On the first Senior Day at Welsh-Ryan Arena in three years, senior Collier Drayton stood at midcourt to receive a framed No. 32 jersey.

But Drayton wasn’t thinking about honors. He couldn’t get his mind off that afternoon’s opponent, Illinois.

“Senior Day is fine and dandy, but we have a game to play,” Drayton said. “I’d rather not have Senior Day and win than have Senior Day and get blown out.”

That competitive attitude has been characteristic of Drayton, the Wildcats’ starting point guard for the last two seasons.

“His biggest strength, besides the fact that he’s a very smart player, is that he’s a competitor,” coach Bill Carmody said. “He plays very hard and wants to win. He knows that’s how you’re judged in this game.”

And the wins have been coming for the Cats this season, after two straight subpar years.

Drayton’s play has been one of the catalysts for the Cats’ improvement, which has led to a near-certain NIT berth next month.

The Cats haven’t been to the postseason in three years, since Drayton and fellow senior Tavaras Hardy were freshmen.

NU reached the NIT that year behind All-Big Ten center Evan Eschmeyer, but the Cats dropped a first-round match to DePaul.

Drayton sat on the bench all but seven minutes of that season, but has since played his way into the starting lineup.

In the last two years, Drayton has averaged 33.8 minutes.

“Freshman year he didn’t really get much of a chance, he was just a practice player,” senior Tavaras Hardy said. “Each year he’s gotten better at running the offense.”

The point guard is fourth in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.27 and is averaging 4.4 points per game.

“I’ve gotten better each year, every game and that’s what you want to see with a college career,” Drayton said. “You don’t want to just stay at one level. I didn’t do that. I believe I am continuing to get better.”

Carmody said that while Drayton’s scoring average hasn’t improved – it was 5.4 points last season – he has started driving to the basket more.

But offense has never been Drayton’s strength, despite his aggressive play of late. In his four years at NU, Drayton has transformed into one of the Big Ten’s best defenders.

Currently tied for 10th in the conference in steals at 1.36 per game, Drayton has collected 111 in his NU career, along.

“He’s just as good a defensive rebounding guard as I’ve seen, and I’ve been coaching longer than I want to remember,” Carmody said.

More than just a defensive wizard, Drayton has given the young Cats a formidable on-court leader.

Just call him Coach Collier.

“He’s really taken over the reigns of running the team,” Carmody said. “He understands what’s needed during the game. He knows what’s going to work, what’s not going to work. The staff is always asking (him), ‘What should we do now?'”

Off the court, though, Drayton has dealt with personal tragedy this year.

In August, Rashidi Wheeler, Drayton’s roommate and close friend, collapsed during a football conditioning drill and died.

When the Cats began wearing white headbands on the court, a trend started by Hardy, Drayton’s was slightly different.

The point guard marked his headband with the initials RAW, in memory of Wheeler.

“Unlike most people, I’ve learned how to cope with death,” Drayton said. “I’m not saying I’m over it, but I can deal with it better than most people.

“(The initials are) just out of respect, to let him know that he’s always going to be with me … every time I wear the headband.”

Even with the personal loss, Drayton has been able to focus on the basketball court, helping lead the Cats to a 16-10 record and seventh place in the Big Ten.

But the 6-foot-2 guard isn’t satisfied with this year’s success. He is concerned about the Cats’ future, even though he won’t be at NU next season.

“It’ll be a great accomplishment,” Drayton said of NU’s impending postseason trip. “But it’s more important that we win this year so now coach can get people that actually want to come here.

“Now people are going to hear about Northwestern. Now people are going to know about Northwestern.”

For Carmody, it will be difficult to replace Drayton’s leadership and playing ability next season.

“We’re going to miss that guy,” Carmody said.