Nov. 20, 2011
Northwestern (3-0) vs. Seton Hall (3-0))
Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011
TD Arena (5,100)
Charleston, S.C. 7:30 p.m. CT
TV: ESPNU (Justin Kutcher and Jay Williams)
Streaming Video: ESPN3.com
Audio: WGN 720 AM and wgnradio.com (Dave Eanet and Shon Morris)
Live Stats: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern and Seton Hall square off at 7:30 p.m. Central time Sunday in the championship game of the DirecTV Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant. The game is being televised by ESPNU.
NU is looking to improve to 4-0 for the second straight season. A year ago, Northwestern started the season with eight straight wins.
The Wildcats advanced to the championship game by defeating LSU 88-82 before downing Tulsa 69-65. Drew Crawford scored 20 of his 28 points in the first half to help lead NU to Friday's semifinal win. John Shurna contributed 15 points and a team-high six rebounds as the 'Cats enjoyed a 27-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
Northwestern's last in-season tournament victory came two years ago when it defeated No. 23 Notre Dame and Iowa State to win the Chicago Invitational Challenge.
Series History: Northwestern leads, 4-2.
Last Meeting: The Wildcats posted a 44-42 win over the Pirates Dec. 18, 2005 in East Rutherford, N.J. Mohamed Hachad hit a game-winning layup with four seconds remaining.
SCOUTING SETON HALL
The Pirates (3-0) advanced to the championship game with a 69-54 victory over VCU followed by a 78-70 win over St. Joseph's.
Senior point guard Jordan Theodore leads Seton Hall with an average of 21.0 points per game, while senior forward Herb Pope is averaging a double-double with 19.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per contest.
Kevin Williard is in his second season as the head coach at Seton Hall. He was previously the head coach at Iona for three seasons.
SHURNA'S SCORING SPREE
John Shurna's 37 points in the win over LSU Nov. 17 marked a career high for the senior forward. The total marks a tie for the most by a NU player in Bill Carmody's 12 years as head coach, matching Kevin Coble's effort against 15th-ranked Indiana Feb. 23, 2008. It ranks as a tie for the eighth-best scoring performance in school history. Shurna's previous career high was 31 points, achieved three times, including most recently at Northern Illinois Nov. 12, 2010.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
The Wildcats have some big shoes to fill in the backcourt with the graduation of Michael Thompson. A four-year starter, Thompson completed his career at NU's all-time leader in games played, games started, minutes played and assists, while ranking third all-time in scoring. Freshman Dave Sobolewski has stepped in valiantly in his stead. Through three games, all starts, Sobolewski is averaging 8.3 points and 4.0 assists per game. He has a 6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, handing out 12 assists with just two miscues in 102 minutes of action. In a one-point game with LSU Nov. 17, Sobolewski hit a clutch 3-pointer with 28 seconds remaining to seal the win. The following day with NU leading Tulsa by three in the final minute, he came up with a key steal to help ice another victory for the Wildcats.
HEARN STEPS IN
With key returners JerShon Cobb, Alex Marcotullio and Drew Crawford battling early-season injuries, junior guard/forward Reggie Hearn got the starting nod in NU's season-opener and the two games since. Making his first collegiate start, the former walk-on posted a stellar all-around performance vs. UTPA Nov. 11. In 28 minutes of playing time, Hearn posted seven points and career highs of five rebounds, four assists and three steals as well as a blocked shot.
COMEBACK 'CATS
The Wildcats defeated LSU Nov. 17 despite trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half. It is the largest deficit NU has overcome to win a game since rallying back from 17 down in a 68-62 victory at Michigan Jan. 10, 2010.
SHURNA EARNS PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Senior forward John Shurna has been named a second-team preseason All-American by Sporting News and a third-team choice of Athlon Sports. He has also been named to the watch list for both the Wooden Award and Naismith Award for the second consecutive season. Shurna averaged a team-best 16.6 points per game to go along with 4.9 rebounds per contest in 2010-11 as he was named a third-team All-Big Ten selection. He was also a second-team all-conference pick as a sophomore. The last NU player to earn three career All-Big Ten laurels was Evan Eschmeyer who was a first-team honoree in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS
Northwestern is coming off its third straight postseason appearance--a program best--advancing to the NIT quarterfinal round before falling 69-66 at Washington State in overtime. The Wildcats have posted a school-record 20 wins in each of the last two seasons. This year's senior class has posted 57 wins over the last three campaigns, just eight shy of the school record of 65 set by last year's class.
SHOOTING FOR THE TOP
Northwestern's scoring record of 1,900 career points has stood since 1977 when Billy McKinney completed his collegiate eligibility. John Shurna is currently ninth place on NU's career scoring list with 1,444 career points, 456 shy of McKinney's top spot. Shurna scored a school single-season record 619 points as a sophomore and 531 points last season as a junior.
HELPING HAND
Northwestern is well known for playing "team" offense and that's reflected in the statistics. The Wildcats have a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio this season after ranking second in the nation to only Wisconsin with a 1.7 mark a year ago. NU boasts a +9.0 turnover margin, forcing 17.3 turnovers per game, while committing just 8.3 per contest. NU enjoys a commanding 66-18 edge in points off turnovers through three games. The 'Cats finished third nationally with an average of only 9.9 turnovers per game during the 2010-11 season.
STARTING FAST
In each of the last two seasons, Northwestern started its campaign with at least nine wins in its first 11 games. In 2009-10, NU opened 10-1 en route to earning a No. 25 national ranking. Prior to that season, the Wildcats last posted nine wins in their first 11 contests in the 1993-94 campaign. Each of the last two years, the Wildcats have notched a school-record five wins in the month of November. The 2010-11 'Cats finished the program's first undefeated November when playing at least three games. NU has won 14 of its last 15 games in the month of November.
UP NEXT...
Northwestern returns home to square off with Stony Brook at noon Friday.
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