Recently in Northwestern Category

Northwestern gunning for third straight win over Purdue

March 12, 2010 3:58 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

INDIANAPOLIS -- That headline might seem unlikely, but it's true.

Northwestern stunned the then-17th ranked Boilermakers last March in West Lafayette 64-61 and stormed the Welsh-Ryan floor Jan. 16 after thumping Purdue 72-64 on Jan. 16. In that game, Robbie Hummel scored 20 points.

Hummel is now out with a knee injury, so you can see why NU fans should take some optimism into this Big Ten tournament quarterfinal game, which tips at 5:30. The winner takes on the survivor of the Michigan State-Minnesota game.

Get the full story: Northwestern gunning for third straight win over Purdue.

Scout: Northwestern's Kafka impresses at pro day

March 12, 2010 11:58 AM | 1 Comment
mikekafkacombine.jpgStaff report

Quarterback Mike Kafka impressed at least one former NFL scout during Northwestern's pro day on Thursday.

Gil Brandt, the longtime Dallas Cowboys personnel director who now writes for NFL.com, writes in his blog that Kafka followed up his "sensational" performance at last month's NFL combine with another solid workout in front of scouts from 25 teams.

Kafka threw to former Northwestern receivers Zeke Markshausen and Andrew Brewer and, according to one scout, missed only one throw.

Get the full story: nfl.com

Photo: Mike Kafka works out at the NFL combine in Indianapolis last month. (Scott Boehn/Getty)
Categories:
Tags:

Northwestern readies for Purdue

March 11, 2010 8:00 PM | No Comments

Remarkable turnaround rescues Northwestern

March 11, 2010 5:58 PM | 1 Comment
nu-nash-bigten.jpgBy Teddy Greenstein

Michael "Juice" Thompson refused to let Northwestern lose in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.

Thompson drilled three 3-pointers in a short stretch late in the second half to push the Wildcats to a stunning 73-58 comeback victory over Indiana.

The Hoosiers led 43-36, thrilling the majority of fans at Conseco Fieldhouse, before the Wildcats stormed back for their 20th victory of the season.

Photo: Jeremy Nash celebrates a play with guard Michael Thompson. (Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)
Get the full story: Remarkable turnaround rescues Northwestern .

Struggling Northwestern trails 30-27 at the half

March 11, 2010 4:49 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

INDIANAPOLIS -- It's something of a miracle that Northwestern is within a 3-point basket of Indiana.

The Wildcats missed 16 of 18 from the 3-point line in the first half, but have done enough defensively to trail just just 30-27.

Northwestern got a fortunate break at the buzzer. Alex Marcotullio flung a desperation 3-point try that was so far off the mark, John Shurna tapped it home for a deuce at the buzzer.
Get the full story: Struggling Northwestern trails 30-27 at the half.

Northwestern faces Indiana with NIT bid on line

March 11, 2010 3:56 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

Northwestern has three clear motivations to beat Indiana in the first round of the Big Ten tournament: 1) the opportunity to face Purdue in the quarterfinals; 2) a 20-victory season; 3) to boost its chances of earning a berth in the NIT.

The strong feeling among those around the program is that the Wildcats will not get an NIT bid without beating the Hoosiers, who enter 10-20 but beat Northwestern on Saturday in Bloomington.

A key to watch for: Hoosers freshman guard Jordan Hulls. When these teams met in Evanston on Feb. 7, Hulls didn't make a single 3-pointer in 21 minutes.

In Bloomington, he made 8 treys in Indiana's 8-point overtime victory.

Big Ten Network makes expansion more likely

March 9, 2010 5:36 PM | 1 Comment
By Teddy Greenstein

A recent series by David Jones of the Patriot-News in Pennsylvania draw three conclusions regarding Big Ten expansion: 1) The Big Ten Network makes beefing up the league more likely than in previous years; 2) Rutgers remains the Big Ten's most intriguing candidate; and 3) Pitt would do little or nothing to extend the conference footprint.

Check out the stories here, here and here.

