Tournament Notes (PDF Format)
Download Free Acrobat Reader
March 9, 2006 - 11 a.m./Noon EST
No. 9 Northwestern (14-14, 6-10 Big Ten)
vs. No. 8 Penn State (14-13, 6-10 Big Ten)
Conseco Fieldhouse (18,345)
Indianapolis, Ind.
The Broadcasts
Radio--WGN 720 AM
(Dave Eanet, play-by-play; Dave Kaplan analyst)
Television--ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Regional will broadcast Thursday and Friday action; CBS will broadcast Saturday's semifinals and Sunday's championship game.
EVANSTON, Ill. - Throw all the records and previous results out the window-its Big Ten Tournament time. A time when teams are given one last more chance to make their NCAA Tournament dreams a reality. The Wildcats, who have won their first round game the last three years, take on eighth-seeded Penn State Thursday at Noon on ESPN2.
Northwestern needs at least one more win to keep its NIT chances alive and two to solidify their chances and guarantee a winning record. If the Wildcats get past the Nittany Lions they will face top-seeded Ohio State-a team NU has come close to knocking off twice this season, including a last second loss in Evanston on March 1.
Northwestern has history-and the Big Ten's leading scorer in Vedran Vukusic (19.4 ppg)-on its side, winning its first round game in each of the past three seasons. The Wildcats have never advanced past the quarterfinal round, but came close in 1999 when they fell to top-seeded Michigan State 61-59 in Chicago.
Wildcats at the Big Ten Tourney
NU is 4-8 all-time at the Big Ten Tournament, including a win in each of the last three years.
NU is 2-0 all-time against Penn State at the Big Ten Tournament.
NU is 1-2 all-time at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.
A win Thursday would give NU its fourth straight opening round win in the Big Ten Tournament.
NU has never advanced past the quarterfinal round.
1998 (Chicago)
#8 Minnesota vs. #9 Northwestern L, 56-64
1999 (Chicago)
#8 Northwestern vs. #9 Penn State W, 54-44
#1 Michigan State vs. # Northwestern L, 59-61
2000 (Chicago)
#6 Wisconsin vs. #11 Northwestern L, 41-51
2001 (Chicago)
#6 Iowa vs. #11 Northwestern L, 55-72
2002 (Indianapolis)
#10 Michigan vs. #7 Northwestern L, 51-72
2003 (Chicago)
#10 Northwestern vs. #7 Minnesota W, 76-64
#2 Illinois vs. #10 Northwestern L, 65-94
2004 (Indianapolis)
#6 Northwestern vs. #11 Penn State W, 57-52
#3 Michigan State vs. #6 Northwestern L, 55-68
2005 (Chicago)
#8 Northwestern vs. #9 Michigan W, 58-56
#1 Illinois vs. #8 Northwestern L, 51-68
Last Time vs. Penn State
Feb. 25, 2006 • State College, Pa.
Penn State 68, NU 55
Despite a career-high 18 points from senior Evan Seacat, the Northwestern Wildcats fell to the Penn State Nittany Lions, 68-55. The loss puts the Wildcats at 13-13 with two home games remaining against Ohio State and Minnesota before the Big Ten Tournament in two weeks. After trailing by as much as 16 early in the second, the Wildcats countered with Seacat who hit a career-high six 3-pointers-all in the second half-to pull the Wildcats within striking distance. After Seacat's fourth 3-pointer pulled NU within 49-43, PSU's Mike Walker countered with nine straight points to fuel an 18-5 run that put the game out of reach. Penn State scored 20 points from the free throw line (20-of-26), while Northwestern (13-13, 5-9) missed all three of its foul shots. Penn State also got 11 points from Jamelle Cornley. Vedran Vukusic chipped in 15 for Northwestern and Tim Doyle added nine. Penn State used its advantage in foul shots to pull away early, shooting 13-of-15 in the first half for a 35-25 lead at halftime.
For the complete release click the link above
