Jan. 15, 2008
NU Game Notes vs. Chicago State 
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern plays its final non-conference road game of the regular season Wednesday as it makes the short trip to Chicago State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The game will not be televised but can be heard on WGN Radio (720 AM) with Dave Eanet and Bob Hildebrand on the call.
The Wildcats (5-8, 0-4 Big Ten) will be out to snap a four-game losing streak, most recently falling to Michigan 78-68 at home Saturday. Northwestern has been a streaky team this season, losing four of their first five games before winning four in a row followed by their current four-game losing streak.
Series History: Northwestern leads, 6-0. This will be the first home game for the Cougars in series history.
Last Meeting: The Wildcats defeated the Cougars 78-53 Dec. 4, 2004 in Evanston. Vedran Vukusic and Mohamed Hachad paced Northwestern with 18 points apiece.
Last Time Out
Kevin Coble was virtually unstoppable, scoring a career-high 34 points, but it wasn't enough as Northwestern dug itself too deep of a hole in falling to Michigan 78-68 Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats used a late 18-0 run to get back in the game, but it proved to be too late. Coble put forth a dominant effort in just his second start and fourth game of the season, connecting on 14 of 18 field goal attempts including four of five from 3-point range. Manny Harris scored 22 points and handed out eight assists as the Wolverines ended a five-game losing streak and gave coach John Beilein his first Big Ten victory. Leading 21-17, Michigan went on a 22-5 spurt over the final six minutes of the first half to take a 21-point lead at the break. The Wolverines were up by as many as 30 in the second half before NU rallied back to within single digits, but it wasn't enough. After managing just 22 points in the first half, the Wildcats' offense came to life after the break as it put 46 points up while connecting on 18 of 33 field goal attempts (54.5 percent).
Coble's Career Day
In just his fourth game and second start of the season, Kevin Coble posted a memorable performance against Michigan Jan. 12. The sophomore forward knocked down 14 of 18 field goal attempts, including four of five from 3-point range on his way to scoring a career-best 34 points. The total is the highest by a Big Ten player in a game this season and surpassed Coble's previous high of 25 points set against Western Michigan during his freshman campaign. It was the most points by a Wildcat player during Bill Carmody's eight seasons as head coach, besting Vedran Vukusic's 32-point effort against Iowa Jan. 26, 2005. The mark was also three points shy of Welsh-Ryan Arena record of 37 points set by Evan Eschmeyer Feb. 8, 1998 against Penn State.
Scouting Chicago State
The Cougars (6-13) are coming off a 85-76 home victory Saturday over Utah Valley behind 28 points and nine assists by junior guard David Holston.
Holston is the nation's ninth-leading scorer at 23.4 points per game and has scored 20 or more points in a game in 12 of Chicago State's 19 contests so far, including each of the last four. His top performance this season was a 39-point performance against Northern Michigan in East Lansing, Mich., Nov. 14. Holston leads all of NCAA Division I with an average of 4.7 made 3-pointers per game and has a whopping 212 attempts (11.2 per game) from behind the arc.
The Cougars are competing as an independent and will be playing just their fourth home game of the season. Chicago State is 1-12 in road games and 3-0 in neutral-site contests.
Chicago State has 239 assists to 325 turnovers this season compared to 236 assists and 151 turnovers for Northwestern.
Up Next...
Northwestern returns to Big Ten play Saturday as it travels to 17th-ranked Wisconsin for an 8 p.m. tip.