Sunday, December 8
West Lafayette, Ind.
4 P.M.
Northwestern
at
Purdue
Northwestern Set to Open Big Ten Play at Purdue
12/7/2019 1:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
| NORTHWESTERN MEN'S BASKETBALL: GAMEDAY INFORMATION | |||||
| DATE | Opponent | TIME | LOCATION | Live Stats | Live Stream |
| Sunday, Dec. 7 | Purdue | 4 p.m. CT | West Lafayette, IN. (Mackey Arena) |
Live Stats | BTN |
| Radio: ESPN 1000 | Social: Twitter (@NUMensBball) | Instagram (@NUMensBball) Game Notes |
|||||
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern will begin its Big Ten slate with a road matchup at Purdue on Sunday at 4 P.M. CT. The opener will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network and can be heard on ESPN 1000 radio.
The Wildcats are coming off an emphatic 82-64 road win over Boston College in the B1G/ACC Challenge. Sophomore Miller Kopp and first-year Boo Buie each scored a career-high 20 points to lead the 'Cats. Ryan Young also finished in double-figures with 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting.
Northwestern used a 16-0 run late in the first half to take a double-digit lead that they would never relinquish.
The last time the 'Cats traveled to West Lafayette in 2017, the Boilermakers scraped by with a narrow 74-69 victory.
STORYLINES
Free Throw Frenzy: Northwestern has made it a priority to get to the line this season. The Wildcats enter Wednesday's contest with a 79.6% mark at the charity stripe, which ranks first in the Big Ten and eighth nationally. First-year Ryan Young has made a team-leading 23 free throws while fellow newcomer Boo Buie is a perfect 16-for-16 from the line. Pete Nance is also shooting an impressive 88.2% and Anthony Gaines owns an 83.3% mark.
Great on the Glass: The Wildcats rebounding effort was key in their win at Boston College. The 'Cats outboarded the Eagles 38 to 21, their largest rebounding advantage of the season. Pete Nance led all players with six boards, helping him move to fifth in the Big Ten with 6.86 defensive rebounds per game. Ryan Young leads NU on the offensive glass, gaining the 'Cats nearly three second-chance opportunities per game.
Do You Believe in Ghosts?: Newcomer Boo Buie has stepped up in a big way off the bench over the past few games. The guard scored a career-high 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting in the victory over Boston College, breaking his best of 16 points set in the previous game against Pittsburgh. With the pair of breakout performances, Buie became the first Northwestern player to come off the bench and have back-to-back 15-point performances since Gavin Skelly in 2016 and the first NU rookie to score 20 points in a game since Aaron Falzone did versus Minnesota (2016).
QUOTABLES
"There's no question that when you get into the conference, there's a different level of intensity, a different level of focus. All the games are important, but when you get to the Big Ten there's a little extra importance and motivation."
- Sullivan-Ubben Men's Head Coach Chris Collins on going on the road
"We're fired up. We started out a little slow, but we're a new team, we knew we were going to have some struggles early on and we're not going to hang our head on those. We like where we're at as a team, we have a lot of different pieces that can contribute and we're going to move forward one game at a time. We're fired up."
- Graduate Transfer Pat Spencer on the team's mindset heading into Big Ten play
"There's a real culture of work. Guys like to be in the gym, they like to push each other and compete in practice. We practice hard. To me when you have those things, you can't help but to get better."
- Collins on the work ethic of the team
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballNorthwestern Men's Basketball Cooking Competition
Sunday, July 20
GRITTY AS IT GETS: Brooks Barnhizer Supercut 🎥
Thursday, June 26
Men's Basketball - Chris Collins on B1G Today
Tuesday, April 08
Men's Basketball - Wisconsin Postgame Press Conference (3/13/25)
Thursday, March 13
