BC no challenge for Northwestern
It may have been a road game, but the Wildcats looked more comfortable in Chestnut Hill, Mass., than they did at Welsh-Ryan Arena, rolling over Boston College, 82-64, in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Miller Kopp and Boo Buie led the way for Northwestern with a career-high 20 points each, and also added four rebounds apiece.
Sophomore Jarius Hamilton had 12 points and four rebounds to lead BC.
Northwestern (4-3) started the game strong, with two straight 3-point shots by Miller Kopp. The good shooting continued as the hit 60% from the field in the opening 10 minutes. But four turnovers that led to points for Boston College whittled Northwestern's margin down to 22-20 with 7:46 left in the first half.
BC (4-5) then went cold and NU took advantage by going on a 13-0 run to take control of the game. The Eagles responded with a 7-2 run of their own before NU took a 37-27 lead at the half.
Northwestern shot 56% from the field, including 6 of 11 from beyond the arc and 5 of 6 from the charity stripe.
The Cats shared blows with the Eagles to begin the second half but slowly built their lead to 20, at 62-42 with 9:21 left. But BC responded with a quick 8-0 run in a two-minute span to cut the lead 62-50.
Coach Chris Collins called a timeout to regroup and Boston College never recovered. Buie finished with 11 points in the second half as Northwestern eventually built its lead back to 18 by the buzzer.
Here are our takeaways from Northwestern's first true road game of the season.
NU looks more comfortable on the road: Coming into the game Northwestern shot 45% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line on the road vs. 40% from the field and 22% from long distance at home. That trend was solidified tonight as NU shot 32-55 (58%) from the field and 9-20 (45%) on 3s.
It is sometimes typical of a young team to play better on the road as they feel less pressure. If this trend continues, Northwestern could have an opportunity to spring a couple upsets away from home in Big Ten play this year. For a young team, road wins over quality opponents are the biggest opportunities for growth that will pay off in future seasons, when expectations are greater.
Miller Kopp has found his confidence: During the summer trip through France and Italy, Kopp was Northwestern's best player, winning a tournament MVP award. I was able to watch one of the games on a live stream and he looked more confident than I've ever seen him.
So far this season, Miller has played well, but not to the level we saw in the summer. But tonight was his coming out party as he led the team by hitting deep 3s and contested mid-range jumpers. If he can have performances like this one on a more consistent basis, Northwestern can have a go-to scorer to depend on when they get in their offensive ruts.
Boo Buie is figuring it out: In the exhibition game against Quincy, last month, Buie played with a confidence rare for a true freshman playing his first collegiate game. He finished the game with 18 points and five assists. But when he started off the season slowly, it was clear he needed time to figure out how his game could translate on the D-1 level.
Seven games later, it looks like the point guard is is starting to come into his own. In last week's loss to Pitt in Florida, Buie had 16 points, and tonight he showed out again, finishing with 20.
Buie's confidence has never wavered, but it looks like the game is starting to slow down for him and he's finishing plays off, whether by finding an open man on the break, finishing floaters over tough defenders, or hitting deep 3s to extend leads. Buie is putting it all out there every game.