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2011 Big Ten Tournament Bracket Preview: Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern Wildcats; Final Record: 17-12 (7-11); #8 Seed in Big Ten

Not even the scoring abilities of John Shurna have been able to help out the Northwestern Wildcats, whose 17-12 record was solid but just not enough for them to make a significant stamp on the NCAA regular season, or even in Big Ten play where they were less than impressive.

However, the Wildcats have two things right now going for them. First, they are the 10th best distributing team in the country, dishing out 17 assists per game. Second, they have Shurna, who had a white hot start to the season but has since faltered a bit. He is still averaging 17 points per game and shooting a staggering 47.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Where the Wildcats struggle is controlling the boards. They average only 30 rebounds per contest, which ranks 336th nationally. If you are going to win in the Big Ten, you must play good defense, and you must be able to rebound. If the Wildcats can crash the boards, they have a chance of making some noise.

Photographs by spatulated, Triple Tri, and chrischappelear used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.