EVANSTON, Ill. — Looking to improve to 4-0, Northwestern hosts crosstown rival DePaul for Chicago Night inside Welsh-Ryan Arena on Friday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. CT. The game will air on Big Ten Network with Jack Rinaldi (play-by-play) and Shon Morris (analyst) on the call, and it can be heard on WGN Radio 720 and SiriusXM Channel 992 with Andy Masur (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst) calling the action.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats (3-0) defeated their third consecutive opponent by double digits, topping Boston University, 72-55. Northwestern forced 19 turnovers, including 14 in the first half, while turning the ball over a season-low five times. NU’s 19 forced turnovers are its most since forcing 22 in an 85-60 victory over Northeastern on Dec. 29, 2024.
Second-year guard Jake West recorded game-high marks of 21 points and eight assists, alongside three steals with just one turnover. It marked his third 20+ point, 5+ assist game of the season. Fifth-year guard LA Pratt scored 20 points, his most at Northwestern, while pulling down four rebounds and swiping three steals. Third-year guard Angelo Ciaravino recorded a season-high 14 points and six rebounds, while second-year guard Phoenix Gill logged 11 points, canning two three-pointers.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
The Wildcats have trailed for zero seconds this season, recording wire-to-wire victories over Binghamton, Stony Brook and Boston University.
Northwestern opens up the season with five straight home games, its longest homestand to open a season since 2020-21 (5) and longest in a non-COVID year since 1998-99 (6). The Wildcats have opened their season at home every year since 2010.
Northwestern is averaging 8.0 turnovers per game this season, ranking tied for eighth-fewest nationally. The Wildcats averaged 8.5 turnovers per game last season, the second-best mark in the country.
Northwestern has won 17 consecutive nonconference home games, dating back to 2023. The Wildcats last lost a November home game in 2022, a streak of 13 straight wins.
Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Northwestern has held its opponent to 65 or fewer points 58 times, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten during that span, with the Wildcats going 53-5 in such games. Northwestern's .914 win percentage is the 16th-best in the country in such games (min. 55 games).
NOTES TO KNOW
- West’s 8.7 assists per game rank fourth nationally.
- West is averaging 21.3 points per game, the fifth-best mark in the Big Ten.
- West is the only player nationally to record three games of 20+ points and 5+ assists this season.
- West is the first Wildcat to notch 20+ points and 5+ assists in three consecutive games since Brooks Barnhizer (Dec. 21, 2024-Jan. 2, 2025).
- West is the first Wildcat guard to reach 20+ points in each of the first three games of a season since at least 1996-97.
- West’s 26 total assists this season are the most assists across the first three games of a season by a Wildcat since at least 1996-97.
- Against Binghamton (Nov. 2), he posted the first 20+ point, 10+ assist game by a Northwestern player since Bryant McIntosh in 2017.
- West’s 12 assists against Binghamton are tied for the sixth-most in a single game in program history.
- West is the first second-year to be named captain at Northwestern since 1991-92, when Pat Baldwin was selected as a captain.
- Pratt’s 18.3 points per game rank 10th in the Big Ten.
- Pratt’s 55 points through three games are the most by a Wildcat across his first three games at Northwestern since at least 1996-97.
- Pratt is the first Northwestern newcomer to score 15+ points in the first three games of a season since at least 1996-97.
- Pratt became the first Wildcat newcomer to register 15+ points, 3+ rebounds and 3+ assists in a season opener since Michael Thompson on Nov. 15, 2007, against Stanford.
- Pratt was named preseason All-CAA Second Team ahead of the 2025-26 season while at Northeastern, but after averaging 17.0 points per game through three contests, he suffered a season-ending injury.
- Ciaravino has led Northwestern in rebounds in three consecutive games, becoming the first Wildcat guard to do so since Brooks Barnhizer from Jan. 5-16, 2025.
- Ciaravino’s 1.7 blocks per game rank sixth in the Big Ten, and his 1.7 steals per game are the ninth-most in the conference. He also averages 7.7 rebounds per game, the 10th-most in the conference.
- Ciaravino posted four blocks and two steals against Stony Brook, becoming the first Northwestern player to record 4+ blocks and 2+ steals in a game since Matthew Nicholson on Nov. 6, 2023, against Binghamton.
