INSIDE THE NUMBERS

2000-01 record: 16-13; 7-9 in Big Ten (7th) Postseason: None. Last NCAA appearance was in 1998. RETURNING LEADERS Points: Blake 13.6 Rebs: Blake 4.2 Assists: Burke 1.8 FG: Vukusic 51.1% 3pt: Vukusic 46.9% FT: Jennings 80.6% 01-02 Stats: Northwestern | Big Ten KEY LOSSES Tavaras Hardy | 12.3 ppg Collier Drayton | 4.0 ppg PROJECTED STARTERS G | Jitim Young | Junior G | T.J. Parker | Fresh C | Vedran Vekusic | Soph F | Jason Burke | Senior F | Winston Blake | Senior Player to Watch Jitim Young Junior Guard Get this: Carmody wants more offense from his defensive stalwart. DATE TO REMEMBER Dec. 4 On a non-conference schedule that features teams such as New Hampshire, Fordham and Buffalo, the Big Ten/ACC Challenge game at North Carolina State is a big one for the 'Cats. A victory over the Wolfpack would give Northwestern a quality victory that could help come March. .

 

NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS

So just where did the Mildcats go? A game against Northwestern used to be a virtual lock victory for the rest of the Big Ten. That ain't the case any longer. When Northwestern coach Bill Carmody arrived from Princeton, there were people who didn't think the slow-paced spread offense would consistently work. Sure it worked in the Ivy League and against bigger teams that didn't see it on a regular basis. But would it work on a regular basis in the Big Ten? It appears as if it might. The Wildcats were no fun to play a year ago when they went 16-13 overall and 7-9 in the Big Ten. Northwestern, a team that deserved to play in the NIT, but was snubbed, defeated Michigan State and Wisconsin a year ago. While the Wildcats lost Tavarus Hardy, Northwestern has a chance to be improved this season. Guard Jitim Young, forward Winston Blake and center Aaron Jennings all return along with Vedran Vukusic, a talented Croatian forward who was injured most of last season, and Jason Burke. That gives Carmody a core of players who understand his system, something that should help. Freshman guard T.J. Parker -- the younger brother of San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker -- is expected to bring some more pace to the 'Cats.

TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
The thing that sometimes gets overlooked on Carmody's teams is defense. Everybody wants to talk about how difficult the Princeton offense is to defend, but the Wildcats were able to stay in a lot of games because they led the Big Ten and were fifth nationally in scoring defense (59.1 points per game). That emphasis on defense certainly won't change this year.

TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
These 'Cats are a bit on smallish side and because of that, rebounding is a concern. A year ago, Northwestern gave up more than five more rebounds more per game than they grabbed. In conference games, that was only exaggerated as opponents grabbed more than seven more rebounds per game than Northwestern. That is something that has to be improved if Northwestern wants to be improved.

BOTTOM LINE..............................
The long suffering Northwestern program in the only Big Ten school that hasn't ever played in the NCAA tournament. Could that change this season? Maybe. While the Wildcats should be better and are difficult to play, Northwestern is a likely NIT team. However, a winning record in the Big Ten isn't out of the question.