NIT chief: Northwestern no lock for tournament

March 9, 2010 4:20 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

A few weeks after flirting with the NCAA tournament bubble, the Wildcats might need to win their first-round game in the Big Ten tournament to nail down an NIT bid. Or a victory over Indiana on Thursday might not even be enough.

"They're certainly on the NIT radar," NIT selection committee chairman C.M. Newton told the Tribune on Tuesday, "but they're not a lock. We don't know yet who they're going to be compared to."

In other words, the Wildcats' fate could be determined by how many small-conference teams make the NCAA tournament field, pushing bubble teams to the 32-team NIT.

Last year Northwestern earned an NIT bid (losing at Tulsa in the first round) after a 17-13 season and an RPI of 78 after going 8-10 in the rugged Big Ten. This Wildcat team has an RPI of 117 that would take another hit if the Wildcats can't beat 10-20 Indiana.
Get the full story: NIT chief: Northwestern no lock for tournament.

Illinois' McCamey named 1st-team All Big Ten

March 8, 2010 7:35 PM | 1 Comment
By Chris Hine

Illinois' Demetri McCamey was named first team All Big Ten Monday by conference coaches and media members, while Northwestern's John Shurna was named to the second team.

Ohio State's Evan Turner was named the player of the year. Illinois guard D.J. Richardson was named freshman of the year by the coaches; the media selected Northwestern's Drew Crawford, who was also a conference honorable mention by the media.

Purdue's Matt Painter was the coach's selection for coach of the year; Ohio State's Thad Matta was the media pick.

Get the full story: Illinois' McCamey named 1st-team All Big Ten.

Big Ten men's tournament bracket set

March 7, 2010 8:12 PM | 1 Comment

By Chris Hine

With the conclusion of Big Ten play on Sunday, the matchups are set for the Big Ten tournament, which begins Thursday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. All times are CT.

See the full bracket here.

bigtenpurduechamps.jpg

Photo: Last season, it was Purdue and Robbie Hummel celebrating the Big Ten title in Indianapolis. (Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)

Get the full story: Big Ten men's tournament bracket set.

Northwestern lacrosse ups win streaks to 33, 55

March 6, 2010 3:05 PM | 1 Comment
By Philip Hersh

In the 2010 home opener at Lakeside Field, where it has not lost since 2004, the Northwestern women's lacrosse team used a four-goal burst early in the second half to beat stubborn Georgetown 15-0.

The top-ranked Wildcats (4-0) now have won 55 straight home games and 33 straight overall.

No. 5 Georgetown (3-1) simply wouldn't go away even after the four goals in the first three minutes after intermission gave Northwestern what seemed a comfortable, six-goal margin in a foul-plagued (70 fouls) match.
Get the full story: Northwestern lacrosse ups win streaks to 33, 55 .

Northwestern falls to Indiana in overtime, 88-80

March 6, 2010 1:24 PM | 1 Comment
northwesternindiana.jpgBy Teddy Greenstein

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The good news: Northwestern outscored Indiana 8-0 in the final three minutes of regulation to force overtime.

The bad: The Hoosiers opened up a can on Northwestern in overtime, scoring 19 points in five minutes to pull out the 88-80 victory and deny the Wildcats of win No. 20

Northwestern (19-12, 7-11 Big Ten) dropped to either the seventh or eighth seed in next week's Big Ten Tournament.

If Michigan State beats Michigan on Sunday in East Lansing, Northwestern gets the seventh seed and will have a rematch with Indiana. If the Wolverines win, the Wildcats will play Iowa in the 8/9 game.
Get the full story: Northwestern falls to Indiana in overtime, 88-80.

Lousy shooting leaves NU in 34-28 halftime hole

March 6, 2010 11:53 AM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- If only the ghost of "Hoosiers" legend Jimmy Chitwood could rub off on Northwestern, which missed countless open looks in the first half at Indiana and trails 34-28.

The Wildcats shot just 11-for-28 (39.3 percent) against the Hoosiers, the Big Ten's worst defensive team. They missed 13 of 16 3-point tries, "led" by Michael "Juice" Thompson (1-for-6), Jeremy Nash (0-for-2) and a seemingly worn-down Drew Crawford (0-for-2).

