Northwestern Opens Big Ten Slate at Nebraska Wednesday

12/29/2015 11:47:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By: Nick Brilowski

NORTHWESTERN BASKETBALL: GAME DAY INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	BROADCAST	LIVE STATS
Wed., Dec. 30	Nebraska	3 p.m.	Pinnacle Bank Arena; Lincoln, Neb.	ESPNU and WatchESPN	Huskers.com
720 WGN, Sirius 83, XM 201: Andy Masur and Joey Meyer ESPNU: Jordan Bernfield and Daymeon Fishback Social: Twitter (@NUMensBball and @NU_SportsLIVE) \| Instagram (@numensbball) \| Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern \| Nebraska

WATCH: Collins Media Availability | Players Media Availability

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern lifts the lid on its 2015-16 Big Ten Conference slate Wednesday when it travels to Nebraska. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.

Northwestern enters Wednesday's game having matched its best start to a season in school history. The 1930-31 Wildcats also started 12-1 en route to a 16-1 season and a Big Ten championship.

Northwestern is coming off a 74-59 comeback victory at home over Loyola (Md.) on Sunday. Bryant McIntosh scored a career-high 33 points to go along with 8 assists as the 'Cats fought off a slow start in their nonconference finale. NU trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half and was down 33-22 at halftime, but the 'Cats shot 65.6 percent (21-32) from the field in the second half and scored 52 points to pull away for the win and improve to 12-1.

The victory on Sunday was the team's 13th straight at home, setting a school record. The previous record was 12 in a row from 1933 through 1934. Sunday's win also allowed the Wildcats to tie the school record for regular-season wins against nonconference opponents. This year's team and the 2009-10 squad each posted 12 regular-season victories against non-Big Ten foes.

Northwestern is 1-1 in Big Ten openers under head coach Chris Collins. Last season, the Wildcats defeated Rutgers 51-47 in Piscataway to lift the lid on their conference slate.

The Wildcats earned a season-high 11 votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll. It is the fifth straight week that Northwestern has picked up votes in the poll.

Northwestern ranks third in the nation and first in the Big Ten with a 1.87 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Wildcats have dished out 252 assists while committing only 135 turnovers through their first 12 games. Over the last six games, the mark is an impressive 2.40 (130 assists, 54 turnovers). NU's average of 19.4 assists per game ranks eighth nationally and second in the conference. Bryant McIntosh is averaging 6.8 assists per game to rank 11th in the nation. He has handed out at least eight assists in a game six times this season.

Scouting Nebraska
The Cornhuskers closed out their nonconference season with an 8-5 record following an 81-50 home win over Prairie View A&M last Tuesday, Dec. 22. Shavon Shields and Andrew White III led Nebraska with 19 points apiece. White ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring (17.1 ppg), while Shields is sixth (16.3 ppg). The team leads the conference with an average of 7.8 steals per contest. Tim Miles is in his fourth season as the head coach at Nebraska.

Next Time Out...
Northwestern opens the home portion of its Big Ten season at 8 p.m. Saturday when it takes on fourth-ranked Maryland. Tickets are available at NUsports.com or by calling 888-GO-PURPLE.