- Ciaravino’s 13-point, 10-rebound performance against Binghamton made him the first Wildcat guard to record a double-double since Barnhizer on Jan. 16, 2025, against Maryland.
- Gill has scored 10+ points twice in his career, with both performances coming in the last two contests.
- After scoring five total points all of last season, Gill already has 31 this season, shooting 6-of-9 (66.7%) from beyond the arc.
WHAT COLLINS IS SAYING
On the matchup with DePaul and its meaning to Chicago…
- “Since the moment I got here, I think it’s a game that should be played. I think it makes sense for both of us — two local teams, Power 5 teams. For a lot of the years, we’ve always played the game near Christmas. I think we’ve pivoted earlier now to include the students because now, we’ve played in the game in November where students are still in session, and hopefully get some better atmospheres. I’ve always said with any high-level games or inter-city rivalries or anything like that, it’s always best when both teams can put a good product on the floor. I think you’re seeing, with what Coach Holtmann is doing there, I knew it was only going to be a matter of time [until] his program was going to be competing at the level they are now. We’ve tried to do our part throughout the years with putting competitive teams on the floor, but I just think it’s a great game. I was just talking earlier about what a great sports city we have.”
On LA Pratt’s impact so far…
- “I’ve been really pleased how LA’s come out to start the year. Honestly, I knew there was going to be a little bit of a rust factor with him. He and I actually had the same injury with a broken foot that he suffered last year, so I went through the exact same recovery. It takes some time. The exhibition games, he struggled. There was a lot of rust there. I’m thankful we were able to have those two games because it allowed him to get some of that out of his system. As we’ve started the year, with each game, his burst is getting better. He’s getting his timing. He’s getting to his spots. We really wanted to try to bring in a guard that we felt would complement Jake well, knowing Jake was coming back and was going to have the ball. We wanted to get somebody that we felt was going to be a really good complement for him in a lot of areas. His ability to handle the ball, be a secondary playmaker, to get into the paint, make threes, he’s a good on-ball defender, and he’s got good size — being all of 6-foot-4. It allows those guys to effectively play well together in the backcourt, and certainly, these first couple games — and especially the last two not having Jack — they’ve had to really carry the load for us offensively. They’ve done a good job with that.”
On Jake West’s growth, especially on the defensive end…
- “Just coming into this year, the experience of last year just gave him such an idea of what it was going to take to make the next jump, which was his goal. He wants to be a top-tier point guard in the Big Ten, so going through that last year, playing against the guys he played against, not only having to play offense but having to defend the position [helped]. He’s more experienced. He’s wiser. He sees situations, [like] the pick-and-roll coverages. He’s gotten better being able to use his added strength and maturity to not lay into screens and get over ball screens. [I’ve been] challenging him to get in there and get on the glass a little bit. I think it’s a big thing when your guards can rebound, especially your point guard, because it can lead to some fast breaks. He’s doing a great job.”
City game. https://t.co/3NpV1WlLu3
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) November 12, 2026
SCOUTING DEPAUL
The Blue Demons are off to a 3-0 start with wins over West Georgia, South Florida and Alabama A&M. The Blue Demons are off to a hot start from three-point range, draining 11.3 threes per game, a top-50 mark nationally.
Ade Popoola leads the BIG EAST by converting 4.0 threes per game. Koree Cotton leads DePaul in scoring with 12.7 points per game, while Noah Meeusen paces the team with 7.5 assists per game.
SERIES HISTORY
Northwestern and the Blue Demons will face off for the fifth consecutive season and the ninth time in the last 11 seasons. Over the last nine matchups, the Wildcats lead the series 8-1 but trail the all-time series 21-18. Northwestern is eyeing its fifth consecutive victory over DePaul.
The Wildcats are 59-60 against the current alignment of the BIG EAST. Under Sullivan-Ubben Head Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Collins, Northwestern is 10-9 against the conference’s current alignment.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats close out their five-game homestand by facing off with Columbia on Monday, Nov. 16. Tipoff from Welsh-Ryan Arena is set for 7 p.m. CT on B1G+.