Cats finally return to action against Wisconsin

After a quick, one-week trip to the COVID list, the Cats are finally back in action against Wisconsin on Monday.

The game, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 21 at 11 a.m., will now take place at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at Welsh-Ryan Arena (BTN). The unconventional tipoff time might be inconvenient to some fans, but the team is probably excited to get back out onto the court after a long layoff.

Northwestern's last game was an 85-78 loss to Michigan on Jan. 15 -- more than a week ago. The first true road loss of the season left Northwestern 3-3 in the Big Ten and 10th in the conference standings. But keep in mind that most other teams have played two more games, so prospects are not as dark as they may seem.

Two positives that came out of the Michigan game for Northwestern was the play of Robbie Beran and the success of the Wildcats’ small lineup.

Beran was effective in all facets of the game, going 5-for-8 from the field, 2-for-4 from deep and 4-for-5 from the line. His 16 points were supplemented by four boards and an assist.

The Wildcats had their best success with Beran at the 5, in place of big man Matt Nicholson. That took Michigan center Hunter Dickinson off the floor, and the 7-footer was limited to just 10 points in 29 minutes. Nicholson was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field for 13 points, but his plus/minus rating was -17, so the Cats did significantly better with Beran (+1) at center.

The Wildcats got a mixed bag from their backcourt against the Wolverines. Boo Buie led all scorers with 22 points and five assists, but he also had six turnovers. Chase Audige contributed eight points, along with four rebounds and three assists, but he was inefficient, going 3-of-14 from the field. Ty Berry also couldn't continue a recent stretch of solid performances, with his only points of the game coming from the charity stripe.

Wisconsin is a matchup that the Cats practically must win if they want to achieve their goal of reaching their second NCAA Tournament in school history. Northwestern can not afford to allow its current two-game losing to morph into a longer one that can derail a season, as has happened in years past. Beating a solid Wisconsin team is the perfect way to right the ship.

The Badgers are 12-5 overall, just like the Wildcats, and their three conference losses came to Illinois, Michigan State, and Indiana, all of whom Northwestern has beaten this season. Based on that, subscribers to the transitive property school of thought would chalk this up a a win for the Cats. But Northwestern will need to follow through to claim a winnable game.

Northwestern ranks ahead of Wisconsin on KenPom (54th vs. 65th), but the teams are pretty evenly matched. Both teams shoot about 42.5% from the field, but Wisconsin is better from the three-point line (36.5% vs. 31.6%), which could hurt the Cats (see: Rutgers loss).

One-on-one, Northwestern will have some tough matchups on its hands. Freshman guard Connor Essegian has been one of Wisconsin's best players this season, averaging 10.5 points and showing up in big games. Backcourt mate Chucky Hepburn averages 12.7 points per game and leads the Badgers in assists (3.3 per game) and steals (1.9). Buie and Audige will be called upon to check those two.

Wisconsin also has 7-footer Steven Cowl, who can dominate the paint for the Badgers, averaging 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds. Nicholson will have to check Cowl, as the Wildcats may be less likely to go to their smaller lineup.

Senior forward Tyler Wahl just returned from injury last week, and his numbers are almost identical to Cowl’s. Beran will likely draw this assignment.

After an eight-day layoff, Northwestern could be rusty. But Wisconsin hasn’t played since Jan. 17 themselves, so the game could be one of those gritty, high-intensity games that the Cats find themselves in so often.

An interesting caveat to keep an eye on in this game will be student (and general fan) attendance at Welsh-Ryan Arena, especially with the early-evening tipoff. Student support has been critical for the Cats this year, with both the players and head coach Chris Collins praising their passion in multiple press conferences this season. But with midterms slowly creeping closer and a hastily scheduled game, we’ll see if attendance, and the atmosphere, suffers.

Regardless of the outcome, Northwestern won’t get nearly as long a rest period before its next game: the Wildcats will travel to Nebraska to play the Huskers on Wednesday night.