Early Basketball Opponent Preview: Northwestern

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School: Northwestern University

Location: Evanston, IL

Undergrad Enrollment: 8,688

2013-14 record: (14-19, 6-12 B1G)

Top returning players: JerShon Cobb (12.2 pts, 4.8 rebounds); Tre Demps (11.0 pts, 73 assists); Alex Olah (9.1 pts, 5.2 rebounds).

Who’d win in a mascot fight?: Could there be any more boring mascot than the Wildcat? Seriously, generic as hell. Give me Bucky and the bad ass Badger any day of the week.

One interesting major: Jewish Studies

One fact to help you win your local trivia night: Northwestern has many famous alumni, but there may not be anyone more recognizable than former “Hollywood Squares” middle square Paul Lynde.

Prediction: Personally, I think this game is all about timing. The Badgers get Northwestern on the road in game two of Big Ten play, and that could be the best bit of news possible. Northwestern is on its way to turning things around under Chris Collins and UW may be catching a break when it comes to a team with a great mix of returning talent and great recruiting. Look for Wisconsin to take the first game in this series. UW also hosts Northwestern on Feb. 7, and Wisconsin hasn’t had too much difficulty with the Wildcats in the Kohl Center. I expect that home court advantage and youth will play a huge role in this one, with the Badgers winning by double digits easily.

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