Welcome, Iowans
To the Hog Butcher chop shop
Ribs served at Wrigley

I had an opportunity to interview Michael Kilbane after practice on Tuesday about his impact as a freshman. Kilbane logged 31 snaps, third most for a DE, and three hurries last week against Maryland, and could get a similar workload against Iowa on Saturday. I talked to him about why he stayed at NU, his redshirt status and what led to his performance as a true freshman.

@lou v talked to Peru, Ind. DE Braxton Strong about his upcoming visit to Wrigley Field and where Northwestern stands in his recruitment.

Hey Gang,

We wanted to make sure everyone knows that we had a special bonus pod this week that dropped late yesterday.

At last weekend's tailgate, we did--as best we could in the wind--a live minipod with Walt Versen and Roland Mesa. Versen is part of a group of 6 NU O-Linemen from the late '70's/early 80's (i.e. the Dark Times) who, through a ludicrous set of events, found themselves wearing Superman costumes while working as security for Queen all over the world!

Versen himself was HEAD of security for Queen at the age of 22. He carried Freddie Mercury--whom he calls "Fred"--out on stage for 83 shows over 2 years on 5 continents.

Mesa is currently working on a documentary about the story, and he had a great little convo with the two of them about this insane tale. We'll have them on the pod at some point down the line for a much more thorough recounting. But check it out! WILD.

Apple Podcast Link

Thanks as always!
Sam, John, and Scuzz/The West Lot Pirates

Hey Gang,

We wanted to make sure everyone knows that we had a special bonus pod this week that dropped late yesterday.

At last weekend's tailgate, we did--as best we could in the wind--a live minipod with Walt Versen and Roland Mesa. Versen is part of a group of 6 NU O-Linemen from the late '70's/early 80's (i.e. the Dark Times) who, through a ludicrous set of events, found themselves wearing Superman costumes while working as security for Queen all over the world!

Versen himself was HEAD of security for Queen at the age of 22. He carried Freddie Mercury--whom he calls "Fred"--out on stage for 83 shows over 2 years on 5 continents.

Mesa is currently working on a documentary about the story, and we had a great little convo with the two of them about this insane tale. We'll have them on the pod at some point down the line for a much more thorough recounting. But check it out! WILD.

Apple Podcast Link

Thanks as always!
Sam, John, and Scuzz/The West Lot Pirates

Here are my takeaways from tonight’s exhibition where Brooks Barnhizer scored 29 points in 38 minutes.

1) Why are we playing at Wrigley this weekend?

2) Are there any accurate renderings of the new stadium?

This has been a tough past 4 months- for the board and the program. Too much "drama and trauma". Losing games and a long time coach is bound to lead to a lot of bad feelings and disagreements. Now that the Evanston city council appears to have made the new stadium plan a reality I though maybe a nostalgic look back at some Dyche/Ryan memories would be a non-controversial post. Ive been to a lot of games in the past 47 years-here are my personal recollections of my first, worst,best and last NU games at the gray edifice east of Mustards.

First- Sept 25,1976- 2 days before starting NU med school- Notre Dame 48-Cats-0. Growing up in Wisconsin and doing undergrad at Madison in the late 60's-early 70's I thought nobody could have a worse football program than the Badgers- Sadly I was wrong... By the time I actually witnessed a win ( one of 3 in my 4 years at NUMS)- Over MSU before 15,00 freezing fans in late November I came to the realization that this team needed my support. I was hooked.

Worst- Gotta be the blown 36 point second half lead to lose to the Spartans 41-39 in Fitz's first season. I had just bought myself a book on "Football game clock managent" to help me coach a youth football team. I purchased a 2nd copy and sent it to our head coach. Runners up including the loss to OSU under the lights in 2013 (Kain made that 1st down!!!), and the 2 losses to Michigan in 2013 ( referee aided last second tying FG by the Hokies) and 2014 ( Siemian slips rolling out on potential game winning 2pt XP attempt). We lost so many heartbreaking home night games that I came to truly believe that Bob Stotz's Ghost resided in the the upper caverns of the North tower and continued to haunt the program.

Best- Easy- 2000 54-51 over the Wolverines and their haughty fans . I almost left when DA2 dropped that pass in the stadium lights ( I blamed Strotz then too) but Im glad I stayed for the Wiebers strip and recovery of Anthony Thompson and Zaks subsequent game winning TD pass. Other great ones- the 35-0 shutout of the Badgers on Homecoming , the domination of JoPa and the Nittany Lions on national TV and the freezing clincher of the incredible 1996 season over Iowa ( thank you Hudafei Ismaeli).

And my last game- coming up in 2 weeks against Purdue. I'll be in the West lot with my son, my son-in-law and Grandson ( who hopefully will see his 11th Birthday announced on the Jumbotron during the game). Not counting any chickens before they are hatched but a Wildcat win over the Boilers would be a perfect send off to a tired, old concrete friend. And I will celebrate the subsequent wrecking ball eviction of the Strotz poltergeist from his den in the venerable north tower!

Anybody else have any memories to share? Go Cats!

I had an opportunity to interview Michael Kilbane after practice on Tuesday about his impact as a freshman. Kilbane logged 31 snaps, third most for a DE, and three hurries last week against Maryland, and could get a similar workload against Iowa on Saturday. I talked to him about why he stayed at NU, his redshirt status and what led to his performance as a true freshman.

