Ending one of the most seemingly immutable streaks of futility in college sports history required quite the journey.

Northwestern entered this season with hopes high but somewhat tempered expectations following the graduations of starters Alex Olah and Tre Demps. Even those looking through the most purple-colored of glasses hardly could have imagined what was to come.

But as the wins rolled up in December and January, a palpable hype grew on campus. For one wacky winter, NU became a basketball school. Students packed Welsh-Ryan Arena for conference wins over “real” hoops schools like Iowa and Indiana. They stormed the court when NU likely sealed its visit to The Dance with a win over Michigan, and they shook the building when Purdue visited for the season finale with CBS’ primetime crew in tow.

Covering this magical Cats team proved a journey in and of itself. From the start, there were hints that this NU team had the punch to snap the infamous streak. And as the victories piled up, the possibility that we were playing witness to history transformed into a reality.

These Cats marched their way into school history, and through the heartbreak and ecstasy, we were fortunate to document this journey that will never be forgotten.

After all, who can forget their first dance?

– Tim Balk, Garrett Jochnau and Max Schuman
editors of the special issue