Northwestern to Take on Nittany Lions in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals

NORTHWESTERN MEN'S BASKETBALL: GAME INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	WATCH	LIVE STATS
Friday, March 10	No. 10 Penn State	5:30 p.m. CT	United Center Chicago, Ill.	BTN	Live Stats
Radio: ESPN 1000 WMVP \| Twitter: @NUMensBball \| Instagram: @numensbball

EVANSTON, Ill. – After earning the No. 2-seed and a double-bye to the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals, Northwestern will open up its Big Ten Tournament on Friday, March 10 at 5:30 p.m. CT at the United Center against Penn State. The game will be broadcast on BTN by Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst) and Andy Katz (sideline), and ESPN 1000 WMVP by Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst).

Last time out, the Wildcats (21-10, 12-8 B1G) took down Rutgers 65-53 at Jersey Mike's Arena to secure the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and close out the regular season. Brooks Barnhizer poured in 16 points and pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds, his fifth-consecutive game scoring in double figures and first career double-double. After being held scoreless in the first half, Boo Buie rebounded to score 14 points in the second half, including three clutch 3-pointers over a four-minute stretch late to put the game on ice.

The win over Rutgers gave Northwestern its school-record 12th Big Ten win in a single-season. The 'Cats have won 21 games this season, the second-most in a single-season in school history, and tied for the most in a regular season. The 2022-23 team is just three wins behind the 2016-17 team's mark 24 wins en route to an appearance in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

Earlier this week, four 'Cats earned recognition when the Big Ten announced its postseason honors. Chris Collins was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, the first from Northwestern since Bill Carmody in 2004. Chase Audige was selected as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, along with being named Second Team All-Big Ten. Audige is the first 'Cat to be receive Defensive Player of the Year honors since Pat Baldwin in 1994. Buie was named First Team All-Big Ten, the first Northwestern player to be named First Team All-Big Ten since John Shurna in 2012. Additionally, Chris Lowery became the first ever recipient of the Howard Moore Assistant Coach of the Year award.

The Northwestern defense made a massive leap this year. Northwestern's 62.3 points per game allowed marks a 7.6 point improvement over last year's average of 69.9 points per game. The Wildcats have limited opponents to just 41.2% from the field, the second-best mark in the Big Ten. The Wildcats are 20-1 when holding opponents to 64 points or fewer.

Northwestern has been consistent from the free throw line all season, ranking second in the Big Ten, shooting 74.9% from the charity stripe. Boo Buie leads all Big Ten players, hitting 87.6% of his foul shots.

A finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard, Buie ranks fourth in the league in points (17.5) and sixth in assists (4.6). He is the first Wildcat to average 17 or more points per game since Shurna posted 20.0 points per game in 2011-12. Buie is one of only three high-major players in the country averaging at least 17 points and 4.5 assists per game this season. His 532 points scored this season are the 10th-most in a single-season in program history. In league play, Buie upped his game, posting 19.1 points per game against Big Ten foes, including 12 outings of 20 or more points in conference play.

Audige's 74 steals this season lead the Big Ten and ranks eighth nationally. Additionally, Audige's 74 thefts are tied for second-most in a single-season in Northwestern history, matching Baldwin's 1993 total and trailing only Baldwin's 1991 total of 90. Audige has also been named as one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.

In the lone meeting between the two teams this season, Penn State (20-12, 10-10 B1G) came away with a 68-65 win in overtime in Evanston. Northwestern is 2-2 against the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Tournament and 20-37 all-time.

First Team All-Big Ten honoree Jalen Pickett leads the Nittany Lions, pouring in 18.0 points and dishing out 7.0 assists per game. Penn State finished the regular season with a record of 19-12, going 10-10 in Big Ten play, earning them the No. 10 seed.

The winner of Northwestern's Big Ten Quarterfinal will face the winner of Indiana vs. Maryland/Minnesota on Saturday, March 11 at 2:30 p.m. CT at the United Center on CBS.

Northwestern to Take on Nittany Lions in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals

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Players Mentioned

Chase Audige

Brooks Barnhizer

Boo Buie

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics