Nov. 29, 2002
KSU Game Notes in PDF Format
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EVANSTON, Ill. - It has been a trying early season for the Northwestern men's basketball team, and on Wednesday things seemed to go from bad to worse.
In addition to taking a loss to IUPUI at Welsh-Ryan Arena-which snapped a 13-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents-the Wildcats lost senior guard Winston Blake when he suffered an ankle injury in the last three minutes of the contest. Blake, who has led NU in scoring each of the past two years, was questionable to even make the trip to Manhattan this weekend and highly doubtful to play if he did.
That likely thrusts freshman Jimmy Maley into the starting lineup. Maley has shown that he belongs during his time on the floor, averaging more than 15 minutes per contest.
Blake's injury is the second serious blow to Northwestern, which entered the season with heightened expectations after fashioning a 16-13 record last year that included a 7-9 mark in the Big Ten. Five key players returned, but sophomore Vedran Vukusic-who head coach Bill Carmody feels could be the best all-around player on the roster-went down during the second preseason exhibition with a shoulder injury. In light of recurring problems with that shoulder a year ago, he is likely to have a second surgery there and redshirt.
This is Northwestern's first road game of the season, and one of just two the 'Cats will play during the nonconference schedule as nine of 11 games are at home. The other away game comes Wednesday, when NU is at North Carolina State as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
GAME 4 -- NORTHWESTERN (2-1) at KANSAS STATE (1-2)
Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 30, 2002/7 p.m. CST
Site: Bramlage Coliseum (Manhattan, Kan.)
Capacity: 13,500
Television: ESPN Plus (Kansas and western Iowa only)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; Shon Morris, analyst)
also on wgnradio.com