State of the Cats going into the Big Ten season

Northwestern's season has been a rollercoaster so far, building a 4-3 record that includes both impressive wins and ugly losses.

With the Wildcats set to open Big Ten play on Sunday at Purdue, we look back at the seven-game non-conference schedule to take a snapshot of the program and breakdown the performance of each player.

The Wildcats started on rocky footing as they dropped two of their first three games to objectively bad teams in Merrimack and Radford, both at home. But squeezed in between those games, was an upset victory in the Big East/Big Ten Challenge over Providence, a team a lot of preseason prognosticators saw as an NCAA tournament team.

The Wildcats thumped Norfolk State at Welsh-Ryan Arena before heading to the Fort Myers Tip-Off looking to right the ship and win a tournament championship. But it was more of the same as the Wildcats blew out a veteran Bradley team that went to the NCAA Tournament last year in their most impressive performance of the year, and then lost in the final to Pittsburgh.

NU then took out their frustrations on Boston College, blowing out the Eagles in their first true road game as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

So Northwestern stands at 4-3 heading into early Big Ten play and looking to upset Purdue on the road. The Boilermakers are coming off an eye-opening 69-40 victory over 5th-ranked Virginia this week.

26.4 mpg, 11 ppg, 4 reb, 4.4 ast, .7 stl, .439 fg%, .313 3pt%, .778 ft%

Spencer has been a revelation for head coach Chris Collins thus far. It was difficult to know what to expect from a graduate transfer who spent the last four years playing lacrosse, but he has more than proven that he belongs. He may be Northwestern's all-around best player.

Spencer leads the team in assists and is third in points per game. He plays nearly all of his minutes as the lead guard. His ability to drive into the lane to force defensive breakdowns has been sorely needed in an otherwise stagnant Northwestern offense.

He’s not a great ball handler but uses his body and strength to shield the ball well while bringing the ball up the court. And he’s a bull dog on the defensive end, using his size, strength, and athleticism to stay in front of his man and get into passing lanes.

With all these positives, is Pat Spencer Northwestern’s best player? It's difficult to say definitively, but it's also hard to argue against it.

31 mpg, 11.6 ppg, 7.7 reb, 1.6 ast, 1.3 blk, .394 fg%, .333 3pt%, .882 ft%

Nance looks like a completely different player from the end of last season. Collins has stated that Nance gained 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason and its allowed his body to catch up to his skill set.

So far, Nance leads the team in minutes played, rebounds and blocks. He plays most of his minutes at the 4, while also playing the 5 when NU goes small. He's improved his shooting percentages across the board, and added rebounding and rim protection to his strengths. He’s also improved his passing from the post and the free throw line to find open shooters and cutters.

Nance has molded himself into a complete player. The only negative is that you would like to see his field-goal percentage improve even more to a respectable number for a big man.

28 mpg, 12.6 ppg, 4.3 reb, .7 ast, .455 fg%, .438 3pt%, .875 ft%

Kopp has also made a sophomore leap and currently leads the team in scoring, and is second in 3-point percentage. Kopp has also increased his shooting percentages across the board from last year, playing all of his minutes at the 3 now, as opposed to starting at the 4 like he did last season.

Kopp is simply been shooting lights out from beyond the arc thus far at 44%. Some would say if you’re shooting that well from 3, you’re not shooting enough. And that is what Kopp needs to do as he has a tendency to start strong in games, and then disappear for large stretches.

If Kopp could improve his ball handling, then he could attack the basket off shot fakes. Teams are already closing harder on his shots, fully realizing that he’s a legitimate deep threat.

26.9 mpg, 6 ppg, 4 reb, 1.9 ast, 1.3 stl, .387 fg%, .273 3pt%, .833 ft%

So far this season, Gaines has seen a slight decrease in production but a meaningful improvement in efficiency. He’s averaging less in points, rebounds and assists, but he has increased his shooting percentages across the board.

Gaines has had a different approach to his role. He appears more comfortable as an upperclassman and team leader, and he is the team's Swiss-army knife, doing the dirty work required on any given night.

With that being said, Gaines could stand to be more aggressive on the offensive end. In the two losses to Merrimack and Radford, Gaines took a combined six shots for just 6 points. Part of being the lone scholarship captain is taking over games when it is needed.

25.9 mpg, 10.1 ppg, 5.9 reb, 1.1 ast, .6 stl, .1 blk, .667 fg%, .639 ft%

Thus far, Young has exceeded expectations in his first year of play. Playing exclusively at the 5, Young leads the team in field-goal percentage, is second in rebounds and fourth in points per game.

