CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Riding a five-game win streak and having been recently awarded with an AP Top 25 ranking, Northwestern traveled south on I-57 for round two against Illinois on Thursday. 

In a season of historical firsts and landmark achievements, the No. 21 Wildcats’ (20-8, 11-6 Big Ten) clash with the Illini (19-9, 10-7 Big Ten) provided coach Chris Collins’ bunch with yet another chance to make their mark. Thursday’s meeting was just the third time since 1949 that NU has been ranked in the matchup. The Cats also entered the State Farm Center in search of their first regular season sweep of the Illini since Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency. 

They failed to accomplish the feat, with Illinois mounting an incredible second-half comeback to defeat NU, 66-62. 

Despite senior guard Boo Buie pouring in a career-high 35 points in an end-to-end offensive display that will forever be ingrained in the minds of the Cats’ faithful, NU surrendered an 18-point first-half lead and couldn’t triumph over their in-state rivals. 

Here are three takeaways from the Cats’ clash with the Illini.

Takeaways

1. New number, same Buie 

Dread it, run from it, but Boo Buie arrives all the same. 

Like Thanos collecting infinity stones, NU’s talismanic point guard has made a habit of dispatching Big Ten opponents with relative ease this season. 

Operating out of high ball screens or in catch-and-shoot situations, Buie’s scorched earth policy in 2023 continued for yet another game. Over his last three games, Buie was averaging 23.3 points per game — he’s been averaging 19.3 points since the start of the new year. He eclipsed his recent points per game total in rapid fashion against the Illini. 

Buie simply could not be stopped in the first 20 minutes. Illinois coach Brad Underwood tried a host of defensive coverages, including marking him 94-feet from the basket, in hopes of stymying Buie’s production. The senior guard’s jersey was even ripped midway through the first half as Buie was forced to change from No. 0 to No. 4. 

None of it mattered. 

Buie lit up the Illini for 22 points in the first half on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. He finished the game with 35 points and three rebounds, though it wasn’t enough to fuel a victory.

2. NU engineers a third-straight prolific first half, squanders it in second frame

Just a week ago against the Hoosiers, the Cats poured in 39 first-half points. In the first frame against the Hawkeyes on Sunday, NU put up 37 points. The prolific scoring stretch continued against Illinois, as Collins’ bunch, propelled by Buie, quieted the Illini faithful behind another 37-point first-half outing. 

While Buie was inflicting his will upon Illinois, notably single handedly outscoring the hosts 22-19 in the first frame, Collins got some bench production from sophomore guard Brooks Barnhizer. 

The Indiana native continues to see starter-like minutes as the season wears along. His energy on both ends of the floor is desperately needed in such a short rotation and he provided a good lift in 15 first-half minutes, posting seven points and a team-high five rebounds. Barnhizer finished the game with 11 points and six rebounds. 

Beyond NU’s two Killer Bs in Buie and Barnhizer, the rest of the Cats combined for just eight points on 3-of-17 shooting from the field. Still, the visitors had nearly doubled Illinois’ total in the first frame, heading into halftime with a 37-19 advantage. 

The second half was a complete 180, though. Led by guard Terrence Shannon Jr., who poured in 24 of his 26 points in the final 20 minutes, the Illini erased NU’s lead in quick order. Illinois ultimately took its first lead of the game on a pair of free throws from forward Matthew Mayer with under three minutes to play. 

It was a tale of two halves for both teams, but ultimately it was the Illini’s 54.2% shooting performance, including 53.8% from three-point land, and Shannon’s incredible performance that fueled an incredible comeback. 

3. Rest of NU backcourt mired by inefficiency

Buie was simply spectacular Thursday night. As he has for several games during the Cats’ recent winning streak, he put this team on his shoulders and carried them for a full 40 minutes.

But it shouldn’t take incredible individual feats from Buie to push this squad to greater heights come March. The formula is inherently unsustainable and doesn’t lend itself well to the potential ceiling of Collins’ bunch. 

Since Jan. 31, redshirt senior guard Chase Audige, when attempting at least 10 shots, has yet to eclipse 40% shooting from the field. His career as a Cat has been mired by shooting inefficiencies and this stretch has been no different. He’s still produced some big moments this year, including his late scoring burst against Purdue, but his seven-point, 3-of-14 shooting performance plagued NU’s advances on Thursday. 

The same can be said for junior guard Ty Berry, who has struggled mightily since mid-January aside from a career night against Nebraska and his recent performance versus Iowa. However, Berry couldn’t get his shot to fall against the Illini, finishing with two points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field.

The second half aptly illustrated the reality that the Cats simply can’t survive such a poor shooting performance from the rest of its backcourt, even with Buie’s surging play. 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @CervantesPAlex 

Related Stories:

— The Wildcats ranked No. 21 in latest AP Top 25 poll

— Northwestern shakes off offensive rust, hangs 80 points on Iowa in win

— Everybody eats mentality leads to men’s basketball win over Iowa 80-60