When former coach June Olkowski’s contract wasn’t renewed after last season, it wasn’t much of a surprise. But no one knew a coach with a 31-108 record would leave a lasting mark on the program.
Before Olkowski was replaced, she managed to assemble the collegerpi.com preseason 33rd strongest schedule in the country. The schedule has climbed to 20th on collegerpi.com and ninth in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association/Summerville’s version of the ratings percentage index.
“I think it has been a real challenge for (first-year coach Beth Combs),” Athletic Director Mark Murphy said. “You want to be able to have some success in the non-conference as a first-year coach.”
But the Wildcats’ preconference matchups didn’t make for a gentle easing into the Big Ten season. Northwestern played four teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll before conference play began. And the Cats had only five of their 13 non-conference games in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
“We’re playing against the best there is out there,” senior center Sarah Kwasinski said. “Every team we play is a tough team, and that’s why I came here.”
Counting Big Ten opponents, NU has faced or will face 10 teams that are currently ranked or receiving votes, including playing two of those teams twice.
Although the Cats can’t control the Big Ten schedule, they do plan the non-conference matchups. Murphy said Olkowski was the primary architect of the non-conference schedule.
Olkowski was reached by phone but refused to comment on NU’s schedule.
“I believe the Big Ten is the best conference in this country,” Combs said. “Ohio State beating Rutgers and this conference beating teams on a national level is proving that.”
But NU’s Big Ten schedule isn’t as difficult as it could have been.
NU has to face only three of the top five teams in the conference — Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue — once each.
“You can’t do anything about the league schedule,” Murphy said. “It’s done a few years in advance and follows certain scheduling principles.”
Murphy said the principles in filling the 16-game schedule were that every team has to play each other at least once and no team is allowed to have more than three straight conference road games.
Collegerpi.com ranks the Big Ten the third-best conference in the country, behind only the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference. The Big Ten had 40 losses as a conference during the non-conference season, while NU had a quarter of them with 10.
Overall 14 of NU’s 22 games have been against teams in the top 100 of the WBCA/Summerville RPI, and the Cats are 1-13 in those matchups.
NU’s matchup at No. 10 Michigan State on Thursday will be the fourth game of a five-game stretch featuring five of the top six teams in the Big Ten.
“It’s a very tough stretch for us,” Combs said. “We hope to get better and better every game and put it together in March.”
Reach Abe Rakov at [email protected].
