Men’s Basketball

Over the last few seasons, the Northwestern offense was centered around guard Bryant McIntosh running the pick-and-roll.

But, with McIntosh now playing in Belgium, the Wildcats offensive system is getting a new look.

Coach Chris Collins said the offense — which is becoming more motion-based — is changing to better fit this season’s personnel. With the team lacking an experienced ball handler, he said there are going to be fewer pick-and-rolls and more offball movement and cutting.

Collins also said to expect more play in the low post, and not just from senior center Dererk Pardon. On the wings, NU is lengthier and bigger than in years past, which can lead to better matchups in the post.

Starting lineup still a question mark

With three of NU’s five starters from last year graduating in the spring, the Cats have major holes to fill in their starting lineup.

Collins said lineup mainstays Pardon and senior forward Vic Law will be in the first five, as well as graduate transfer guard Ryan Taylor. Law and Pardon have started every game they have played in over the past two seasons while Taylor has in 83 of his 87 career games at Ohio and Evansville.

The sixth-year coach added he is more concerned right now about finding the right rotations instead of settling on a starting rotation.

“I think there are a lot of guys worthy of starting,” Collins said. “I think with the way we are playing, we are going to try to play more guys this year and keep minutes at a little bit lower number than maybe some of our guys played in the past few years.”

Schedule full of potential

Collins said NU’s schedule is challenging but is prime for resume-boosting wins, especially in the nonconference of the slate.

The Cats will play 20 Big Ten games in addition to 11 non-conference games. Two of the team’s biggest non-conference games come in Evanston when NU takes on Georgia Tech in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Nov. 28 and Oklahoma on Dec. 21. The Cats lost to both teams last season.

“I get physically ill when I look at this schedule as a whole so I just try to look at the next line in front of me,” Collins said. “I see McKendree on Friday night and that is kind of my whole focus right now.”

Pardon extending range

Pardon enters the 2018-19 season as Northwestern’s leader in field goal percentage with a 62 percent clip. Most of his shots over the years have come from around the hoop with some mid-range jumpers sprinkled in. Pardon shot only one three-pointer in his three years in Evanston, but that number is set to rise this winter.

The 6-foot-8 captain — who Collins said gained 10-12 pounds in the offseason — said one of the biggest things he worked on this summer was extending his range all the way out to the three-point line. When asked whether he would showcase his new skill during the season, Pardon responded assertively.

“Yes,” Pardon said. “Come to the first game and you will see.”

A previous version of this article misstated Dererk Pardon’s career number of three-point attempts. Pardon has shot one three-pointer in his career. The Daily regrets the error.

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