Jan. 13, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006 - 1:30 p.m.
Northwestern (9-5, 2-1 Big Ten) at Wisconsin (13-2, 3-0 Big Ten)
Kohl Center (17,142) - Madison, Wis.
The Broadcasts:
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; Bob Hildebrand analyst).
Television: ESPN Plus (WCIU) & ESPNU (Wayne Larrivee, play-by-play; Doug Altenberger analyst)
The Game
Northwestern seeks to get back on the winning track when it travels to take on No. 21/17 Wisconsin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. The 'Cats, who play four of their next five games on the road, can improve to 3-1 in the Big Ten for the first time in 38 years with a victory Saturday.
Northwestern has not won in Madison since 1996, but will look to reverse history behind Vedran Vukusic, the Big Ten's leading scorer with 21.8 ppg, and a healthier Mohamed Hachad (9.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg) in the backcourt.
Wisconsin is on a roll, having won its first three Big Ten games against Iowa, No. 14 Michigan State and Minnesota and enters Saturday with a 9-1 record in its last 10 games. The Badgers fought off a furious second-half comeback by Minnesota to steal the win on the road Tuesday night while Wildcats are looking to rebound from a 65-61 home loss to Penn State Wednesday night.
A Northwestern Win Would ...
Vukusic Moves Up The Charts
With 21 points against Penn State, Vedran Vukusic moved into ninth place on Northwestern's all-time scoring list (1,358). Heading into Saturday's game, Vukusic needs 10 points to tie and 11 to pass Jim Burns (1964-67, 1,368) for eighth place. At his current scoring rate of 21.8 ppg, Vukusic is on pace to finish third among the all-time scoring greats in Wildcat history behind Billy McKinney (1,900 points; 1973-77) and Evan Eschmeyer (1,805 points; 1995-99).
Moore, Williams Among Big Ten Freshman Leaders
Freshman guards Craig Moore and Sterling Williams have established themselves as two of the top freshman in the Big Ten. Moore ranks in the top 10 in four different statistical categories and leads with 2.64 assists, while Williams ranks first among newcomers with 1.23 steals per game.
Inside The Numbers
Let's break down the numbers and take a deeper look as to how the 'Cats have won five of their last six games. Northwestern (63.2 ppg) is outscoring its opponents (48.7 ppg) by +14.5 points per game, shooting 48 percent from the field and have a +7.8 turnover margin.
Vukusic Honored
Senior forward Vedran Vukusic was been named the Big Ten Player of the Week after leading the Wildcats to a perfect 2-0 start in the Big Ten. Vukusic averaged 22.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game as the Wildcats picked up wins at home over Purdue and on the road against Minnesota.
In the 66-53 victory over the Boilermakers Wednesday, Jan. 7 he finished the game tying a season high with 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while going 8-of-9 from the free throw line. He hit his first five shots and had 20 points at halftime. He also connected on two from downtown and had three steals. Vukusic then led all players with 17 points, while also tallying seven rebounds and two blocks in a 57-49 road victory over Minnesota. He hit 3-of-5 from behind the arc and played the entire 40 minutes, helping the 'Cats to their first 2-0 start in the Big Ten in 23 years.
Vukusic finished the week shooting 64 percent from the field (16-of-25), 5-of-9 from three-point range (.556) and 8-of-9 from the free throw line (.889). Vukusic, who currently leads the Big Ten in scoring with 21.8 points per game, has led the Wildcats in scoring in 12-of-13 contests this season.
A Look at the 'Cats
Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Vedran Vukusic has been carrying the load offensively for the Wildcats this season. The senior from Croatia leads the Big Ten and ranks 15th nationally with 21.8 points per game. He has accounted for 36 percent of Northwestern's offense and has scored 20 or more points in 10-of-14 games, including a season-high 28 twice: in the win over Charlotte at the BCA Invitational in November and in the win over Purdue Jan. 4.
Vukusic ranks 13th in the Big Ten in FT percentage (.788), ninth in FG percentage (.552), 10th in steals (1.43) and 11th in 3FG made per game (2.14). He also leads the conference with 36.64 minutes per game. Senior Mohamed Hachad saw his first game action Wednesday against Penn State since undergoing an appendectomy Dec. 28. He has busted out of an early season scoring slump with 65 points (13.0 ppg) in his last five games after recording just 14 total points in the previous three. Hachad broke out in a big way in the win over Delaware State, scoring a season-high 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, added 12 second half points against UIC and 10 in the win at Seton Hall before his 17-point output against DePauw. He has cleaned up on the glass, averaging a team-best 5.2 rebounds, including nine in the win over Charlotte, tying his personal best. He is averaging 9.7 points per game and leads the team with 1.8 steals, ranking him fourth in the Big Ten in that category.
