Buie stands on the cusp of history as NU prepares for Michigan

EVANSTON-Northwestern has been playing basketball for 119 years, and well over a thousand players have worn the purple-and-white.

If Boo Buie scores five points against Michigan on Thursday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, he will have scored more points than anyone in program history

Head coach Chris Collins knows how much Buie’s record would mean to the Wildcat program.

"Hopefully, it'll be able to happen tomorrow night at home," Collins said of Buie, who will pass John Shurna (2,038 points) to become No. 1 on the all-time list. "I think it's a great tribute anytime you can do something in front of your home fans...

"He has singlehandedly, these last couple years, really created an excitement around this program that maybe we've never had. We've had a level of success and some winning these past seven years, but I think when you have a dynamic, All-American type talent that people love to play.

“The way he's done it, the way he's embraced Northwestern, it's really awesome he'll have a chance to do it in front of the home crowd."

It wasn't shaping up that way last week. After a phenomenal 27-point performance in a losing effort at Rutgers last Thursday, Buie was just 18 points away from tying Shurna heading into Sunday’s game at Indiana. With Buie averaging 19 points per game, it seemed as assured as one of his floaters in the lane that he'd break the record at Assembly Hall.

Then, foul trouble struck and Buie played just 28 minutes, his fewest since he played 27 at Illinois on Jan. 2. He put up just 14 points but his teammates picked up the slack and posted a 76-72 win.

Now, he has the chance to break it in front of the WildSide and his home fans at Welsh-Ryan, a place he has turned into one of the toughest places to play in the Big Ten, if not the country.

"It's a great opportunity," Buie said. "I'm honored to be able to do it here, especially at home with the support and how fans have come out the past two years.

"It'll be a special night. Hopefully, we're able to get the win, as well. I think it's a credit, to pat myself on the back, to all the hard work and time I've put in my game over the years."

Collins has Buie atop Northwestern’s Mt. Rushmore: The Wildcats have had plenty of legendary players over the years, but Collins thinks that, based on Buie's body of work on the court and what he's done for the program, he's the best of the best.

"Anytime you're trying to create your brand for your program, especially in basketball, you need to have someone that's dynamic, that has personality, that is committed to this program," Collins said. "At any time, he could have gone somewhere else to chase it somewhere else. He stayed loyal to this place.

"He's become probably the all-time greatest player. I'm biased, I know that, and that's no shade on other guys, but he's on the Mt. Rushmore, for sure, of anyone that's every played here."

Buie is not just on the cusp of the individual scoring record, but of leading Northwestern to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths, and seasons with 10+ Big Ten wins, for the first time in school history.

"The way he's done it, the way he plays, it changes the perception and the way people view us," Collins said. "Some of the things he does on the court, some of the shots he takes, young players can watch us play and say that's a fun place to play.

"You look at the crowds. People have shown up to see us play for our team, but mainly because of him and his greatness. What he's meant in those areas will hopefully be long-reaching than short-term and it'll be on us to try and continue that path.”

Buie, who is expected to be named first-team All-Big Ten for the second consecutive year, appreciated Collins' comments.

"Thanks to Coach for that," he said. "He was the one that recruited me and believed in me since I got here. Our relationship, every year, it got stronger, and I think that going through the early, tough seasons, learning the league and getting better, that really helped us grow together."

Buie and the Wildcats won just 17 games combined his first two years in Evanston. Last year, the Cats won 22, notched 12 Big Ten wins for the first time and appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the second time ever.

They’re on pace to make it two straight trips to the Big Dance, which would be another program first.

"He's created an excitement here for Northwestern basketball that I don't think has ever been here before," Collins said. "I think people see how much he's loved this place, too. He's loved being here, he's loved wearing that N on his chest and he's really proud to be a Northwestern guy."

Collins and Buie stayed connected: Collins was the first Power Six conference coach to offer Buie a scholarship out of high school, and the two have been connected ever since.

"Your relationship with your point guard, it's like football with a quarterback," Collins said. "A point guard and a coach have to be connected. It doesn't mean you don't disagree or get on him at times, but you can have a really good team when those two guys are aligned.

"We've done that a really high level the last couple years. Because of that, our relationship, and the thing I've really loved is his ability to trust me as a coach. That's not always easy for a player to give that trust that a coach will have your back, will push you, make demands of you, to accept it, and how he's grown from that."

In their first two seasons, with Buie averaging barely 10 points a game, the struggles were real. But as Buie came into his own, Northwestern broke through last season. The team has 40 wins over the last two seasons, with five more regular season games and tournament play remaining.

Buie put up 17.3 points per game last year and is averaging 19.0 per game so far in this campaign, fourth-best in the league.

"We were both in the dumps together," Buie said. "When you're in a tough spot with someone, you can either choose to run away, or stand together and fight. I think that's what we've done, and we've been really connected these last two years."

Collins said Buie's dedication and development as a player have kept his fire to coach burning.

"When you have a guy like that, to watch him play and grow, it keeps your excitement there," he said. "He's kept me excited about coaching, teaching and competing. That's been a really fun journey to be a part of as a coach."

Focus still lies on Michigan: With a sigh of relief after winning their second Big Ten road game of the season at Indiana, and with the last-place Wolverines coming into town on Thursday, it would be easy to overlook this game.

Not on Collins' watch.

"We're in the last five games of conference," he said. "I told these guys, it's a sprint now."

Michigan will be without forward Oliver Nkamhoua, who underwent surgery on his left wrist and will be out for the rest of the season. Nkamhoua was the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder.

"He was a terrific player," Collins said. "One of the things you have to be careful of, and we're going through this ourselves, when you lose a key guy teams tend to really rally around each other.

"They're going to come in here with great resolve...I know they'll have a next man up mentality."

The Wolverines have lost eight of their last nine and are firmly entrenched in last place. They are the only team in the Big Ten yet to reach 10 wins on the season, but Collins knows any team can beat anyone in this league.

"You just saw Ohio State beat Purdue," he said. "Every team in this league can beat anybody if you're not ready to play. Wherever the game is, if you're not into it mentally, if you're not focused, if you're not locked in, every single team in our league has good players and the talent to beat you."