Just 10 seconds after entering Northwestern’s exhibition game against McKendree Wednesday for their first action in a Wildcat uniform, graduate student forward Blake Preston and sophomore guard Justin Mullins made their presences known.
Preston swatted a Bearcat layup off the glass, allowing senior guard Ty Berry to grab the rebound and find Mullins for an easy fast break layup.
NU’s 85-63 blowout over McKendree offered a glimpse into what the team’s three transfers — Mullins, Preston and graduate student guard Ryan Langborg — can bring the ‘Cats this season.
While junior guard Brooks Barnhizer’s 29 points, five steals and four blocks carried NU on both ends of the floor, each transfer displayed their potential for the ‘Cats as they begin their campaign for the first back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in program history.
Langborg, who was critical in Princeton’s Cinderella NCAA Tournament run last season, was the sole transfer in coach Chris Collins’ small-ball starting lineup. After getting subbed out earlier after self-described “bonehead” fouls, the San Diego native heated up in the second half.
He buried back-to-back threes near the 10-minute mark — including a shot from the wing off a one-armed swing pass from Mullins inside. Running point for the ‘Cats in the final minutes after graduate student guard Boo Buie exited the game, Langborg finished with 13 points and three assists, shooting 3-of-7 from deep.
Collins praised Langborg’s spot-up shooting abilities, saying he’s “almost surprised” when Langborg misses wide open shots.
Last season’s Big Ten Coach of the Year said he used the low stakes of an exhibition to experiment with different rotations in the second half.
“I wanted to take (Buie) out those last eight minutes and see how we could play with him off the floor with some of those other guys, and (Langborg) was in a playmaking role,” Collins said.
Langborg said he enjoyed stepping on the floor at Welsh-Ryan Arena. While Wednesday night’s student section was sparse, he said he’s excited for nonconference play to start next week.
“It is different than playing in Princeton … it’s nice seeing a lot more student fans in the games,” Langborg said.
With the loss of Chase Audige — last year’s Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Year — Mullins fills a key defensive role on the perimeter. Injuries forced the ‘Cats to run a seven-man rotation for most of the game but allowed the Chicagoland native to see 27 minutes of action.
The University of Denver transfer finished with 14 points, four assists and three offensive rebounds. Collins said Mullins brings a “different element” to this year’s squad, namely his ability to jump into passing lanes and guard bigger players on the wing.
Preston fills Tydus Verhoeven’s position as a backup center to senior Matthew Nicholson. He played 14 minutes and shot an efficient 3-of-3 from the field.
“We need his defense, his rebounding and his ability to finish around the basket,” Collins said.
The ‘Cats open nonconference play next week with two big home games: Binghamton on Monday and Dayton on Friday.
Barnhizer, the star of Wednesday’s exhibition and newly elected team captain, said the team’s ethos is that games are never a one-man show.
“The funny thing is like we all still have zero averages across the board at the end of day. The stats, everything doesn’t matter,” Barnhizer said “But that’s what our identity is, like, we don’t really care who scores.”
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— Men’s Basketball: Northwestern lands third transfer with former Princeton guard Ryan Langborg
