When Northwestern was 0-4 in the Big Ten two weeks ago, senior Jason Burke said that once the Wildcats won their first conference game, they would start making real progress.
It just took a little longer than he expected.
NU (9-10, 1-7 Big Ten) finally broke out of its Big Ten funk Wednesday night with an invigorating 74-61 win over last year’s NCAA runner-up Indiana. After three straight road losses, the Cats will play back-to-back home games for the first time in a month when they take on Wisconsin (15-5, 5-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Burke scored only one point in the win over Indiana, but made a huge impact off the score sheet. His tough defense in the post and unselfish play on offense — he led the team with six assists — provided the glue the Cats have been missing all season.
Burke’s father, Earnest, watched his son Wednesday and will be in attendance again on Saturday. He said he was glad to see his son’s team finally pick up a win.
“Jason’s still been excited about (playing) despite the troubles,” he said. “He wants to make it a season to remember.”
NU coach Bill Carmody, not usually one for motivational speeches, took a page out of another Big Ten coach’s book in the locker room before the Indiana game. Carmody told his team to look at Tommy Amaker’s Michigan squad, which started the season 0-6 before reeling off 12 straight wins to surge to the top of the conference.
“All (Amaker) told his team was let’s forget about it and start over,” Carmody said Wednesday. “I told them, ‘That guy went to Duke, he’s a pretty bright guy, and they won 12 straight. How about we just start all over again?'”
The Cats pressed Indiana all game long, coming up with 11 steals — six by freshman Mohamed Hachad. Indiana tried to adjust by playing small ball in the second half, but NU countered by moving the taller Burke and Hachad to the front of the press to utilize their longer arms.
The Cats will be faced with a different animal when the Badgers come to town. Wisconsin guards Kirk Penney and Alando Tucker combined for 32 points and 20 rebounds in the Badgers’ 69-50 win over NU on Jan. 27. But the Cats may be most concerned with guard Devin Harris, who could use his quickness to break the press.
Carmody said he plans to stick with the press but hopes to get center Aaron Jennings more than the 19 minutes he logged against Indiana.
NU may have a little extra motivation heading into the game. In the teams’ first meeting, Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan kept four starters in the game in the final minutes even though the Badgers led by more than 20 points.
“It’s something we should definitely remember,” Young said. “This is the Big Ten, and they showed no mercy, so we have to show no mercy toward them.”
NU (9-10, 1-7 Big Ten) vs. Wisconsin (15-5, 5-3)
1 p.m. Saturday
Welsh-Ryan Arena
Player to watch: NU’s Jitim Young scored 23 and had 12 boards Wednesday against Indiana.