If Bryant plays, cats will cover and might even spring the upset.
Take Cats +14.

We win the West? If so there’s a dumb and dumber chance!

AD's statement affirmed he will stay with the program through the bowl game, but he's a Dead Man Walking.

Do you think this is grounds for celebration inside the Hawks locker room or a huge distraction before they take on mighty Northwestern in the Friendly Confines?

Anybody here still want Bajakian fired?

What are the chances both Braun & Sanders are leading their respective squads in this matchup? 2%?

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@lou v talked to GoIowaAwesome.com's Adam Jacobi to get the inside scoop on the Hawkeyes before they take on Northwestern at Wrigley Field.

@lou v talked to GoIowaAwesome.com's Adam Jacobi to get the inside scoop on the Hawkeyes before they take on Northwestern at Wrigley Field.

Money usually does the trick.

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Going to be in Vegas this weekend. Recommendations for where to watch the game? Any specific NU friendly places?

Big Ten publishers and basketball writers from the Rivals.com network got together to preview the conference as college hoops tips off with a full slate of games next week.

Big Ten publishers and basketball writers from the Rivals.com network got together to preview the conference as college hoops tips off with a full slate of games next week.

What the hell is going on with Eberflus’s staff?

With the first game of the season right around the corner, I have decided to provide a breakdown of the team. I will discuss what NU has lost, what they currently have, and what they gained over the off-season. For newcomers who have not played any college ball, my analysis will be a compilation/summary of the scouting reports I have read about them. While it won't be super in-depth, it will provide a general overview. For newcomers who have played college ball, I have watched some highlights and compiled scouting reports to assess their abilities. For returning players, I will base my analysis on last year's tape and will not assume any improvement during the off-season. I will also highlight areas they needed to work on during the off-season. Lastly, I will provide my insights on the role I believe each player will fill based on their performance last year.

We are back at Welsh-Ryan Arena!

It was a long eight months but the Wildcats are finally back in action. They'll tip off against the McKendree Bearcats for a preseason exhibition at Welsh-Ryan Arena at 7 pm. The game will be aired on BTN+

Wildcats have some lingering injury issues on the back end of their rotation. Collins said that Nick Martinelli, Parker Strauss and Jordan Clayton could be limited or out tonight, but all are designated day-to-day.

I think most of us expect Boo to lead the team in scoring. Who do you think will be the one to pick up the points that Chase Audige is leaving behind as the #2 scorer?

I've got a family connection to McKendree, my cousin is on their baseball staff, so I was able to interview one of their hoops assistants, Hank Matthews. It's just an exhibition, but I think there's some good insight into their team and some broad strokes on what it's like to scout NU.

Scouting Northwestern:

"I think it's pretty easy to say that number one [on the list] is Boo Buie," he said with a laugh. "He's pretty good. He causes a lot of challenges and problems with his speed and his skill. Really good in transition, then he's really good at getting downhill and not only making plays for himself but making plays for others. We understand the ball is going to go through him and our ball screen coverage and our transition defense is going to have to be really good staying in front of the basketball and trying make him make tough shots."

"Then Ty Berry can shoot the basketball. Brooks [Barnhizer] does a really good job playing inside and out. He's extremely physical and plays really, really hard. We're going to have to keep him out of the paint and keep him at bay on the boards. Then with the center, [Matt] Nicholson, we're going to have to do a good job cracking down. He's really physical, really good screener, he's big. Going to be a full team effort on him."

Scouting for an exhibition:

"It's a little in the fact that they bring back a significant group from a good team last year, but they do have some newcomers that we're not sure about. They have freshmen and transfers so we'll have to feel it out in the game. We're treating this and preparing for this as a regular season game. It being early in the season we're going to have to get used to what rotations we like and what coverages we want to play defensively, but as far as scouting preparation we're treating this as a normal game."

Players to watch for McKendree:

Milos Vicentic #31
6'8" 220 F
2022-23: 17.2 ppg 5.2 rpg 54.7/44.2/78.6

"He led us last year in scoring last year...super skilled, can play outside on the perimeter and play inside in the post."

Caleb Zurliene #3
6'8" 205 G/F
2022-23: 10.5 ppg 6.5 rpg 56.8/31.5/77.9

"He's back as a starter from a Sweet 16 team in Division II. He's super athletic, long, he can shoot and he's really good in the post as well. He was first team All-Defense."

Carson Parker #25
6'5" 200 G
2022-23: 3.9 ppg

"He might not have topped the stat sheet last year but he played a significant role for us."

Aleksandar Davitkov #10
6'1" 190 G
2022-23: 5.1 ppg

"This will be his fifth year here, he's been tremendous. Just a guy that you can really count on."

Serbian connection:

As you might have noticed with Aleksandar and Milos, there's an unusual amount of foreign players for a D-II team. McKendree head coach George Suggs used to coach for now-Drury head coach Chris Foster and they share a connection with some Serbian coaches.

"We've been able to use those good relationships that we have from coaches in Serbia to try to get good players over here like Aleksandar and Milos, then we have a redshirt freshman, Luka Mateski. We absolutely love our guys."

Three of McKendree's 17 players are Serbian, and a fourth is Australian.