| 2015 Big Ten Tournament | |
| No. 4 Northwestern (22-7, 12-6 B1G) |
|
| Dates | March 4-8 |
| Location | Sears Centre Arena| Hoffman Estates, Ill. |
| Watch Live | Big Ten Network and BTN2Go |
| Listen Live | WNUR - 89.3 FM |
| Preview Interviews | Coach McKeown| N. Coffey|M. Lyon |
| Social Media | @nuwbball  |Northwestern Women's Basketball  |@NUCATS_WBB  |
| Game Notes (PDF) |
Northwestern |
| Buy Tickets | NUsports.com |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern begins its journey through the postseason on Friday, March 6 when it opens play in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament at the Sears Centre in nearby Hoffman Estates, Ill. The Wildcats earned the fourth seed and the two byes that come with finishing in the top four during the regular season.
The 'Cats will play in game No. 8 of the tournament against fifth-seeded Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights defeated the Indiana Hoosiers Thursday, 63-52. NU's first contest will tip off 25 minutes after game No. 7, which is the first of the day on Friday at 11:30 a.m. CST.
WILDCATS EARN ALL-BIG TEN RECOGNITION
Four Northwestern Wildcats were honored Monday when the Big Ten announced its postseason award winners. Sophomore Nia Coffey is an All-Big Ten First Team selection for the second consecutive season, while junior Maggie Lyon earned a third straight All-Big Ten honorable mention. Sophomore point guard Ashley Deary also received All-Big Ten honorable mention, while also earning a spot on the five-member Big Ten All-Defensive Team. All three players were recognized in their respective positions by both the media and the conference's 14 head coaches. Senior guard Karly Roser is this season's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient.
BRING ON THE BIG TEN
Northwestern enters this week's Big Ten Tournament with its highest seed (4) since the 1995 event. The Wildcats lost to No. 5 Indiana that year, 77-75, in the inaugural event before they picked up their first win, an 89-79 triumph over Michigan in 1996 as the seventh seed. The 'Cats have four wins all-time at the Big Ten Tournament, most recently a 53-44 victory against Minnesota in the first round in 2011. That was head coach Joe McKeown's only Big Ten Tournament triumph to date.
20 & 10
With 22 wins to its credit, Northwestern has secured at least 20 victories for the first time in seven years under head coach Joe McKeown. In fact, this is the first season since 1995-96 that the 'Cats have won at least 20 games. Chicago's Big Ten Team has also been successful in conference play this year by earning 12 wins during the regular season. No Northwestern team had won 12 games in the league since the 1992-93 squad registered 13 triumphs in 18 games. The school record for the most wins in a season is 25, which happened in 1978-79, the program's fourth season of existence. The most Big Ten wins ever, 15, also came in 1989-90. That team won the program's first Big Ten Championship.
HISTORICAL POLL PRESENCE
On February 23, Northwestern broke into the Associated Press top-25 poll for the first time since Jan. 29, 1996, at No. 25. Earlier this season, the Wildcats entered the USA Today top-25 coaches poll for the first time ever on Dec. 30, 2014, checking in at No. 25. The highest AP ranking in program history came on Dec. 10, 1990 (No. 6), and the 'Cats have appeared in the final poll twice. Northwestern was ranked No. 13 to conclude the 1989-90 campaign and No. 22 at the end of the 1990-91 season. After a win over No. 20 Rutgers on Thursday, the Wildcats jumped up one spot to No. 24 on Monday. Additionally, the 'Cats are tops among others receiving votes in the coaches poll this week, just six points behind the 25th spot.
SENSATIONAL STREAKS
Before falling at Arizona State on Dec. 21, Northwestern won 10 consecutive games to start the season, marking the program's longest winning streak since Nov. 24-Dec. 18, 1995 (9). To find the last time that the Wildcats won 10 consecutive games prior to 2014-15, you have to go back to the 1989-90 campaign when the squad went unbeaten in 10 contests between Dec. 9 - Jan. 21. That team, under head coach Don Perrelli, won 24 games overall and the program's first Big Ten Championship. The Wildcats also went unbeaten in eight games between Feb. 1 and Feb. 26, marking the first time since the 1979-80 season that the program orchestrated multiple winning streaks of eight games or more. The record for the most consecutive wins in program history is 17 (Jan. 23 - March 8, 1980).
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