High praise from the Athletic:
Killer Rating: 37.6
There are only three teams in the entire country that rank in the top 30 in both offensive and defensive turnover percentage: the top-ranked Houston Cougars, No. 6 Marquette and … the Northwestern Wildcats. That’s all you need to know about why Chris Collins’ squad checks in with one of the best Killer ratings in our model. Steady guard Boo Buie sports a 1.8:1 A/TO ratio, while Chase Audige averages 2.4 steals per game. Together, they help lead a team that owns a serious possession advantage. When they upset then-No. 1 Purdue in February, the Wildcats attempted nine more field goals (and only four fewer free throws) on the strength of a 16-9 turnover advantage. If our model were capable of love, it would be blasting a boombox outside of Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Northwestern also offers a really cool strategic palette. The Wildcats are solid across the board on defense, ranking 18th nationally in efficiency, where they not only force turnovers, but hold foes to a 48.4% effective field goal percentage. They’re not as strong on offense – they rank 105th – but they possess significant upside, because they take 41.3% of their shots from 3-point range. An upset only requires one night of hot shooting, and Northwestern’s high-variance approach increases their odds of edging better teams.
Killer Rating: 37.6
There are only three teams in the entire country that rank in the top 30 in both offensive and defensive turnover percentage: the top-ranked Houston Cougars, No. 6 Marquette and … the Northwestern Wildcats. That’s all you need to know about why Chris Collins’ squad checks in with one of the best Killer ratings in our model. Steady guard Boo Buie sports a 1.8:1 A/TO ratio, while Chase Audige averages 2.4 steals per game. Together, they help lead a team that owns a serious possession advantage. When they upset then-No. 1 Purdue in February, the Wildcats attempted nine more field goals (and only four fewer free throws) on the strength of a 16-9 turnover advantage. If our model were capable of love, it would be blasting a boombox outside of Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Northwestern also offers a really cool strategic palette. The Wildcats are solid across the board on defense, ranking 18th nationally in efficiency, where they not only force turnovers, but hold foes to a 48.4% effective field goal percentage. They’re not as strong on offense – they rank 105th – but they possess significant upside, because they take 41.3% of their shots from 3-point range. An upset only requires one night of hot shooting, and Northwestern’s high-variance approach increases their odds of edging better teams.
