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Northwestern Basketball: Ranking toughest non-conference games

By Brad Cavallaro

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 18: Bryant McIntosh
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 18: Bryant McIntosh /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – MARCH 18: Bryant McIntosh
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – MARCH 18: Bryant McIntosh /

Northwestern’s non-conference schedule provides them with ample opportunities to pad their resume with quality wins before Big Ten play begins.

After making their first NCAA tournament last season, the Northwestern Wildcats look like a top 25 team and they will get a chance to prove their abilities with this tough slate.

There is also a very interesting wrinkle to Northwestern’s schedule. Welsh-Ryan Arena, Northwestern’s home court, is unavailable due to renovations. This means that Northwestern will play their home games in the Allstate Arena which is DePaul’s former home court.

How will Northwestern adjust to essentially playing all their games away from home? We will have to wait until the season starts to find the answer to this lingering question, but for now, here are the 6 toughest games of Northwestern’s non-conference schedule.

These games were ranked based on two criteria: the opponents projected strength and the location of the game (home, away, or neutral).

6. DePaul, Away, 12/16

DePaul has earned a reputation of finishing towards the bottom of the Big East. Over the 4 seasons of the new Big East, DePaul has finished 10th, 9th, 7th, and 10th out of ten teams. While DePaul is slated to finish towards the bottom once again, the Blue Demons have significantly upgraded their roster and could challenge Northwestern, especially playing on DePaul’s home court.

DePaul has found a legitimate starting center in Marin Macic. Macic is a grad transfer from Northern Illinois and the 6’11 center will help fill the massive void in DePaul’s frontcourt. He averaged 14.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last season.

The Blue Demons have added two other transfers, Austin Grandstaff and Max Strus. Grandstaff has spent time at Oklahoma and Ohio St and while talented, has yet to find a home. Strus is a former Division II standout who can play multiple positions at 6’6. Both players should upgrade DePaul’s overall talent and will make them significantly more competitive.

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