Nov. 3, 2010
Northwestern vs. Robert Morris (Ill.)
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Evanston, Ill. 7 p.m.
Streaming Video: BigTenNetwork.com
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Tickets: $10. Available at Welsh-Ryan Arena prior to the contest.
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Fresh off the winningest season in school history and a second straight postseason appearance, the Northwestern men's basketball team tips off its 2010-11 season with a home exhibition game against Robert Morris (Ill.) Thursday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Tickets cost just $10 and there is no charge for parking.
It is NU's lone exhibition contest before it opens the regular season Nov. 12 at Northern Illinois. A year ago, John Shurna scored a game-high 21 points as Northwestern rolled to a 78-49 victory over Robert Morris in exhibition play.
The Wildcats went 20-14 overall in 2009-10 and advanced to the National Invitation Tournament for the second straight season. Shurna, a junior forward, was a consensus second-team All-Big Ten selection a year ago. He averaged 18.2 points per game in 2009-10.
Senior point guard Michael Thompson is also back in the mix after leaving the team in assists each of the last three seasons. Thompson averaged 14.2 points and 4.1 assists per game while posting an impressive 2.40 assist-to-turnover ratio. In addition, sophomore Drew Crawford returns after being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season.
Bill Carmody is in his 11th season as the head coach at Northwestern. He is the second-winningest coach in school history and has a 140-163 record during his time in Evanston.
Fans who have already ordered season tickets can expect to see them in the mail within the next 10 days, unless they have requested that they be held at will call.
Season ticket holders who haven't received their tickets to the exhibition game can pick them up at the Welsh-Ryan Arena will call window, which opens at 5:30 p.m. As the Wildcats continue to work on season ticket seat improvements/locations, the seats season ticket holders receive for the Robert Morris game may not be the final season location. If you would like someone else to pick up your Robert Morris tickets, feel free to email that request to cat-tix@northwestern.edu.
Scouting Robert Morris
The Eagles are ranked No. 4 in the NAIA preseason poll after posting a 22-11 record last season and advancing to the semifinal round of the NAIA Division I tournament for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
Senior forward Reggie Bunch is a preseason All-American despite missing last season due to injury. Da'Veed Dildy joins the Eagles this year after playing his first three seasons at Stanford.
Al Bruehl is in his 14th season as the head coach at Robert Morris, notching a 296-89 record over that span.
Four Starters, 12 Letterwinners Return
Northwestern welcomes back 12 letterwinners from a season ago, including four starters. The Wildcats return 87.1 percent of their scoring and 88.2 percent of their rebounding. The only player Northwestern loses who appeared in a game a year ago is Jeremy Nash. The 12 letterwinners returning tie NU with Wisconsin for the highest total in the Big Ten.
Thompson Returns for Final Season
Entering his senior season, Michael Thompson already established himself as one of the top players in program history. Thompson enters his final campaign ranked 21st in school history with 1,136 career points. He is also second all-time at Northwestern with 381 career assists, just 72 shy of surpassing the record of 452 held by Patrick Baldwin (1991-94). A starter at point guard each of his first three seasons, Thompson was a consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten pick in 2009-10, averaging 14.2 points and 4.1 assists per game with a 2.40 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Shurna Aims to Follow Up on Stellar Sophomore Season
There was no such thing as a sophomore slump for John Shurna a year ago. The forward was named the most improved player in the nation by Sporting News after increasing his scoring average 10.9 points per game from his freshman season. His average of 18.2 points per game ranked third in the Big Ten, while his norm of 20.1 points per game in conference play left him just one point shy of surpassing Ohio State's Evan Turner for the league scoring title. After playing on the United States' U-19 team which won the goal medal at the FIBA World Championships following his freshman season, Shurna was a member of the United States Select Team this past summer. The squad helped the USA National Team train for its own FIBA World Championships where it claimed gold.
Marcotullio Gains International Experience
Similar to Shurna the year before, Alex Marcotullio got the chance to play internationally over the summer. The sophomore guard competed as a member of Great Britain's under-20 team which played in the FIBA European Championships in Austria. Marcotullio averaged 13.9 points per game in helping the squad to a sixth-place finish. In the 17-team field, he ranked fifth in 3-pointers made (3.0 per game), sixth in steals (1.7 per game) and 17th in field goal percentage (48.6 percent).
Italian Summer Tour
Northwestern participated in a nine-day tour of Italy in late August and early September. The Wildcats visited Rome, Florence, Venice and Lake Como and posted a perfect 4-0 record which facing professional teams. Shurna was the team's leading scorer at 18.8 points per game, while Thompson was right behind at 18.5 per contest.
Bombs Away!
Northwestern returns a number of threats from 3-point range. The Wildcats' 317 3-point makes a year ago was the sixth-best total in the nation and bested the previous school record by 62. Thompson paces all returners with 88 makes a year ago, while Shurna had 78, Crawford notched 51 and Marcotullio connected for 41.
Setting the Standard
The 37 combined wins by the Wildcats over the last two seasons are a school record for back-to-back campaigns. In addition, this year's senior class enters its final season with 45 career wins, 13 shy of tying the Northwestern record for most victories by one class.
Home Sweet Home
After setting a program best with 13 home wins in 2008-09, the Wildcats established a new mark with 15 victories at Welsh-Ryan Arena in 2009-10. Northwestern went 15-4 at home during the campaign with three of the losses coming to nationally ranked opponents: Butler (Nov. 1), Michigan State (Jan. 2), and Wisconsin (Jan. 13).
Success Under Carmody
Northwestern finished the 2009-10 Big Ten season with a 7-11 record. In head coach Bill Carmody's first 10 seasons in Evanston, the Wildcats have recorded at least six Big Ten victories six times. The program totaled six or more conference wins just five times in the previous 31 years prior to Carmody's arrival.
Helping Hand
Northwestern is well known for playing "team" offense and that's reflected in the statistics. The Wildcats assisted on 71.6 percent of their field goals in 2009-10, posting 565 assists on their 789 made baskets. The percentage ranked second 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.
Up Next...
NU opens the regular season Friday, Nov. 12 when it travels to Northern Illinois. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.