Takeaways: Northwestern 83, DePaul 45

Northwestern earned bragging rights in their senior-designed "Chicago's Own" uniforms with an 83-45 win over DePaul at Welsh-Ryan Arena this afternoon.

For what felt like the first time all year, the Wildcats got out to a hot shooting start and never looked back.

The Wildcats got up 39-26 at the half and then more than doubled their lead in the second half behind Chase Audige's sensational effort.

Audige led all scorers with 28 points and won the Waldo Fisher/Frank McGrath MVP Award for the most outstanding player in the Northwestern-DePaul game.

Northwestern moved to 8-2 (1-0 Big Ten) on the season. Here are our takeaways from their third straight win:

Audige has taken his game to another level this season, paring elite defense with more patient shot selection, and he has absolutely thrived.

He put up 28 points on 11-for-19 shooting from the floor and 6-for-10 from three-point land. When everything clicks he is one of the best players on this team, and in the Big Ten.

"I think the one thing you're seeing about Chase this year is that he's playing under control," Collins said. "He's such a competitive spirit."

It wasn't just hot shooting, either. It was a two-way masterclass. DePaul forward Javan Johnson entered the game averaging 18.2 points per game and was held to just three this afternoon, with Audige as one of his primary defenders.

Audige's defensive prowess didn't just stop at limiting Johnson; he came up with five steals and finished as a +39 in 33 minutes.

Audige downplayed his individual performance, and made sure to credit his team for the big win over the Blue Demons.

This was an open and shut case, a rarity for the Wildcats. Northwestern is notorious for playing to the level of its competition this season, for better or for worse, but they put DePaul away early in this one, and then kept them down.

The defense was swarming, the offense poured in buckets early, and the Wildcats dismantled the Blue Demons.

Northwestern forced 22 DePaul turnovers and held them to 31% shooting from the field and 29% from three. While Audige led the Wildcats with 28 points, Boo Buie overcame a cold start and chipped in with 17,

DePaul's leading scorers were guard Philmon Gebrewhit and forward Eral Penn with just 11 each.

"This year, we have really taken pride in our [defensive] efforts," Ty Berry said. "Being aggressive on defense has been a staple for us, it helps us get steals and get out and play faster."

Even after jumping out to big early leads like 20-5, or 39-26 at the half, the Wildcats kept their foot on the gas and posted a 44-19 second-half scoring advantage. This was the seventh time Northwestern has held an opponent to 55 points or fewer, and the fourth time they have held someone under 50.

Nicholson started his first game of the season at center, replacing Tydus Verhoeven, who started the first nine games at center.

Nicholson got the nod, but this was far from a seismic shift. Collins still went by committee at center: Nicholson played 20 minutes, Verhoeven played 12 and freshman Luke Hunger played eight.

Hunger's tally was inflated by a garbage-time stretch after the game had been decided. He scored six points but it remains to be seen whether he will earn minutes in NU's rotation once Big Ten play starts in earnest in January.

"[Nicholson] has been really coming on," Collins said. "We're kind of a two-headed monster and I hope a three-headed monster with Luke."

Nicholson has shown solid improvement throughout the season, and brings a different element defensively and on the glass with his size.

"It's been fun to see Matt's confidence grow," Collins said. "He's been a guy waiting in the wings for a couple years...

"The thing I like is him being him, doing what he does best. He's protecting our basket, blocking shots, and he's getting better at finishing around the rim as well."

Collins thought that going to Nicholson might jump start a Northwestern offense that has been notorious for starting slow this season.

"We have gotten off to a slow start in some games, and I thought the time was right to give him a shot," Collins said. "Credit to Tydus, I talked to him about it today... [He's] still gonna play, still going to get his minutes, I just want to take a look at this."

Collins could go back to Verhoeven later in the season if he wants the flexibility to switch on pick-and-rolls against a team with quicker bigs. But right now, this looks like a committee approach with Nicholson getting the starting spot and a little bit larger slice of the pie.

Northwestern's strong start was rocked by a 29-point home loss to Pittsburgh. Since then, the Wildcats have responded with a seven-point road win at Michigan State, an guly 10-point win over PVAMU at home and now an 38-point demolition of DePaul.

Rather than packing it in after getting punched in the mouth, Northwestern has pulled themselves off the canvas and gotten back into the fight of this season.

Not too long ago, Northwestern was looking up to DePaul. In 2019, DePaul won this matchup 83-78 at Wintrust Arena. This year, after the 2020 and 2021 matchups were cancelled due to the pandemic, Northwestern beat DePaul 83-45 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

"This is a game I've wanted to play ever since I got here," Collins said about the Northwestern-DePaul series. "It's a great game that needs to be played...we've had great atmospheres each time we've played. They are great events, great venues, two local teams: one in the Big East and one in the Big Ten."

It might be more a statement of how far DePaul has fallen from their 2019 form than how far Northwestern has risen, but a 38-point win is a statement nonetheless. Northwestern will look to secure further Chicago bragging rights when they host UIC at 8 p.m. on Dec. 20.