Both Thompson and Nash fired airballs from 3-point land, thrilling the robust student section here.

John Shurna scored NU's first seven points and leads all with 12.

This would be a somewhat embarrassing loss for Northwestern, considering Indiana has lost 11 straight.

Northwestern seeks win No. 20 at Indiana

March 6, 2010 10:29 AM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- It's Senior Day here, but don't feel bad if you can't name any of Indiana's four most veteran players.

Three of them rarely play. The fourth is Devan Dumes, who is averaging 6.9 points per game in 18.3 minutes.

Indiana enters this game having lost 11 straight -- and three in a row to Northwestern. The Hoosiers rank last in the Big Ten in scoring defense (71.1 points per game) and rebounding defense.

The Wildcats would love to win this game because it would give them a program-record 20 victories, plus back-to-back season sweeps over the former kings of the Big Ten.

Northwestern (19-11, 7-10 Big Ten) could use a boost from Drew Crawford, who has scored just 20 points over his last five games. Crawford appears to have gotten worn down by injuries and a long freshman season.

Northwestern drubs Chicago State

March 3, 2010 8:59 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

nucs.jpgA freshman stole the show on Senior Night.

Alex Marcotullio, who had not scored more than seven points in a game since Jan. 2, had 15 in Northwestern's 72-49 victory over Chicago State.

Marcotullio, who was a key factor in NU's early-season success, nailed 5 of 7 attempts from 3-point land.

John Shurna scored a game-high 16 points for Northwestern, which improved to 19-11. Those 19 victories are the most in school history.

Senior Jeremy Nash shook off a slow start to finish with seven points and four steals.

Photo: Northwestern's Luka Mirkovic pressures Chicago State's Kabangu Tshinga Kasambra. (Charles Cherney/AP)

Late surge gives Northwestern 37-27 lead over Chicago State

March 3, 2010 7:59 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

It finally felt like Senior Night with about four minutes to go in the first half. That's when Jeremy Nash, the lone Northwestern senior in coach Bill Carmody's rotation, threw down an emphatic dunk for his first two points.

John Shurna made the moment possible by passing to Nash as he hustled for a loose ball, crashing into some laptops on press row.

That play seemed to spark the Wildcats, who ended the first half on a 10-2 run to take a 37-27 lead into the break over Chicago State.

Michael "Juice" Thompson leads Northwestern with 10 points. John Shurna has seven.

NU seniors out to tie milestone for career wins

March 3, 2010 6:15 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

It will be Senior Night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, as Northwestern honors starter Jeremy Nash and walk-on Matt Steger in pregame ceremonies Wednesday. The duo enters one win shy of tying the 2005 class record for most career wins with 57.

They should get it against a Chicago State team that is 8-21. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (WIND-AM 560).

NU coach Bill Carmody has another goal in mind: Use the game to build momentum for the regular-season finale at Indiana on Saturday and next week's Big Ten Tournament.
Get the full story: NU seniors out to tie milestone for career wins.

Northwestern's McManis doesn't run at combine

March 2, 2010 6:30 PM | No Comments
By Vaughn McClure

While the buzz from Tuesday's NFL scouting combine surrounded USC safety Taylor Mays running an unofficial 4.24 in the 40 (a time that officially turned out to be 4.43), Northwestern cornerback Sherrick McManis didn't get a chance to create a stir with an impressive 40.

McManis didn't run, as planned, while he continues to recover from a tweaked hamstring suffered at the East-West Shrine game. Jack Bechta, McManis' agent, said his client will run the 40 at Northwestern's second pro day, March 29.

Here's what McManis had to say about the combine experience:

Northwestern loses to Penn State again

February 28, 2010 1:38 PM | No Comments

Tribune News Services

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Talor Battle backpedaled and smiled after his layup attempt rolled off the rim and into the hands of a Northwestern defender.

Even the late miss couldn't get him down with his team up 20. The star point guard had 16 points, six rebounds and six assists and hot-shooting Penn State easily exploited the Wildcats in a 79-60 victory.

