Nov. 11, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - After a regular season full of "firsts" for head coach Tim Lenahan's Wildcats, Northwestern seeks to add a few more to the list as it faces the second-seeded Michigan Wolverines in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in Bloomington, Ind. Thursday.
For the first time under Lenahan, the Wildcats finished the season with a .500 winning percentage at 6-6-6 overall.
The Wildcats' three Big Ten ties marked the first time a team under the third-year head coach had earned a point in the conference standings as well. They head to Hoosier country in search of their first ever Big Ten Tournament win.
With a roster featuring 20 freshmen or sophomores, there was little doubt when the season began that the 'Cats' young talent would have to carry much of the load.
What NU's underclassmen have done this year goes far beyond carrying the load-- they have carried the program.
The 'Cats have not produced a single point that has come from the foot of anyone other than a freshman or a sophomore. Freshmen Gerardo Alvarez, Will Nicholas and Daniel Chille are three of their top four scorers. Sophomore Brad Napper is the fourth.
Alvarez's 23 points are the most any Wildcat has scored since 1997 and are the seventh-most any NU player has posted in a single season. His performance is the best by any Wildcat freshman in school history as well.
Northwestern will need the offensive production to continue as they head into the Big Ten Tournament. The 'Cats fell 2-1 to the Wolverines in the regular season in Ann Arbor, but played up to Michigan's pace all day.
The winner of the NU/Michigan contest will face the winner of the third-seeded Michigan State versus sixth-seeded Penn State match. NU earned its first conference point under Lenahan against the Spartans, tying 1-1 at home.
Host Indiana earned the conference's top seed and has bye in the first round of play. The Northwestern match is slated to begin at 4 p.m.