Game 8: North Carolina A&T @ Northwestern Wildcats

The Matchup: North Carolina A&T (4-5) @ Northwestern (6-1)

Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)

TV: www.bigtennetwork.com for $2.99 @ 4:00 PM on December 13th
Radio: WGN 720 AM

Fun Fact: Three of North Carolina A&T’s 4 four assistant coaches went to North Carolina A&T. That’s impressive loyalty in hiring.

About the Game
Both these teams enter this contest after a fairly long break. Northwestern last played on December 1st and North Carolina A&T on December 5th. Looking at past schedules, I think the reason NU didn’t play a game after the Big Ten/ACC Challenge is that spot on the schedule was previously occupied by DePaul who decided not play NU this season. The Wildcats will play the Blue Demons next year.

Getting back to N.C. A&T, this is a game NU will obviously be a big favorite in; however, it might be a little tougher than expected. NU’s big advantage will likely come in the front court. N.C. A&T’s two tallest players are both 6-9. I will say, however, they both have some size. Senior James Porter is 240 pounds and junior Thomas Coleman is 235 pounds. One of the two will likely get the assignment of stopping John Shurna. Given that Coleman has started eight games and Porter only one I’d think Coleman will get the call. What is impressive about Coleman is he grabs 8.9 rebounds per game and scores 9.1 points. Basically, he’s just a point and rebound away from averaging a double-double. The other player on N.C. A&T’s roster with very impressive numbers is Dwane Joshua. The 6-2 senior guard leads his team in scoring (16.7 ppg) and hits 40.8% of his threes. Actually N.C. A&T is famous (or becoming famous for taking threes). They currently have 278 three point attempts this year. That’s 48% of the team’s shots. On percentage they aren’t great coming in at 30.9%, but based on sheer volume they can do some damage. This might not be a team Bill Carmody wants to use the 1-3-1 against unless they appear very cold. If N.C. A&T is cold, then the 1-3-1 makes sense as the Aggies clearly aren’t afraid to shoot threes even if they aren’t going in the basket. Guard Tavarus Alston is second on N.C. A&T with 15.1 ppg, but despite taking 53 threes already he has only made 26.4%. Still, he’s clearly not afraid to shoot.

Prediction:
N.C. A&T has four players who average double figures, but the team only averages 74.3 ppg which means those four players along with Coleman’s 9.1 ppg account for most of the team’s scoring. The team also isn’t filled with great rebounders outside of Coleman and Porter who averages over 5 rebounds a game in less than 20 minutes. When you factor in the fact N.C. A&T has 9 freshman or sophomores on the roster it looks like this could be a cake walk for NU. Young players who play NU traditionally don’t excel against the Princeton Offense. However, NU has been traditionally lethargic after exams and I’m worried the 1-3-1 will allow N.C. A&T to make more open shots than expected. I think this game will relatively close for a time. Northwestern, 68 N.C. A&T, 55

News and Notes: A reader let me in on an interesting note on a name from NU's past. Former Wildcat guard Rex Walters (who left NU for Kansas because it was closer to his home in California) will be back in the Chicago area this weekend coaching the University of San Francisco against Loyola. When you look at some of the players who transferred out of NU under Foster, Byrdsong, and O'Neill you could probably form an all-star team. The fact NU has had stability in terms of players sticking with the program is another positive sign of NU’s momentum forward in recent years.

Details on Football Season Ticket Holder Event Before Sunday’s Game

A lot of people don't seem to know about NU’s football season ticket holder event on Sunday so just going to post the e-mail sent to season ticket holders and do my part. Also, I want say something positive as I think the event is a good idea to lure football fans to Welsh-Ryan. Still, it seems like it should have been better promoted beyond just e-mails. I do like how Coach Fitz adds his name to the invite.

The Text of the e-mail reads:

Dean Wildcat Fans,

Thank you for your incredible support as a 2009 Wildcat Football Season Ticket Holder. We hope you can join us for the Fan Appreciation Party before the Wildcat Men's Basketball game on Sunday, December 13 from 2:30 pm - 4 pm in the N Club on the second floor of Welsh-Ryan Arena. Please let Tracie Hitz know if you plan to attend by sending an e-mail to t-hitz@northwestern.edu by Friday, December 11.

If you would like to stay for the Men's Basketball game that day at 4 p.m., you can either redeem in advance the complimentary basketball ticket coupon you received as part of the full football season ticket package, or you can purchase tickets for only $20 on the day of the game. Plus, it's Kids Come Free Day, so one paid ticket gets two kids in the 8th grade and under in FREE. There is no charge to attend the Fan Appreciation Party.

Go 'Cats!

Tracie Hitz and Coach Fitz

NU Hosting Football Season Ticket Holder Event Before N.C. A&T Game

Northwestern is hosting an event for football season ticket holders before the game Sunday against North Carolina A&T. I think this is a great idea and I’m hopefully it will generate some return customers from football fans who don’t traditionally show up for basketball games. I know people aren’t impressed with NU’s 22,000 fans for football, but when you consider that getting 4,000 people to a non-conference basketball game is a victory, 22,000 looks pretty good. While I realize there are reasons some football season ticket holders don’t come to basketball (i.e. a 2 hour drive is easier to make on a Saturday or Friday night than a random Tuesday) the fact is I’d be confident in betting there are at least 2,000 NU football season ticket holders in Chicago who aren’t basketball season ticket holders. This is a group NU needs to target. If you add those 2,000 fans to the 3,500-4,000 that show up regularly at Welsh-Ryan it would mean that NU could have close ¾ of the Welsh-Ryan full every game. That would be an impressive total for Northwestern. Therefore, I encourage anyone who reads this to encourage any football season ticket holders they know who aren’t regulars at Welsh-Ryan to attend the event Sunday and stick around for the game. Hopefully, they’ll find reason to return.

Also, remember the game on December 16th versus North Florida will be on ESPNU. Without the students Welsh-Ryan make look pretty dead on national TV (and it’s a lot more national now with ESPNU’s increased distribution) therefore let’s try to get as many as possible out to that contest as well.If NU is smart they'll fill the seats behind the baskets with people who they move for the lower level or make the night a group night and have the groups sit in the student section.