Feb. 2, 2007
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Feb. 3, 2007 -- 1 p.m. CT
Northwestern (11-10, 1-7) at No. 2 Wisconsin (21-2, 7-1)
Kohl Center (17,142)
Madison, Wis.
Radio -- WGN 720 AM (Pat Hughes and Nate Pomeday)
Television -- ESPN Plus Local, WCIU in Chicago (Craig Coshun and Greg Kelser)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern hits the road this Saturday when it takes on the second-ranked Wisconsin Badgers at 1 p.m. CT at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. In the last meeting between the two teams on Jan. 13, the Wildcats nearly pulled off the upset before falling 56-50 in Evanston.
The 'Cats suffered a 62-55 setback in their last outing Wednesday night to Minnesota. Both teams traded leads for a majority of the game until Minnesota caught fire, hitting 8-of-16 from long range in the second half. Kevin Coble and Tim Doyle led NU with 15 points each.
Wisconsin had the nation's longest winning streak (17 games) snapped in its last game after running into a hot Indiana squad in Bloomington Wednesday. The Badgers are led by National Player of the Year candidate Alando Tucker who is second in the Big Ten in scoring with 19.7 ppg. He had 23 in the 71-66 loss to the Hoosiers.
Coble Among Top NU Freshmen
With his 12.2 ppg average, Kevin Coble is on pace to become just the fifth true-freshman to lead the Wildcats in scoring since the 1972-73 season when freshman became eligible for varsity competition. Ben Johnson was the last Wildcat to do it in 2000 when he averaged 11.6 ppg. Cedric Neloms also did it in 1992 with 14.4 ppg, Jim Stack in 1980 with 12.9 and Billy McKinney--Northwestern's all-time leading scorer--with 15.8 ppg in 1974.
Coble also is making an strong case for Big Ten All-Freshmen honors this season. Among conference newcomers, he ranks fourth in scoring (12.2), fifth in rebounding (4.6), fourth in FG percentage (.514) and third in 3FG percentage (.400). His perfect 5-of-5 shooting performance from behind the arc against Utah in December is tied for the best 3FG shooting performance in the Big Ten this season among all players. He averaged 20.3 ppg in three games at the San Juan Shootout and was named to the all-tournament team for his efforts. He has 13 games this season in which he has scored in double digits and three 20-point games.
Coble Regains Form
Since returning from injury three games ago, Kevin Coble has stepped up in Big Ten action. He is averaging 12.7 ppg over the last three conference games while shooting 57 percent from the field and 46 percent from long range (6-of-13). Coble averaged just 5.7 points and shot 27 percent in his first three league games against Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State. He sat out the home game with Wisconsin (Jan. 13) and the road game at Ohio State (Jan. 17). He scored 13 in his return at Minnesota, 10 in the narrow defeat to No. 5 Ohio State and 15 in the last game against Minnesota.
'Cats Rank Second Nationally in Assist/FG Ratio
Northwestern is second among all Division I teams in assist-to-field goal ratio, according to the latest statistical release Feb. 7. The Wildcats have assisted on 326-of-445 (.732) makes, more than 70 percent of their baskets. In the win over Northwestern State on New Year's Eve, the Wildcats assisted on 27-of-34 field goals, the most assists in the Carmody era.
Doyle On Record-Setting Pace
With 114 assists, senior Tim Doyle is on pace to break Northwestern's single-season record for assists which currently stands at 154 (Patrick Baldwin, 1994). With his 5.42 apg average, he is on pace for 168 by season's end. Last year he became just the sixth player in Northwestern history to record at least 200 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in the same season. He needs 26 rebounds to duplicate that feat again this year.
Date and Time Set for Indiana Game
ESPN has selected its wildcard games for Feb. 27-28 and the Wildcats will face the Indiana Hoosiers at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Feb. 28 in Evanston. The game will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN2. The national broadcast brings the total number of nationally televised regular-season games for the Wildcats to four (three of those at home). Northwestern has one more regular-season game slated on ESPN2 on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at home against in-state rival Illinois.
Balanced Attack
Unlike recent years, the Wildcats aren't relying on one or two players for a majority of the offense. This season Northwestern has had seven different players lead or tie for the team lead in scoring. Last season after 21 games, Vedran Vukusic (19.0 ppg) had led the team in scoring 18 times and led in 20-of-29 games overall.
About Wisconsin
Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan
Bo Ryan, the winningest active coach in Division I with at least 20 years of head coaching experience, is in his sixth 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 five seasons and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight two years ago. Prior to arriving in Madison he served as the head coach at UW-Milwaukee for two seasons and 15 years as the head man at UW-Platteville.