North Cook News

Wildcats Look to Extend Winning Streak in Iowa City

Northwestern puts its three-game winning streak on the line when it heads to Iowa to do battle with the Hawkeyes at 8 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Jan. 31. Tuesday night's contest will be broadcast on BTN and WGN Radio 720. Jeff Levering (play-by-play) and Jess Settles (analyst) will call the game on BTN, while Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst) will handle the radio broadcast on WGN Radio 720.

Last time out, the Wildcats took care of business against Minnesota, defeating the Golden Gophers 81-61. After falling behind 11-7 early, Northwestern ripped off an 11-0 run to take the lead for good. Chase Audige led the Wildcats in scoring with 24 points, his sixth game this season with at least 20 points. Boo Buie chipped in 21 points as well, his 14th straight game scoring in double figures. Audige and Buie are the first 'Cats to score 20-plus points in the same game since Audige, Ty Berry, and Pete Nance all did so against Ohio State on January 9, 2022. Saturday's win marked the second-consecutive win by 15 or more points, the first time that Northwestern won back-to-back conference games by 15 or more since 2009-10. 

The Wildcats' 15 wins over their first 20 games this season is their most since 2016-17 (16 wins). NU's 6-3 conference start is also its best since 2016-17 (7-2). The Wildcats 6-3 record gives them sole possession of second place in the Big Ten. With Northwestern's last win over Minnesota, the team also matched its win total from last season (15).

For the second time this season, Northwestern received votes in the AP Top 25. The Wildcats appeared in the receiving votes section of the AP Top 25 Poll that was released on Monday, January 30. Prior to that, the most recent time that Northwestern received votes in the AP Top 25 Poll was on Monday, January 9. The last time that Northwestern was ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll was when the December 28, 2020 poll had NU ranked No. 19.

Tuesday night will mark the 100th career game for Chase Audige. Last week, Audige was one of 15 players named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List. His 2.6 steals per game leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth nationally. The Senior from Coram, N.Y. ranks eighth all-time in Northwestern history with 131 steals in a Northwestern uniform. Audige's 52 steals this season are the most by a Wildcat in a single-season since Jeremy Nash recorded 58 in 2009-10. Audige is one of only two players in the country averaging 15.3+ points and 2.6+ steals per game (Jaelon House, New Mexico).

With eight assists on Saturday, Boo Buie passed Shawn Watts for fourth on the all-time Northwestern assists leaderboard. Buie's 381 career helpers rank fourth all-time in program history. Buie is just the fifth player in program history to record 1,000+ points and 300+ career assists joining Bryant McIntosh (2014-18), Michael Thompson (2008-11), Pat Baldwin (1991-94) and Craig Moore (2006-09).

As a team, the Wildcats rank third in the conference from the free-throw line, shooting 75% from the charity stripe. Boo Buie is 2nd in the Big Ten shooting 89.0% from the free throw stripe, while Chase Audige is 3rd in the league at 86.8%. Robbie Beran is 4th at 83.3%

Iowa leads the all-time series against Northwestern, 123-60. The Hawkeyes have won the last eight meetings overall, as well as the last eight meetings in Iowa City. Northwestern last won in Iowa City 70-66 on March 3, 2012. Chris Collins is 3-12 in his career against Iowa. 

The Hawkeyes enter Tuesday night's tilt 13-8 overall and 5-5 in the Big Ten. Iowa took down Rutgers for the second time this season on Sunday in Iowa City 93-82. Kris Murray posted 24 points to lead the Hawkeyes, while Ahron Ulis chipped in 16. Iowa ranks first in the Big Ten and 20th nationally in scoring offense (81.3). The Hawkeyes are 10-2 inside Carver Hawkeye Arena this season.

Following the trip to Iowa, the 'Cats will return home to take on Michigan on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and heard on WGN Radio 720. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Welsh-Ryan Arena Ticket Office, over the phone by calling (888)-467-8775, or online at this link. 

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