This will be the season the Northwestern men’s basketball team goes where it’s never gone before. And it’s not just because TV executives had enough sway to expand the NCAA Tournament to 68 teams.

Don’t call me crazy or remind me of the decades of NU basketball futility.

And please don’t mention Kevin Coble’s decision to not rejoin the team. Had Coble played this season, he would have disrupted the chemistry that developed without him as the team notched a program-best 20 wins last year.

That chemistry was strengthened during the team’s trip to Italy at the end of August, during which the Wildcats won all four of their exhibition games.

“Everyone on the team is capable of playing this year,” sophomore Drew Crawford said. “We’re a deep team now and guys coming off the bench are going to bring a lot of energy.”

The roster is the same as last year’s with only three changes. Kyle Rowley is gone, senior Jeff Ryan is back from injury to add reliable depth on the bench and NU’s most-highly touted recruit ever, guard JerShon Cobb, fills Jeremy Nash’s spot.

Nash was electric at times for the Cats at the top of the 1-3-1 defense, but Cobb has the potential to contribute right away on both ends of the court.

With the addition of Cobb to the backcourt, senior Michael “Juice” Thompson will be able to focus more on his role as a facilitator. The three-year starter has mastered the Princeton offense.

For NU to be relevant come March Madness, Crawford, last year’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year, needs to avoid a sophomore slump.

Consistency is the key for Crawford. If he makes the same strides in year two as John Shurna last winter, the Cats could have the most dynamic scoring duo in school history.

Ending the eternal drought begins with running the table against the non-conference competition that gets underway Friday night at Northern Illinois.

Last season the Cats’ only loss before Big Ten play was against Butler, the Cinderella team that nearly knocked off Coach K and the Dukies in the national championship game.

With no preseason ranked teams on the non-conference slate, there is less room for error and fewer chances to impress the selection committee than last year. Still, an 11-0 non-conference record is a real possibility.

While Carmody’s Cats won’t boost their RPI during the first chunk of the season, they will have plenty of chances to do just that later on because the Big Ten should be the deepest and most competitive conference in all of college hoops. Both Michigan State and Ohio State are considered preseason Final Four favorites.

And NU only plays OSU’s uber-talented freshman class once ­- at the friendly confines of Welsh-Ryan. (Preseason upset special prediction, anyone?)

Still, the talented Big Ten will keep the road to basketball salvation a difficult challenge.

But as long as the Cats, unlike their football counterparts, play for a complete two halves on a consistent basis, March 2011 will be placed next to January 1996 in NU sports lore.

Justin Schecker is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected].