Head coach Bill Carmody and the Wildcats are 43-17 (.716) over the past four-plus seasons at Welsh-Ryan Arena.Head coach Bill Carmody and the Wildcats are 43-17 (.716) over the past four-plus seasons at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Wildcats Host Delaware State Saturday Night at 8 p.m.

Dec. 2, 2005

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The Game
The Wildcats (3-3) will look to get back on the winning track when they take on Delaware State (1-4) Saturday night at 8 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. Northwestern won the only meeting last season 50-43 in Evanston behind 19 points from Vedran Vukusic.

Northwestern is coming off a 72-57 loss at Virginia in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge Wednesday night. Trailing by eight in the first half, the 'Cats reeled off an 11-0 run and led at halftime, 27-26. But a 24-9 run by Virginia was too much for Northwestern to overcome in the second half. Vedran Vukusic had 21 points for the Wildcats and Tim Doyle added 13 and five assists in the defeat.

Delaware State is 1-4 going into tonight's game. Last season the Hornets captured the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles before falling to top-seeded Duke in the NCAA Tournament.

A Look at the 'Cats

  • Vedran Vukusic has been Northwestern's most productive and consistent offensive performer this season. The senior from Croatia is fifth in the nation and leads the Big Ten in scoring with 24.3 ppg. (national averages with minimum 3 games played)

    • In the season-opening win over Lehigh, Vukusic drained the go-ahead baseline jumper with 12.8 seconds left as the Wildcats came back from a double-digit deficit.

    In the surprise win over Charlotte the following night, Vukusic scored a season-high 28 and connected on 5-of-7 treys to turn away any possible comeback chance by the 49ers.

    Then against Florida Atlantic Nov. 21, with his team desperately needing a bucket, Vukusic drove the lane and delivered a thunderous dunk while getting fouled for a three-point play to put NU back out in front by seven.

  • Junior Tim Doyle has been solid through the first six games, averaging 9.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and a team-best 5.2 assists, which currently ranks him fifth in the Big Ten in that category. Doyle had a season-high 14 points in the season-opener vs. Lehigh and added 13 on a career-high six field goals against Virginia Wednesday night.

  • True freshman Craig Moore has emerged of late to score 22 points over the last three games. He had nine points in 23 minutes in the win over FAU and sank three treys in the loss to DePaul last Saturday, playing 33 minutes and all 20 in the second half. Moore also had a game-high five assists and three rebounds in that game before earning his first career start Wednesday night at Virginia.

  • Senior Mohamed Hachad has cleaned up on the glass, averaging a team-best 5.0 rebounds per game, including nine in the win over Charlotte, tying his personal best. He is averaging 7.0 points per game and has a team-best nine steals.

  • Junior Vince Scott has given NU a nice lift off the bench and has produced in the starting lineup of late with 4.5 points and 4.5 caroms per game.

    • About The Hornets

  • The Hornets are coming off their best season in program history in 2004-05 which included a trip to the NCAA Tournament, a first in team history. Delaware State finished 19-14 overall and 14-4 in the MEAC, winning the regular season and conference tournament championship.

  • Junior Jahsha Bluntt, a preseason All-MEAC first team selection, leads the team with 9.8 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game. Junior Joe Dickens is right behind with 7.2 points per game.

  • Road Warriors: DESU does not play a home game until the Dec. 30 against Buffalo. They opened at UCLA and two games at the South Padre Island Invitational in Corpus Christi, Texas. After tonight's game, the Hornets travel to Jacksonville, Michigan, Bradley, Marquette and Maryland before finally opening up at home Dec. 30.

    • Hornet Head Coach Greg Jackson
    Greg Jackson is in his sixth season as the head coach at Delaware State and his 15th overall as a head coach. Last season he led the Hornets to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history after capturing the the school's first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles, before falling to top-seeded Duke, 57-46, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The 2004-05 Hornets set a team record with 14 MEAC wins and tied the team record with 19 wins overall.

    The Series With Delaware State
    Northwestern won the only meeting with the Hornets last season, 50-43.