The Northwestern Wildcats (21-11, 12-8 Big Ten) have been selected for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 and the second time in the history of the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats are the No. 7 seed in the West Region and will play 10th-seeded Boise State (24-9, 13-5 Mountain West) on Thursday in Sacramento.
Getting selected is a major achievement after a season in which Northwestern exceeded preseason expectations. The Wildcats were supposed to finish in 12th place in the Big Ten, but ended up second to Purdue.
Northwestern has seven Quad 1 victories, including two wins over Indiana, and single wins over Michigan State and Purdue.
While the Wildcats have lost 4 of their last 5 games, they have more depth than the 2017 team. They are 1-point underdogs, but they will find a way to beat Boise State.
Boo Buie
The Wildcats came a long way this year, standing up to its brethren in the Big Ten with a powerful combination of excellent defense and opportunistic offense in late-game situations.
The first player that needs to be discussed is 6-2 senior guard Boo Buie, who has emerged as the leader of this team through his combination of confidence and skills. With Buie on the floor for the Wildcats, the team knows they have a player who will step to the forefront.
The numbers are very impressive as Buie leads the team with an average of 17.1 points per game. It doesn't stop there because Buie will handle the ball with skill throughout the game. He contributes an average of 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Buie may not have the greatest shooting percentage as he connects on 40.2 percent of his shots from the field, but there is a certain confidence that he possesses that has helped the team on an every-night basis.
Chase Audige and the supporting cast
In addition to Buie, Chase Audige is one of the Wildcats' most important players. Audige excels on defense, and he was named the Big Ten's Co-Defensive Player of the Year along with Caleb McConnell of Rutgers.
Audige, a 6-4 guard, averages 13.8 points, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game. As befitting a player who takes home defensive honors, Audige is aggressive and refuses to back down. That skill/attitude helps make Northwestern a team that can survive and advance in the NCAA Tournament.
Guard Ty Berry and forward Robbie Berran are the kind of players that head coach Chris Collins counts on every game to come through with key plays under pressure. Berry averages 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Berran is an instinctive player who averages 7.8 points and 4.7 rebounds. He is quite accurate from the the free-throw line, connecting on 84.8 percent of his free throws.
Center Matthew Nicholson can provide some pop on the interior. While he's not a high scorer, Nicholson averages 6.0 points per game and shoots 58.8 percent from the field.
Boise State
The Broncos are a balanced team that should push Northwestern to the limit. They are led by forward Tyson Degenhart who averages 14.3 points per game and connects on 53.7 percent of his shots from the field.
In addition to Degenhart, guards Max Rice and Marcus Shaver Jr. provide vital support. Rice is averaging 13.9 points and connecting on 41.5 percent of shots from beyond the arc. Shaver is averaging 13.5 points and 74.1 percent of his free throw attempts.
Prediction
Northwestern 62, Boise State 59
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