Young is becoming a fan favorite as he plays with such a savvy rarely possessed by players getting their first taste of game action. He leads the team with 36 free-throw attempts, 18 more than Spencer, who is in second place. He does this by getting his opponents to foul him at a disproportionate rate, whether its finishing at the rim or using trickery to deceive refs into over-the-back and pushing fouls during his rebound attempts.

While we don't have the stats to back it up, we're almost positive that Young has more charges than blocks this season. Add to that his ability to pass out of the post, and you have a well-rounded big who is a treat to watch for those who enjoy the fundamentals of the game.

Just try not to think about how his lack of athleticism is going to translate going into Big Ten play. His average of .1 blocks per game is also a huge concern if its attached to your starting center.

17.4 mpg, 7.7 ppg, 1.7 reb, 1 ast, .405 fg%, .211 3pt%, 1.000 ft%

Coming out of high school, Buie was a three-star prospect but unranked at his position. But his play thus far has proven that those rankings were unjust.

Buie plays with a confidence rare for a freshman playing his first games at the Division I level. In the first five games of the season, it meant bad shots early in the shot clock and 10 turnovers. But in the last two games he has shined, averaging 18 points and 3 rebounds, while shooting 12-of-18 from the field and 9-of-9 from the charity stripe.

Buie is a crafty dribbler that can get to any spot on the floor. Couple that with a sneaky floater and smooth 3-point shot and you have the makings of a player ready for a bigger role on this team.

19.7 mpg, 3.9 ppg, 2.4 reb, .9 ast, .314 fg%, .067 3pt%, .667 ft%

Expectations for Turner in his senior year were high coming into the season. Thus far, the only word to describe his play is disappointing.

The once impromptu starting point guard has been relegated to the bench, and the switch has caused his production and efficiency to plummet. When on the floor, Turner looks like he doesn't know what his role is supposed to be. He has tried to be the calm, collected versatile player that Gaines is, but with little success.

There’s still a lot of time left in the season and Big Ten play would be a great time for him to break out of his elongated slump. But there is no evidence to suggestion that a turnaround might happen any time soon.

13.6 mpg, 4.3 ppg, 1.9 reb, .6 ast, .476 fg%, .556 3pt%, .833 ft%

Ranked as the No. 107 recruit in the nation by Rivals, Beran was the crown jewel of Collins' 2019 recruiting class. And thus far he’s shown promise that he can be a cornerstone piece for this team with a little more seasoning.

Beran hasn't had a lot of production, but being second in field-goal percentage and first in 3-point shooting percentage shows that he may need to be more aggressive while he’s on the court. Watching him play, you see that he often turns down open shots to defer to other players on the team, or drive to the basket. He should start looking for scoring opportunities more often.

With his smooth shooting stroke and natural athleticism, Beran is destined for a break out game soon.

7.4 mpg, 1 ppg, 1.6 reb, .1 blk, .182 fg%, .200 3pt%, 1.000 ft%

Coming into the season, the word on Jones was that he was physically ready to play Division I basketball. Thus far, he looks the part but it hasn't translated into on-court production.

Jones looks a step slow to react to the speed of the game, and it's causing foul trouble and mistakes that lead to him getting yanked by Collins fairly quickly. But this year, the Big Ten is loaded at the center position, which will lead to games where both Nance and Young get into foul trouble. When that happens, Jones will be relied upon to provide positive minutes. Hopefully he can rise to the occasion when the opportunity comes.

6.3 mpg, .3 ppg, 1.5 ast, .000 fg%, .500 ft%

Due to the additions of Spencer and Buie at his position, Greer has seen his minutes drop to the point of having coach's decision DNPs in three of Northwestern's seven games.

Aside from his passing ability, Greer's skill set does not seem up to snuff for the Division I level thus far.

Must-win games:

Jan. 11 vs. Nebraska

Feb. 9 at Rutgers

March 1 at Nebraska

March 4 at Wisconsin

Toss-ups:

Jan. 5 at Minnesota

Feb. 23 vs. Minnesota

Feb. 27 vs. Illinois

I smell an upset!:

Dec. 18th vs. Michigan State

Feb. 15 at Penn State

March 7 vs. Penn State

Yeah, good luck:

Dec. 8 at Purdue

Jan. 8 at Indiana

Jan. 14 vs. Iowa

Jan. 19 at Illinois

Jan. 21 vs. Maryland

Jan. 26 vs. Ohio State

Jan. 29 at Michigan State

Feb. 1 vs. Purdue

Feb. 12 vs. Michigan

Feb. 18 at Maryland