Dec. 5, 2008
NU Game Notes vs. DePaul (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -
A crosstown rivalry is renewed Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena as the Northwestern men's basketball team hosts DePaul. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. Both teams enter the contest with only one loss on the season. Big Ten Network is televising the contest live with Craig Coshun, Shon Morris and Ann Kreiter on the call.
The game can also be heard on 720 AM WGN and online at wgnradio.com with Dave Eanet and David Kaplan, as well as 89.3 FM WNUR and sports.wnur.org.
It is Yellow Book Day and Wildcat Kids' Club Purple Pride Day. All Wildcat Kids' Club PURPLE PRIDE members receive free admission. (Advance purchase only.) Tickets must be reserved in advance by calling 847-491-7504.
General ticket are also available and can be ordered online at NUsports.com, by calling 847-491-CATS or at the arena the day of the game.
The Wildcats are finishing up a stretch of three games in six days, including a 73-59 victory over Florida State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday. Craig Moore led NU with 20 points, while Kevin Coble had a solid all-around game with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Ivan Peljusic came off the bench to score eight of his 10 points over a one-minute stretch during a 20-2 second-half run by Northwestern.
Series History: DePaul leads, 19-8
Last Meeting: DePaul nipped the Wildcats 54-53 at Allstate Arena last season on Draelon Burns' runner in the the lane with 6.4 seconds left. Michael Thompson scored a career-high 24 points for NU. The teams have traded wins each of the past five years.
Scouting DePaul
DePaul (4-1) is looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season Wednesday, falling 77-67 at California. The Blue Demons cut a 14-point halftime deficit to one with 6:30 left, but were unable to make it all the way back. Dar Tucker scored a team-high 21 points.
Tucker leads DePaul with an average of 20.8 points per game, while sophomore center Mac Koshwal averages a double-double with norms of 12.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per contest. Similar to Northwestern, DePaul has created opportunites with its defense this season as its foes are averaging 17.6 turnovers per game.
Jerry Wainwright is in his fourth season at the helm at DePaul, sporting a 47-49 record. He previously served as the head coach at Richmond and UNC Wilmington and has a 233-193 overall record in 15 seasons.
Waldo Fisher-Frank McGrath Award
Each year, the most valuable player of the DePaul/Northwestern game is honored with the Waldo Fisher-Frank McGrath Award. Will Walker was last year's honoree after posting 13 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Kevin Coble earned the honor in NU's win the previous year. The award is voted on by the members of the media.
Carmody Earns 200th Career Win
Northwestern's 73-59 home win over Florida State Dec. 3 marked a milestone victory for head coach Bill Carmody. It marked the 200th win of his collegiate coaching career. Carmody is 108-136 in nine seasons at NU and had a 92-25 mark in four years at Princeton for an overall record of 200-161.
A December to Remember
The month of December has been very good to the Wildcats in recent history. Northwestern has won both of its games in the 12th month this season and went 4-0 last year. The 'Cats have come out on top in their last 10 December games and 14 of their last 15 dating back to the 2005-06 season. The lone loss was a 66-65 decision to Tennessee Tech Dec. 19, 2006 in the San Juan Shootout in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Doing It With Defense
The lack of an inside presence hurt Northwestern in many ways last season, including allowing opponents to shoot 48.3 percent from the field, including 39.2 percent from 3-point range. So far this year, the Wildcats' foes have shot a combined 39.4 percent from the field and have committed an average of 17.5 turnovers per game. Northwestern has a +6.0 turnover margin so far this season. After finishing last in the country with a -10.8 rebounding margin a year ago, NU has out-rebounded five of its first six opponents (+3.0).
Up Next...
The Wildcats take the next eight days off for finals before returning to action Monday, Dec. 15 when they host UMKC at Welsh-Ryan Arena.