It doesn’t take a meticulous scouting report to see how much Northwestern depends on Vedran Vukusic. But even as opponents continue to focus on shutting down the senior forward, his offensive production has remained consistent. Vukusic needed only one half to eclipse the 20-point mark for the ninth time this season in Wednesday night’s 66-53 win against Purdue.
“Our philosophy was to stop him and make other people score, and we didn’t stop him,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter.
Vukusic tied a season-high with 28 points, going 9 for 13 from the field and hitting 8 of 9 free throws. He also added three rebounds and three steals. The performance raised his scoring average to 22.3 points per game, overtaking Michigan State’s Maurice Ager for tops in the Big Ten.
In 11 of the Wildcats’ 12 games this season, Vukusic has led the team in scoring. The last such streak at NU was accomplished by former NBA player Evan Eschmeyer, who led the Cats in scoring for an 11-game stretch during the 1998-99 season.
“We’ve been playing really well the past five games, running our offense and getting open looks,” Vukusic said. “We’ve just been taking advantage of that.”
Not all of Vukusic’s shots were uncontested in the Big Ten opener. The 6-foot-8 Croatian showcased his versatile offensive repertoire, including a step-back jumper to begin the game, a leaning floater from the baseline, and a pair of 3-pointers.
With his size and mobility, Vukusic proved to be a matchup nightmare for the Boilermakers. Several times the senior forward slipped behind the defense for easy layups.
“He can score in a lot of different ways,” coach Bill Carmody said. “He knows that I’m not going to take him out of the game, which always helps.
“He can make the outside shot, but also makes good cuts to the basket and draws fouls. Teams are going to try to beat him up for the next two months, and he needs to handle that.”
The Boilermakers played physical defense against Vukusic, a trend that should continue throughout Big Ten play. The senior forward has already attempted 79 free throws through 12 games
