Cats try to extend winning streak to three against Minnesota

The Wildcats are looking to finish 3-0 in their first week back from the COVID pause, and only one thing stands in their way: the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Minnesota's finest will be making the trip down from the Twin Cities to rowdy Welsh-Ryan Arena for an 11 a.m. CT tip on Saturday (BTN). The matchup pits the third-placed Cats (13-5, 5-3 Big Ten) against a Minnesota team that has only one conference win, over 12th-place Ohio State.

Northwestern, which is historically all too familiar with Minnesota's place at the bottom of the conference standings, is trying to prove that it's different this year. They reaffirmed that commitment on Wednesday, taking down Nebraska.

Northwestern, by all metrics, was supposed to beat Nebraska and did exactly that, winning 78-63. There were impressive performances all around, but one outshone them all: Ty Berry went absolutely nuclear.

The junior guard was unstoppable in the first half, dropping 21 while going a perfect 5-for-5 from deep. This gave the Cats a 13-point lead at the half, and they never looked back. Another highlight from the first half was Chase Audige scoring zero points, but still being +20 for the period by by coming down with three rebounds, dishing out four assists and making two steals. Thanks to such a strong first half, Northwestern was able to put on the cruise control to finish out the game.

Berry finished with 26 points after cooling down in the second half, but his performance was a promising sign that it does not have to be the Chase-and-Boo Show every game. Speaking of the seniors, Audige turned it on in the second half, scoring 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting. Boo Buie, meanwhile, finished the game with 17 points, going 5-for-9 overall and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Matt Nicholson was also effective in the win, going 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-4 from the line, while contributing five rebounds, two blocks, an assist and only one foul. He did all this while only playing 20 minutes, showing impressive levels of efficiency. He also made sure that the Cornhuskers' big men didn't make much of an impact.

The offense was humming so well that it was a non-issue that Robbie Beran didn't even score. Overall, the team was 51.8% from the field and 36.7% from three, both of which are improvements over their season averages. It's the perfect time to get hot, too, as they play four games in the next eight days. Scoring will need to come from all over during this upcoming stretch, so it's a good sign to see it starting here.

First up in the four game gauntlet is Minnesota (7-12, 1-8) which is near the bottom of the rankings for Power 6 conference schools. They are slotted 182nd in the KenPom.com rankings, and their offense is even worse, coming in at 276th in the nation.

This should be a straightforward matchup for Northwestern's 18th-ranked defense, but diligence is a must. The Big Ten is like the Wild West, with teams beating up on each other left and right. Much like the Nebraska matchup, this is a game that the Cats should win. Doing so will only further their case for legitimacy and preserve their spot in third place in the Big Ten, as well as Joe Lunardi's NCAA bracket.

Despite a poor record, the Golden Gophers are not without playmakers. Forward Dawson Garcia is their leading scorer, averaging 14.9 points per contest. Coming in at 6-foot-11, he'll most likely draw a combination of Beran and Nicholson defensively. Northwestern will also have to keep an eye on forward Jamison Battle and guard Ta'lon Cooper, who both average over 10 points per game.

If the Cats can keep those three Gophers in check, then they could be looking at a three-game winning streak.