Dec. 29, 2009
#25 Northwestern at Illinois
Assembly Hall (16,618)
Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009
Champaign, Ill. 8 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network (Wayne Larrivee, Kendall Gill and Charissa Thompson)
Audio: WGN-AM 720 and wgnradio.com (Mark Carman and Bob Hildebrand)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 127 and XM 196
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. - Sporting the program's first national ranking since the 1968-69 season, No. 25 Northwestern looks to match its best start to a season in 27 years and seeks its longest winning streak in 79 years as it opens its Big Ten season at Illinois Wednesday evening. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. with Big Ten Network providing live television coverage.
The Wildcats enter the contest as winners of nine straight games, a streak last achieved by the 1993-94 squad which opened the season with nine consecutive victories. NU hasn't won at least 10 straight games since the 1930-31 team started with 14 wins in a row.
Northwestern is coming off a 74-54 home win over Central Connecticut State Dec. 22. John Shurna led the way for the Wildcats, scoring a career-high 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field. The sophomore forward came within one point of becoming the third NU player to score at least 30 points in a game this season. Drew Crawford added 15 points, while Michael Thompson contributed 14 points, seven assists, four steals and no turnovers.
Series History: Illinois leads, 126-34.
Last Meeting: The Illini rallied late to defeat the Wildcats 60-59 Feb. 12, 2009 in Evanston.
Scouting Illinois
Illinois (8-4) is looking to snap a two-game losing streak after most recently falling 81-68 to Missouri in St. Louis Dec. 23. Mike Tisdale (14 pts., 13 reb.) and Mike Davis (11 pts., 13 reb.) each posted double-doubles for the Illini.
All five Illinois starters average double-figure scoring, paced by junior guard Demetri McCamey who posts a norm of 14.1 points per game. McCamey also paces the Big Ten with an average of 5.42 assists per game while Davis leads the conference with an average of 9.8 boards per contest.
Bruce Weber is in his seventh season as the head coach at Illinois where he has a 160-61 record. He is 263-115 in 12 overall seasons as a head coach.
Cracking the Top 25
The Wildcats made their season debut in this week's Associated Press poll, coming in at No. 25. It marks NU's first ranking in the AP poll since they were No. 17 on Jan. 14, 1969, the final week of a three-week stint in what was then a top-20 poll. The 'Cats also receiving the fifth-most votes of any team outside the top 25 in this week's USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll.
So Far, So Good
Northwestern's 10-1 record is the best 11-game start to a season during the Carmody era and the best by a Wildcat team since the 1982-83 campaign. The Wildcats have started 7-1 in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history. NU earned five wins in the month of November this season for the first time ever. A win over Illinois would give Northwestern its longest win streak since the 1930-31 Big Ten championship squad opened the season with 14 straight victories. The Wildcats would also set a school record for the most wins prior to the new year, besting the 2006-07 squad which won 10 games before Jan. 1.
Helping Hand
Northwestern is well known for playing "team" offense and that's reflected in the statistics. The Wildcats have assisted on 75.0 percent of their field goals this season, posting 198 assists on their 264 made baskets. The percentage ranks first in the nation. In fact, NU has ranked in the top five nationally in assist percentage each of Bill Carmody's 10 seasons as head coach. The Wildcats have recorded at least 20 assists in three of their last four games.
Up Next...
Northwestern opens its Big Ten home season Saturday as it faces Michigan State at 5:30 p.m.