City Showdown Arrives, and So Does Thompson
Former McDonald's All-America center, a Duke transfer, ready to make his debut Wednesday vs. DePaul
Dec. 14, 2004
NU-DePaul Game Notes in PDF Format
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EVANSTON, Ill. - One of the most anticipated debuts in Northwestern men's basketball history is scheduled to take place Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena, when Mike Thompson takes the floor in a Wildcat uniform for the first time.
And what a stage on which to enter -- a meeting with Northwestern's local rival and arguably Chicago's most storied college basketball program, DePaul. On national TV, no less.
Northwestern vs. DePaul
Wednesday, Dec. 15 * 8 p.m. Central
TV: ESPN2 (Dave Revsine, play-by-play; Doug Gottlieb, analyst)
Radio: WGN 720 AM and XM Satellite Radio 187 (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; Dave Kaplan, analyst)
Thompson -- a 6-foot-10, 250-pound center who is eligible to play the rest of this season and next -- used up two years of eligibility at Duke after a high school career at Joliet's Providence Catholic that saw him named a McDonald's All-America. Thompson is just the second such honoree to suit up for the Wildcats; the other is Walker Lambiotte (coincidentally, Lambiotte played two years at NU, from 1988-90, after transferring from another ACC school, North Carolina State).
NU head coach Bill Carmody is careful to temper any expanded expectations that Wildcat fans may have for the man they call "Big Mike."
"Mike is a big guy in the middle and another guy to add to the lineup, but how will his presence help us win games?" said the Wildcats' fifth-year mentor. "Will it be his offense? His defense? Will he grab rebounds? That will be the biggest key for us."
Northwestern is playing its first game since Dec. 4 -- a 78-53 win over Chicago State that was easily the Wildcats' best outing of the season -- and tips off a brutal stretch on Wednesday. On Saturday, they host Big East member Seton Hall, like DePaul an NCAA second-round team a year ago; Monday night, they play a road game at Pac-10 foe Arizona State; then they are back home two days later for Robert Morris.
Did You Know?
Debunking two myths (see page 9 for more info)...
? NU lives and dies by the three-pointer. In fact, in the last three games the 'Cats have averaged 33.7 points per game in the paint.
? NU does not run. In fact, the Wildcats have scored 22 fastbreak points in the last two games, including 15 in their 78-53 win against Chicago State. What the 'Cats do, however, is get back on defense -- they have not allowed a fast-break point in each of the last two games.
The Series With DePaul
? Wednesday's game represents the 24th meeting between the Wildcats and the Blue Demons, with DePaul leading the series 17-6. Last year, in the first regular-season meeting between these teams since Dec. 6, 1997, the Blue Demons took a 65-53 decision at Allstate Arena.
? NU has faced just three non-Big Ten teams more than DePaul -- Notre Dame (87 times, ND leads 63-23-1), Marquette (28 times, series tied 14-14) and Western Michigan (24 times, NU leads 19-5).
NU vs. Conference USA
The Wildcats enter Wednesday's game with a 25-39 all-time record against the schools that currently play in Conference USA. This will be just the second time NU has played a C-USA team under Bill Carmody.
Charlotte 0-0
Memphis 0-0
Cincinnati 0-0
Saint Louis 1-2
DePaul 6-17
South Florida 0-0
East Carolina 0-1
Southern Miss 0-0
Houston 0-0
TCU 0-2
Louisville 2-0
Tulane 4-3
Marquette 14-14
UAB 0-0
Keeping it Local
Wednesday's game marks the second-straight for Northwestern against a Chicagoland team; on Dec. 4, the 'Cats defeated Chicago State 78-53. NU is 26-27 all-time against the other NCAA D-I programs in the city (Chicago State, DePaul, UIC, Loyola).
Chicago State 6-0
UIC 3-2
DePaul 6-17
Loyola 11-8
