Fresh off two narrow losses to Rutgers and Michigan, Northwestern was supposed to be on a road trip to Iowa  this Wednesday.

That game was scrapped the day prior, with the Wildcats citing “COVID-19 health and safety protocols” within the program as the reason for the postponement. NU only had six of 12 players available, according to a report from Stadium’s Jeff Goodman. As of right now, NU and Iowa are actively working with the Big Ten to get the game rescheduled.

Now, it appears NU’s weekend bout with Wisconsin may be in jeopardy. 

When speaking to reporters following his team’s Tuesday win over Penn State, Badgers coach Greg Gard showed little optimism surrounding the two teams meeting Saturday.

“We don’t think it’s going to happen,” Gard said. “I learned about it (Tuesday) morning and told our staff and our operations guy that I wanted to focus on our game and let our administration work with the Big Ten office. We’ll learn more in the next 24 hours, but our focus was all about tonight. Whatever happens next will happen.”

This brings us to the present — and the certainty of Saturday’s game is still in limbo. Another postponement or cancellation would push the Cats’ return to the court to Jan. 24 against Nebraska. 

As for the immediate advantages, for a squad that already boasts a limited eight-man rotation, a brief and unexpected respite from the gauntlet of Big Ten basketball is a benefit. 

The nearly week-and-a-half-long break lets the group catch its breath — in particular backcourt cogs in redshirt senior guard Chase Audige and senior guard Boo Buie. The duo each account for over 80% of NU’s minutes played this season and are the squad’s only two players averaging over 10 points per game. 

The reprieve also allows coach Chris Collins and his staff to take stock of the team’s current direction, coming on the heels of back-to-back defeats. 

One primary focus could concern opponents’ recent success from three-point land against the Cats. Of NU’s five January conference games thus far, opponents are shooting a combined 43.6% from beyond the arc. In that stretch, only Illinois managed to hit under 30% of its three-point attempts.

Over the Cats’ past three games, Indiana, Rutgers and Michigan in particular have all troubled Collins’ bunch from distance, hitting at least nine triples at a clip of 45.5% or better.

Prolific individual performances from opposing guards may also provide some pause. Guard Cam Spencer, who buried the game-winner in the Scarlet Knights’ victory over NU last week, nailed 6-of-7 three-point attempts; Hoosier guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, for all his costly turnovers, went scorched earth hitting 5-of-7 triples. Meanwhile, Wolverines guard Jett Howard canned 4-of-6 attempts from deep last Sunday.

The Cats’ defense remains a top-20 unit nationally, notably holding opponents to 41.5% on two-point shots. Still, the recent defensive struggles on the perimeter have mired a critical early stretch of the season. 

Oh, and for those ever-looming March Madness questions — the potential cancellation of matchups against Iowa and Wisconsin could prove consequential on Selection Sunday, when the NCAA bracket is revealed.

As of mid-January, NU is a bubble team operating on the thinnest of margins. If the clashes with the Hawkeyes — designated a Quad 1 meeting — and the Badgers — designated a Quad 2 game — are scratched from the schedule, the Cats lose two potential resume-boosters. This isn’t to say either of those games were guaranteed victories, but the wiggle room in the selection committee’s eyes — should NU’s form dip later in the season — shrinks if those games aren’t played.

An easy solution to this problem is to continue winning. As the victories mount up, doubts of  a March Madness dream are quelled. But recent history aside, it’s naive to believe that, in a conference which cannibalizes itself as much as the Big Ten, Collins and the Cats can just waltz into their second NCAA Tournament appearance.

Ultimately, NU, as Collins would say, has a lot of opportunities left and the COVID-19 pause provides an unique opportunity to regroup and rebound after a pair of tough losses. 

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Twitter: @CervantesPAlex 

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