Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan
'Cats Clash With Wolverines Wednesday in Ann Arbor
2/23/2016 11:42:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| NORTHWESTERN BASKETBALL: GAME DAY INFORMATION | |||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | BROADCAST | LIVE STATS |
| Wed., Feb. 24 | Michigan | 6 p.m. CT | Crisler Center; Ann Arbor, Mich. | BTN and BTN2GO | GameTracker |
| 720 WGN, Sirius 83, XM 195: Dave Eanet and Joey Meyer BTN: Joe Davis and Jon Crispin Social: Twitter (@NUMensBball and @NU_SportsLIVE) | Instagram (@numensbball) | Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern | Michigan | |||||
WATCH: Coach Collins Preview | A. Olah & T. Demps Preview
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern opens its final fortnight of the regular season Wednesday when it travels to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Central time.
The contest is the Wildcats' third of four consecutive games against Big Ten teams that it is facing only once this season.
Wednesday's matchup features two of the top teams in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. Michigan ranks eighth nationally with a 1.55 mark, while Northwestern is 12th at 1.53. The top three individuals in minutes played per game in conference play will be competing in the contest. Tre Demps is first at 37.3 minutes per game, while Bryant McIntosh is second (36.8) and Derrick Walton Jr. is third (35.9).
Northwestern (17-10, 5-9 B1G) is playing its first game in eight days following a 71-61 loss at then-No. 17/16 Purdue last Tuesday, Feb. 16. Tre Demps led the Wildcats with 16 points while Bryant McIntosh contributed 14. The 'Cats shot 56 percent from the field in the second half and committed only 6 turnovers in the contest, but the Boilermakers attempted 20 more free throws than NU and got 18 points and 12 rebounds from A.J. Hammons.
Center Alex Olah was outstanding in both of last year's meetings with Michigan, averaging 23.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in the two contests while shooting 70 percent from the field (21-30). Olah scored a career-best 25 points in NU's 82-78 double-overtime win on March 3 in Evanston. Michigan held off NU in last year's meeting in Ann Arbor, 56-54, on Jan. 17, 2015.
Scouting Michigan
The Wolverines (19-9, 9-6 B1G) are coming off a tight 86-82 loss at Maryland on Sunday. Mark Donnal led Michigan with 25 points and 5 blocked shots while Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman contributed 16 points and 9 assists. Caris LeVert leads the team with an average of 16.5 points per game but has appeared in only 15 games this season due to injury. Derrick Walton Jr. leads all regulars with averages of 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Michigan ranks first in the Big Ten with an average of 10.2 3-point field goals per game.
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