Junior Tim Doyle has done just about everything this year for the 'Cats. When they have needed him to pass, he has found the open man (4.7 apg, first on the team). When they have needed him to rebound he has (4.0, second on the team). When NU's second leading scorer Mohamed Hachad sat out the Big Ten opener, he picked up the slack offensively with a career-high 20 points. His 4.7 assists currently ranking him eighth in the Big Ten to go along with 9.4 points and 4.0 rebounds. He tallied his 20-point effort against Purdue on 8-of-11 shooting, including two three-pointers. Doyle had a career-best seven assists against UIC and is shooting 79.4 percent (27-of-34) from the free throw line.
True freshman Craig Moore, who leads all Big Ten freshman with 2.64 assists, has become a regular in the starting lineup for the 'Cats. He has emerged of late to score 53 points (10.6 ppg) over the last five games and has made 17 treys. He had his best performance of the year with 15 points (on five 3-pointers) at Minnesota Jan. 7 and had 12 points (on four 3-pointers) and eight rebounds in the win over DePauw Dec. 23. More importantly, he has impressed many with his ball-handling and decision making with 37 assists compared to just 10 turnovers this season. Moore had six assists in the win over Purdue Jan. 4, tying his season-high.
Redshirt freshman Sterling Williams (3.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg) leads all Big Ten freshman with 1.14 steals per game and has been more aggressive of late on both ends of the floor. He had his best offensive performance of the year with 15 points and six assists at Minnesota Jan. 7 and 11 points and three steals in the win over Northern Colorado on New Year's Day. He had a season-high seven rebounds in the win over Purdue Jan. 4.
Bernard Coté played one of the best games of his career and his best as a Wildcat with a career-high 14 points in the win over Northern Colorado Jan. 1. Coté is averaging 6.8 points over his last five games and has started the last seven at forward. He tallied career-highs with seven rebounds and three assists in the win at Minnesota.
Junior Vince Scott has spelled time in the middle with 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He tied a career-high with nine boards in the win at Seton Hall to compliment four assists, two blocks and one steal. He had his best offensive game of the season with 12 points and four assists in the win over Northern Colorado.
'Cats Tighten Up Defensively
Since implementing a stifling 1-3-1 zone defense, NU has been turning in some outstanding defensive efforts of late. Over its last six games, NU is giving up just 48.7 points per game, including a season-low 36 to DePauw and 42 on the road at Seton Hall.
Those efforts have put Northwestern atop the Big Ten in scoring defense, giving up a league-low 54.9 points per game overall. In addition, they are third in 3-point FG percentage defense (.296) and fourth in FG percentage defense (.401).
*numbers as of Jan. 13
'Cats Nationally
As of Jan. 9, the 'Cats rank second in the nation with only 13.3 personal fouls per game, are third in scoring defense (54.2), ninth with only 11.8 turnovers per game, 48th in field goal percentage defense (.399), 52nd in assists (16.4) and 61st in steals (8.7).
A Glance At The Badgers
The first place Badgers feature three players who average double-figures in scoring and outscore their opponents by an average of +12.3 ppg. Junior Alando Tucker leads the team and is fourth in the Big Ten with 18.9 ppg. Kammron Taylor and Brian Butch round out the top scorers with 14.7 and 11.3 ppg, respectively. UW, third in the latest RPI rankings, averages 76.7 points per game and have scored 80 or more on seven occasions.
The Series
Saturday is the 161st meeting between the two schools. Wisconsin leads the all-time series 101-59 and has won four of the last five. NU is 20-57 all-time in games played in Madison with its last win at UW coming in 1996. Northwestern has never won at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan
Bo Ryan, the winningest active coach in Division I with at least 20 years of head coaching, is in his fifth year in Madison. His impact was immediate in leading the Badgers to a share of its first Big Ten regular season championship since 1947 and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. He has taken the Badgers to the Big Dance all four seasons and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight last year.