Everything you need to know about Ty Berry is on the stat sheet.

That's normally anathema for basketball players and coaches. But for Berry, it's true.

The 6-foot-2 guard shot a career low from three last season, 29.1% on five attempts a game, nearly 10 percentage points lower than the year before, when he knocked down 38.8% of his shots beyond the arc.

But the true measure of Berry is revealed further down the stat line, when you get beyond offensive numbers. When his shot wasn't falling, Berry responded by doubling his steals and his rebounds from the previous year. He reshaped his game on the fly to become an indispensable rebounder and defender, a key cog to the defensive scheme that carried Northwestern to the NCAA Tournament.

Now, with his senior season right around the corner, Berry and head coach Chris Collins think he can meld his ferocity on the glass and on defense with a returned efficacy beyond the arc to become one of the most dangerous players in the conference.

"If we can get Ty consistently back to the mid- to high-30 [percent range] from three, that's going to even add more to our ability to be successful on the wing," Collins said. "He's grown in those other areas so much.

"He's improved so much as a defender, he was sneaky good on the boards and he had some games that he won for us."

Berry's three-point percentage may have been down, but, as Collins pointed out, he carried the team almost single-handedly on some nights.

"I remember against Nebraska, he scored 20-something in the first half to help lead us to victory," Collins said. "I think more consistency from a shooting perspective is something we've talked about and I think you can expect to see that from him coming into this year."

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Berry scored 23 of his career-high 26 points to lead the Wildcats to a 78-63 win over the Huskers last January. He shot a blistering 6-of-12 from long distance, and was 10-for-17 overall.

Collins' endorsement was music to Berry's ears. He knows he can regain his shooting touch and knows how to unlock his game.

"Hearing that from coach boosts my confidence a lot," he said. "He knows I can shoot, my teammates know I can shoot, and I just see my shooting ability going up this next season."

The three players Northwestern brought to Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday -- Berry, Boo Buie and Brooks Barnhizer -- were asked which player was flying under the radar for the Wildcats headed into the season. Barnhizer was quick to point to his fellow guard, two chairs to his right.

"I'd honestly say Ty," Barnhizer said. "I feel like everybody would look at the shooting percentage from last year, but when you see Ty play basketball every day, you know he's an elite shooter.

"The thing that people don't talk about is his defense. I feel like he just took a really big jump leadership-wise, and I'm excited to see what he brings to our whole team. It'll be fun."

Berry is not just counting on his shooting to rise back to the mean and fill out this game. He's continuing to set ambitious goals for himself and his team on both sides of the ball.

"I've improved by stepping up in my defensive leadership," he said. "I'm trying to fill the shoes that [graduated guard] Chase [Audige] left me. I'll be playing more aggressive and physical on defense, being that [leader] a lot."

If Berry hits his new ceiling, then the Wildcats will be able to hit his high expectations.

"Our goals and expectations are even higher than last year," he said. "We want to perform at the highest level that we can and push each other to be even better."