Jeff Brooks added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Nittany Lions (11-17, 3-13 Big Ten), who shot 57 percent for the game and 68 percent in the first half, to secure its fourth straight victory over Northwestern.

Michael Thompson had 21 points for the Wildcats (18-11, 7-10), whose already faint hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament were all but extinguished after a second loss this season to the conference's last-place team.


Get the full story: Northwestern loses to Penn State again.

Northwestern cruises to 74-57 victory

February 25, 2010 7:58 PM | No Comments
shurnaiowa.jpgBy Teddy Greenstein

Northwestern blows out teams so rarely, you can almost understand why the Wildcats played so erratically in the final 11 minutes Thursday night.

Not that it mattered.

After cruising to a 25-point lead over Iowa, the Wildcats did enough to earn an easy 74-57 victory that improved their record to 18-10 and 7-9 in the Big Ten.

John Shurna led the way with 29 points on 10-for-14 shooting. Jeremy Nash (15 points) also played well, and center Luka Mirkovic grabbed six boards to go with his 12 points.

Northwestern shot 58.3 percent for the game.

Photo: Northwestern's John Shurna shoots over Iowa's Brennan Cougill. (AP / Nam Y. Huh)

Northwestern up 20 on Iowa

February 25, 2010 6:48 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

Everyone in the gym must be wondering the same thing: How on God's green Earth did Northwestern lose to this Iowa team two weeks ago?

That's how lopsided the first half was at Welsh-Ryan Arena, where the Wildcats took a 39-19 lead into the locker room.

Northwestern shot 68 percent (17 for 25) in the first half, thanks largely to the scoring machine that is John Shurna. He scored 18, draining 3 of 4 from 3-point land.

The Wildcats built their lead to 31-11 on a Luka Mirkovic offensive rebound and subsequent layup.

Northwestern aims to avoid season sweep by Iowa

February 25, 2010 5:49 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

It will be interesting to see if Northwestern learned from its loss Sunday at Wisconsin -- and its ugly defeat at Iowa two weeks ago.

The lessons are clear.

At Wisconsin, the Badgers drilled NU's passive defense by nailing 15 of 20 first-half field goal attempts. Only after the Wildcats extended their 1-3-1 zone did Wisconsin struggle to score.

At Iowa, Northwestern fell victim to the Hawkeyes' two-man game. Said NU coach Bill Carmody: "What we have to do is handle their pick-and-rolls, their pick-and-pops and their slips-and-screens. For the most part, all of their guys can pass, dribble and shoot the ball."

The Wildcats look to improve to 18-10 against the Hawkeyes (9-18). Tip is set for just after 6 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

NU's Wootton will draw attention at combine

February 23, 2010 1:18 PM | No Comments
By Brad Biggs

NFL personnel are interested to get a look at Northwestern's Corey Wootton when the scouting combine gets going in Indianapolis later this week.

One national scout said after Wootton's junior season that he was on pace to be a potential top-10 pick in the 2010 draft, but then he tore the ACL in his right knee in the fourth quarter of the Alamo Bowl against Missouri.
Get the full story: NU's Wootton will draw attention at combine.
Categories:
Tags:

Northwestern storms back but loses 70-63

February 21, 2010 3:08 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

MADISON, Wis. -- Midway through the second half, Northwestern looked dead. Down by 14, this figured to be another Wildcats disaster at the Kohl Center.

But Northwestern fought back and cut the lead to one point inside three minutes.

But after a huge loose-ball foul call went against John Shurna and Michael "Juice" Thompson got a layup attempt blocked with about 11 seconds to play, Wisconsin was able to eke out a 70-63 victory.

Northwestern, which surely now needs to win the Big Ten tournament to earn its first NCAA tournament bid, fell to 17-10, 6-9 in the league.

Get the full story here | Game photos

Northwestern trails 43-29

February 21, 2010 1:59 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

MADISON, Wis. -- It was close for a while.

When Michael "Juice" Thompson made two free throws with 4:26 left in the half, Northwestern trailed by just four. But then the Badgers peeled off 10 points in a row and took a 43-29 lead into the break.

