The Cats are coming off a drubbing in Iowa City and travel to West Lafayette for what may be their best chance for a win the rest of this season. NU's defense continues to play well, though being on the wrong side of time of possession means they wear down as games go deep into the 2nd half.

Purdue is balanced in its mediocrity and have just one win, though they did take Illinois to overtime. This has all the signs of a B1G West (RIP) rock fight. Taking the under seems like an easier prediction than the score, but:

Big Drum 10
Big Cats 16

@lou v and I log our picks for Northwestern’s matchup with Purdue this weekend.

NU offers Hamler, OH athlete Lincoln Creager. Looks like he’s being recruited as a LB.

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I was at the game and did not watch it till today as it was too painful at the time. It was a fumble! Sounded like they were saying that it was ACC refs that made the final call to overturn the call on the field. Maybe I was mis hearing but that was sure what it sounded like. I did not want to see it again but the overruled the call on the field and said knee down but from the discussion only thing close was the shin but even that looked very iffy. Seemed like a bad overcall.

They have been playing for 100 years.

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One or 1.5 favorites at Purdue

Interesting article on how Narduzzi dealt with and is dealing with NIL. Perhaps a model for NU?

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I haven’t seen an NU team quit under Braun before today. That’s disappointing.

Just nobody on offense who threatens a defense. Nobody. That grates on our own defense.

@lou v and I log our picks for Northwestern’s matchup with Purdue this weekend.

Team Grade - 68.6

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I talked to 2025 OT Hayden Wright about his commitment to Northwestern, his connections to offensive line coach Bill O'Boyle and more.

I talked to 2025 OT Hayden Wright about his commitment to Northwestern, his connections to offensive line coach Bill O'Boyle and more.

Most of you probably don't have this on your radar, but since I live in Michigan and my wife is an MSU grad twice over, this has been a topic around here. MSU has had six night games so far this season, and they announce the MSU UM game is also going to be a night game (which is problematic for other reasons). That is seven night games so far this season, and there could potentially be more because some games have not been scheduled yet.

Fans are getting pissed, and I don't blame them. Anyone who has to travel any significant distance has a lot more logistical hoops to jump through. I had to sell my tickets to the two Northwestern night games because I just can't make that work between child care needs and travel.

I understand the need for networks to maximize revenue, but the Big Ten needed to put some guard rails to prevent something like this from happening. They have to spread it out over the whole conference. Seven or more night games in a season is ridiculous. Two or three in the regular season should be the max.

Head coach David Braun stood by Zach Lujan as his OC, and said there is no consideration of a change this offseason. Read about that and more from Braun's weekly presser here.

For those of us who couldn't watch last night, here's a 15-minute highlight package:

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My overreactions:

• Martinelli will lead the team in scoring this year
• Martinelli throws a lot of over-the-shoulder passes
• Leach has a great three-point stroke, but he'll also have a lot of games this year where he's like 3-for-14
• Windham's stroke isn't as good, but he'll make up for it with his fearlessness
• Hunger and Nicholson have some better moves, but they still need to be better finishers (Nicholson's missed dunk was embarrassing)
• As usual, there will be a lot of wide-open three-point shots taken by NU's opponents
• The team is pretty sloppy, but hey, it's a first game of the year and no Brooks! The person who made the highlight package is not in mid-season form yet either, as their definition of "highlights" is laughable (sometimes it's just a normal brick or a free throw).

@lou v goes behind enemy lines and talks to Dub Jellison of BoilerUpload for the inside scoop about Northwestern's upcoming game against the Boilermakers.

If you are a Northwestern fan and watching the game on TV (or streaming it), you are welcome to join us for a live Zoom discussion during the game. It's a great way to share the experience with others as you watch.

One thing you should be aware of is that TV and streaming are not always in sync with real time. It is not unusual for some viewers to be 30 seconds ahead of others, which leads to an interesting dynamic during the game watch. You can often tell by the reactions of others if something good or bad is about to happen. To me, it just makes it more interesting.

I hope that you can join us on via Zoom on Saturday at 11:00 AM CT.

Topic: Zoom In-Game Discussion: NU at Purdue
Time: Nov 2, 2024 11:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 845 8544 3362
Passcode: 029110

Go 'Cats

- Astro

@lou v goes behind enemy lines and talks to Dub Jellison of BoilerUpload for the inside scoop about Northwestern's upcoming game against the Boilermakers.

That's pretty badass.

@mikefitz77 was at Welsh-Ryan Arena for Northwestern's 89-62 exhibition win over Lewis and files this column on what we learned about the Cats with the season on the horizon.

"Cats are minus 1

@mikefitz77 was at Welsh-Ryan Arena for Northwestern's 89-62 exhibition win over Lewis and files this column on what we learned about the Cats with the season on the horizon.

First game on Monday! Between now and Jan 1, 2025 we have:

• 12 games
• Ken Pom rankings of key games:
  • Dayton: #27 Away
  • Butler: #83 Home
  • Iowa: #31 Away
  • Illinois: #23 Home
  • Georgia Tech: #71 Away

If we're 12-0 on Jan 1, I'm not sure we'll even remember how to pronounce Lujan. So there is that to hope for. Realistically though, what would make you forget about football? For me, it's to be ranked. And for that, I'm pretty sure we'll have to be 11-1 (w/ the loss to Dayton/Illinois/Iowa) or 12-0. That seems like a tall task but I don't think it's impossible.

Other questions:
10+ PPG scorers? (My prediction, in order)

1. Brooks
2. Jackie Moon (You know who that is)
3. Ty Berry
4. Leach

How will Fitzmorris, Nicholson, and Hunger share minutes? Will either Fitz or Hunger challenge Nicholson for the starting role? Will Nicholson ever learn a post move (alley oops don't count!)? Seriously, how can a man that huge not be a beast under the rim?

Will Leach play the traditional PG or will it be by committee?

Surprise contributor?

Cats lead 37-30. Usual sloppy start as Collins experiments with combination.
As coach had indicated, Nick and Luke look to be the most improved. Nick’s 3-point shooting looks much better.
Both Freshman have played. KJ looks fast, but the offense runs better with Leach at the point. Angelo has the size and some good instincts on defense (got a steal by being in the right spot) but already has 3 fouls.
MN dominating inside with three Nicholbombs.
Berry has been as expected.
Mullins and Smith have played, but no action for Clayton , Barkley or big Fitz.
BB very engaged talking to teammates and the refs as a goid captain should.