the offensive and defensive ends this season, ranking 10th in scoring and leading the conference with 60 steals. The senior's 2.5 steals per game rank sixth in the nation, and he was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List earlier this season.

Buie (16.2) and Audige (15.1) are the only teammates in the Big Ten averaging over 15 points per game this year. Scottie Lindsey is the last Northwestern player to average 15 or more points per game in a season in 2017-18 (15.0). Two 'Cats haven't averaged 15 or more in the same season since 2011-12: forward John Shurna (20.0), guard Drew Crawford (16.1). NU hasn't had two guards average 15 or more in the same season since at least 1992-93.

No. 1 Purdue travels to Evanston coming off an 87-73 victory over Iowa on Thursday. The Boilermakers are led by Zach Edey, who leads the conference in points, rebounds and shooting percentage. Edey is also second in the conference in blocks, posting five in Thursday night's win over the Hawkeyes.

Sunday's matchup will mark the 180th between the two schools on the hardwood, with Purdue holding the series advantage, 131-48. Northwestern's last win over Purdue came on March 19, 2014 at Mackey Arena. The last time the 'Cats took down Purdue in Evanston took place earlier that season, with the Wildcats defeating the Boilermakers 63-60 in double overtime on January 21, 2014.

Northwestern continues its three-game homestand with No. 18 Indiana on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. CT inside Welsh-Ryan Arena on BTN and ESPN 1000 WMVP.

Winners of Two Straight, Northwestern Welcomes No. 1 Purdue on Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Chase Audige

Brooks Barnhizer

Boo Buie

Northwestern University Athletics