Defense has been the problem -- again. Wisconsin made 15 of 21 first-half attempts, including 5 of 10 from behind the 3-point line. After Trevon Hughes hit an unguarded trey off an in-bounds play, NU coach Bill Carmody called a timeout to admonish his players.
Get the full story: Northwestern trails 43-29.

Northwestern hopes to stun Badgers

February 21, 2010 12:59 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

MADISON, Wis. -- The Kohl Center has been a house of horrors for Northwestern since it opened in 1998.

The Wildcats are 0-10 here, and blowouts have been the norm. Since Bo Ryan took over the Badgers, they've won by an average of 19.7 points.

So if the Wildcats -- underdogs by 121/2 -- win today, it will be a huge upset. Not only that, Northwestern (17-9, 6-8 Big Ten) has lost its last two games, both against the bottom rung of the Big Ten: Iowa and Penn State.

Wisconsin is 17-9 and 9-5 in the league. The Badgers need a victory to stay in the Big Ten race.

Penn State stuns Northwestern, 81-70

February 17, 2010 9:38 PM | 1 Comment
nups.jpgBy Teddy Greenstein

Northwestern coach Bill Carmody made no secret about it: He rooted for Penn State to end its Big Ten drought last week.

"I like those guys, I like the staff and I don't want to see them suffer," Carmody said. "And I wanted them to have a win before they played us."

It's now clear why.

Penn State came to Evanston due for a victory, and the Nittany Lions got it done, stunning the Wildcats 81-70 before a subdued crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Get the full story: Penn State stuns Northwestern, 81-70.

Struggling Cats trail Penn State, 36-32

February 17, 2010 8:24 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

Layups and open 3-pointers. Northwestern gave up way too many of both to Penn State in the first half.

And as a result, the Nittany Lions are in position to win their first Big Ten game in 13 tries. They lead 36-32 at the break.

Penn State made 14 of 26 (.538) from the field and 5 of 10 from the 3-point line. This from a team that entered the game shooting 41.5 percent and 32.8 percent from behind the arc in league play.

Michael "Juice" Thompson and John Shurna have scored 10 apiece for Northwestern, which shot 54.2 percent in the half. Offense has not been the problem.

Cats aim to even Big Ten record

February 17, 2010 7:37 PM | No Comments
By Teddy Greenstein

Northwestern will play its latest must-win game tonight, taking on a Penn State team looking for its first Big Ten victory. The Nittany Lions are 8-16 and 0-12 in the league.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, are looking to go to 7-7 in the league. They'll probably need to finish 11-7 in conference play to make a compelling argument for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

The one Penn State player to keep an eye on tonight is guard Talor Battle. Other than the spelling of his first name, everything about Battle is impressive. He leads Penn State in scoring, assists -- and rebounding. Not bad for a man who is listed at 6-feet.

Northwestern gears up for NCAA tourney push

February 15, 2010 10:13 AM | 1 Comment
By Teddy Greenstein

Forget about the whole one-game-at-a-time garbage. Northwestern coach Bill Carmody is looking big-picture.

"We have to make a final push in the final five conference games," he said Monday on the Big Ten's weekly conference call. "And we have to win four of them. I usually say: 'Play one at a time and see where you land' and all that, but clearly at 6-7 in the conference, we have to win almost every game."
Get the full story: Northwestern gears up for NCAA tourney push.
« Northern Illinois | Main Index | Archives | Notre Dame »
ADVERTISEMENT

SPORTS PHOTOS

Buy Cubs single game tickets

BREAKING SPORTS TWEETS

Chicago athletes on Twitter

CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM SPORTS

Recent Comments

BREAKING SPORTS TOOL KIT

NEWSLETTERS AND ALERTS

Bears Newsletter
All Bears news delivered to your mailbox on Friday and Monday mornings. Sign up here.
Chicago Tribune Sports Alerts
When sports news breaks, be the first to know. (To get alerts on a mobile device, text CHISPORTS to 31286.). Sign up here.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

@ChicagoSports on Twitter
Get our updates on Twitter.