Feb. 6, 2007
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Feb. 7, 2007 -- 6 p.m. CT
Northwestern (11-11, 1-8) vs. Illinois (17-8, 5-5)
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Evanston, Ill.
Radio -- WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet and Shon Morris)
Television -- ESPN2 (Terry Gannon and Stephen Bardo)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a pair of home games this week, beginning with in-state rival Illinois at 6 p.m. Wednesday night on ESPN2. On Saturday NU entertains Penn State at 1:30 p.m.
Freshman Kevin Coble is making a strong case for Big Ten All-Freshman accolades this season and is coming off a 24-point performance Saturday at No. 2 Wisconsin. In the game he helped key a 14-0 run in the second half as he scored 17 after halftime. He is averaging 15.5 points over the last four games while senior Tim Doyle is averaging 13.0 ppg over the last three.
The Illini are coming off back-to-back home wins against Michigan State and Minnesota last week and have won three of their last four overall. They are in sixth place in the Big Ten with a 5-5 record after starting 2-4.
Coble Among Top NU Freshmen
With his 12.8 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 freshmen 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 a strong case for Big Ten All-Freshmen honors this season. Among conference newcomers, he ranks third in scoring (12.8), fifth in rebounding (4.7), fourth in FG percentage (.520) and third in 3FG percentage (.403). 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 14 games this season in which he has scored in double digits and four 20-point games.
Coble Regains Form
Since returning from injury four games ago, Kevin Coble has stepped up in Big Ten action. He is averaging 15.5 ppg over the last four conference games while shooting 57 percent from the field and 45 percent from long range (9-of-20). 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, 15 at home against Minnesota and 24 on the road at Wisconsin.
'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. 5. The Wildcats have assisted on 336-of-468 makes (.718), 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. They trail only Sam Houston State who has a .744 ratio.
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 5.2 apg average, he is on pace for 160 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 is on pace 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). Wednesday's game against Illinois will be televised live on ESPN2.
Last Time Out
Last Saturday at one of the toughest venues in college basketball, NU fell to the second-ranked Wisconsin Badgers 69-52. Coble led a strong second-half comeback attempt, scoring 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half. He hit a season-high 10 field goals, including three from long range. He also led the 'Cats with seven rebounds and three steals. The difference in the game was the disparity in free throws and second-chance points. Wisconsin made 16-of-20 from the stripe while Northwestern went to the line just twice. On the glass, Wisconsin turned 13 offensive rebounds into 16 extra points. But right when it appeared Northwestern was going to get run out of the gym by the No. 2-ranked team in the country, the Wildcats reached down and found something extra and went on a 14-0 run to cut the lead to 62-52 at the final media timeout.
About Illinois
Illinois is 17-8 on the season with a 5-5 mark in the Big Ten. They started 2-4 in league play, but have since won three of their last four, including a home win over Indiana and two last week over Michigan State and Minnesota.
Warren Carter and Shaun Pruitt lead the Illini offensively with 13.0 and 11.5 ppg, respectively. Illinois ranks fourth in the Big Ten in rebounding with 35.5 per game and rank first in offensive rebounds with 13.2 per game. Pruitt and Carter share top rebounding honors on the team with 7.4 and 6.3 per game.
The Illini have reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last seven seasons, including a trip to the Final Four in 2005 before losing in the championship game to North Carolina.
Bruce Weber is in his fourth year at Illinois. Two years ago he became the first coach in Big Ten history to win back-to-back outright Big Ten titles in his first two seasons. Weber made an immediate impact after being hired, leading his squad to its first Big Ten Championship in 52 years. Once again, he topped his previous performances in 2004-05 by leading Illinois to a 29-0 start and a 37-2 record, culminated by the Illini's march to the NCAA National Championship game against North Carolina. For his efforts, Weber swept all of the National Coach of the Year accolades.
Northwestern In The NCAA Ranks
According to the latest NCAA Division I statistical report released Feb. 5, Northwestern ranks No. 11 nationally scoring defense, giving up just 56.6 ppg. They also are fifth in fewest turnovers per game (11.0) and seventh with only 14.4 personal fouls per contest. Its 8.6 steals per game is good for 36th. The Wildcats turned the ball over a season-low five times in the win over cross-town rival DePaul--with two of those coming on shot clock violations. They also kept the TO's in the single digits against Miami (Fla.) with only nine miscues, seven against Wheaton (Ill.), nine against third-ranked Wisconsin, and eight at Minnesota and at home vs. No. 5 Ohio State. Individually, Tim Doyle is 45th in the nation with 5.2 assists per game. He had eight in the loss to Wisconsin Jan. 13 and a career-high nine against Northwestern State on New Year's Eve.