Game Day Essentials: Game #31 at Northwestern

Northwestern Info

Head Coach: Chris Collins
Location: Evanston, IL
Conference: B1G
Nickname: Wildcats
Mascot: Willie the Wildcat
Last time out: Beat Penn St
Typical Rotation Depth: 8-9 players
Offensive Style: Perimeter passing, 3pt shooting
Defensive Style: Zone-Man Mix
Notable Alumni: 50% of ESPN personalities
Line: Northwestern by 4.5

Player to watch: Bryant McIntosh

Collins has rolled with the Sophomore PG since day 1 and he's already set the Northwestern record for assists in a season. Last time out he had 11 points and 8 assists.

Last time vs Nebraska

Andrew White and Benny Parker had great shooting days, with White scoring 22 and Parker going 5-10 from 3. (Parker hasn't made more than 2 threes in any other game in his career). However, it was the Dererk Pardon show as the freshman in his second career game went bonkers for 28 points and 12 rebounds as Northwestern continued their best start in school history with a 81-72 win.

The Skinny

Both teams are basically out of the running for the NIT and are attempting to position themselves for a Cinderella run through the B1G tournament by first avoiding the 11th seed. Winning in Evansville on Senior day will be a challenge vs Northwestern's 3pt heavy offense, a style Nebraska has yet to play within 10 points.

The Wildcats actually have shot worse than Nebraska from long range during conference play though they'll still continue to shoot from long range, especially if the Huskers choose to double down on center Alex Olah and Pardon. It might be time to leave our young posts on an island this game as simply fouling poor FT shooting NW post players isn't the worst thing in the world.

Does Andrew White have his shot back? Miles discussing how White needs to be aggressive towards the rim doesn't give one a whole lot of confidence that White is capable of knocking down 4+ threes in this game. Expect the Shavon Shields experience to continue as the senior continues to aggressively look for his shot. Also believe that Watson and Morrow bring it like the last time they traveled to Illinois.

Both teams foul a lot but don't draw a lot of contact so FT rate is a complete wildcard here. This should be a slog of a game between two of the conference's slower teams where both might struggle to score 70. Expect the road, the lack of shooting, and the trouble with the style to be too much for Nebraska to overcome.

Prediction: Norhwestern 72 - Nebraska 65