There’s only so much you can tell about a team by beating overmatched Chicago State, but when they score more than 100 points and win by more than 40, they will raise some eyebrows.
Northwestern played at a fast and furious tempo and blasted the Cougars, 111-66, at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Saturday. It was the first time the Wildcats reached triple-digits since 2015.
They built a 51-36 advantage at halftime and then really pounded the accelerator in the second half, outscoring the Cougars 60-31 to win in a rout. The Wildcats outscored Chicago State 26-4 in points off of turnovers and 19-3 in fast-break points.
While head coach Chris Collins’ teams in Evanston have been built on defense and have often struggled to score points, this one is different. A lot different.
Collins said after the game that this is the pace he wants to play, pushing the ball at every opportunity.
"I feel like we're at our best when we get out and run," he said.
This team certainly has a lot more firepower than last year’s squad, which finished last in the Big Ten in scoring at 64.9 points per game. In their two outings so far this season, the Wildcats have scored 92 and 111 points, for an average of 102 per game.
While no one will mistake Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Chicago State for Michigan State and Indiana -- against whom the Wildcats will open Big Ten play later this month -- NU has shown some signs that they will be a much more potent offensive team this season.
“We have a lot of skill guys, I think we can spread the floor,” said Collins. “It’s the second game in a row we had double-figure 3s….and I didn’t think we shot it that great, to be honest.”
Northwestern certainly spread the scoring wealth against CSU. Five Wildcats finished in double-figures and 11 of them got on the scoring sheet.
Chase Audige led the team with 20 points, while Robbie Beran tallied 19, Miller Kopp 16, Ty Berry 14 and Pete Nance 12. As a team they shot 51.4% from the floor.
Northwestern finished 11 of 24 from beyond the arc, with Kopp and Beran leading the way with three apiece. In their last game against UAPB, they hit 14 of 29.
After a couple years of wringing every drop out of a stagnant half-court offense just to stay competitive, Collins plans to play very differently this season.
“I want to be able to get out and run. I want to be able to score points,” he said. “We’re going to shoot a lot of 3s. That’s just kind of how we’re built with this group.”
What makes all this possible, according to Collins, is the Wildcats’ depth. Northwestern still has just 10 scholarship players, but, as Collins says, “We have nine deep and I’m comfortable putting all those guys in the game.”
Fans expected returnees like Kopp, Nance, Beran and Boo Buie to make significant contributions this season. But against the Cougars, the Wildcats got a combined 34 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists from newcomers Audige, a transfer from William & Mary, and Berry, a true freshman. Anthony Gaines, who sat out with an injury last season, led the team with 12 rebounds.
Collins pointed out that Ryan Young hasn’t played very much in the first two games because of small opposing lineups, but he expects the redshirt sophomore big man to have a much bigger impact against “conventional big men,” like the ones they see in the Big Ten.
He also pointed out how much Ryan Greer has improved, and the stabilizing effect he has on the offense when he’s the team’s floor leader.
Northwestern won’t always be able to get out and run once the level of competition rises and teams slow them down and make them play more of a half-court game.
But when they do, NU players feel that they have a variety of players who can make shots.
“From the top down, everybody can spread the floor, and everybody can shoot at a high clip,” said Beran, who went 6 for 8 from the floor and 3 for 4 from long distance. “That makes us pretty dangerous to scout against.”
