Northwestern Basketball: Ranking toughest non-conference games

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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 13: Head coach John Giannini of the La Salle Explorers looks on during a quarterfinal game against the Davidson Wildcats in the 2015 Men’s Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at the Barclays Center on March 13, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /

5. La Salle, Neutral, 11/18

La Salle has not had much success since making the Sweet Sixteen in 2013, but return three of their top four scorers from last season. The Explorers should finish in the middle of the Atlantic-10, but they have enough talent to pull an upset.

BJ Johnson is La Salle’s best player. The 6’7 power forward averaged 17.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game which led the Explorers in both categories. Johnson benefits from playing next to two quality point guards, Pookie Powell and Amar Stukes. Powell is a transfer from Memphis who averaged 13.7 points and 3.1 assists per game. Stukes plays alongside Powell, even though they are both point guards, and averaged 8.1 points and 4.3 assists last season.

La Salle is a borderline top 100 team and playing them on a neutral court will help Northwestern’s RPI. While this game should be a decent challenge for the Wildcats, the importance of it cannot be overstated. This game is part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip Off Tournament so winning the game versus La Salle will give the Wildcats an opportunity to play a strong team in the championship.

Winning this game will give the Wildcats the opportunity to bolster their resume even more which could make a huge difference on Selection Sunday.

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