Michael Thompson scored 18 points in Sunday's win over Creighton and needs one assist to reach 400 for his career.Michael Thompson scored 18 points in Sunday's win over Creighton and needs one assist to reach 400 for his career.

Wildcats Host Yellow Jackets Tuesday in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Nov. 29, 2010

Northwestern (4-0) vs. Georgia Tech (4-2)
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Evanston, Ill. • 6 p.m.
TV: ESPN2 (Bob Wischusen and Stephen Bardo)
Audio: WYLL 1160 AM and wgnradio.com (Dave Eanet and Tim Doyle)
WNUR 89.3 FM and wnur.org
Satellite Radio: Sirius 113
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Tickets:On sale at NUsports.com, at site prior to the contest or by calling 888-GO-PURPLE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern looks to match a program record for victories in the month of November on Tuesday as it hosts Georgia Tech as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Tip-off is 6 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena with ESPN2 providing live television coverage.

It will be Evanston Night as City of Evanston residents can purchase discounted tickets by using a special City of Evanston promotional code. Plus, fans are encouraged to donate a non-perishable food item to the Food Drive that evening and be entered to win roundtrip airfare compliments of American Airlines.

The Wildcats are aiming to match last year's squad which went 5-1 in the month of November. A win would give NU its first perfect November when playing at least three games. Northwestern's 4-0 start is its first since the 1993-94 season when that squad opened with nine consecutive victories.

Northwestern is coming off a 65-52 home victory over Creighton Sunday night. John Shurna led the way with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists. Michael Thompson contributed 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting. He enters Tuesday night's contest one assist shy of joining Patrick Baldwin (1991-94) as the only players in the school history with 400 career assists.

The 'Cats have won three of their last four matchups in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, including a 65-53 victory at NC State in Raleigh, N.C., a year ago. Overall, Northwestern is 4-7 in the Challenge.

Series History: First meeting. Georgia Tech is one of three ACC teams Northwestern has never met, joining Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

Scouting Georgia Tech
• The Yellow Jackets (4-2) split their two games at the Legends Classic in Atlantic City last weekend, defeating UTEP 71-61 before falling to No. 9/10 Syracuse 80-76.
• Sophomore Brian Oliver scored 32 points in the narrow loss to Syracuse and leads Georgia Tech with averages of 15.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Senior Iman Shumpert, a native of Oak Park, Ill., contributes 14.2 points per contest.
• Paul Hewitt is in his 11th season with the Yellow Jackets. He has a 181-146 record at Georgia Tech and a 247-173 mark in 14 years as a head coach.

NU in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Northwestern is 4-7 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, including wins three of the last four years. The Wildcats are 3-2 in Challenge games at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
12/01/99 - Florida State - L, 46-60
11/28/00 - at Clemson - L, 44-57
11/28/01 - Florida State - W, 57-50
12/04/02 - at NC State - L, 49-74
12/01/03 - at Florida State - L, 53-71
12/01/04 - Virginia - L, 44-48
11/30/05 - at Virginia - L, 57-72
11/28/06 - Miami (Fla.) - W, 61-59
11/27/07 - at Virginia - L, 52-94
12/03/08 - Florida State - W, 73-59
12/01/09 - at NC State - W, 65-53

So Far, So Good
With four straight wins to open the season, Northwestern is seeking its first 5-0 start since the 1993-94 campaign. The Wildcats opened that season with nine consecutive victories en route to earning an NIT berth. Northwestern is aiming to match last year's squad which posted a school-record five wins (5-1) in the month of November. A win Tuesday would give NU its first perfect November when playing at least three games.

Thompson Leads the Way
Entering his senior season, Michael Thompson already established himself as one of the top players in program history. Thompson is currently 16th in school history with 1,197 career points and is only six points away from moving into 14th place. He is also second all-time at Northwestern with 399 career assists, just 54 shy of surpassing the record of 452 held by Patrick Baldwin (1991-94). A starter at point guard each of his four 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. He is coming off an 18-point performance vs. Creighton Sunday, shooting 8-of-10 from the field.

Bombs Away!
Northwestern has 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. NU leads the Big Ten with an average of 9.5 3-point makes per game so far this season, with Shurna leading all individuals with 3.5 triples per contest.

Up Next...
Northwestern takes a break for final exams before returning to action Dec. 13 when it hosts Long Island. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

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