Boise State’s NCAA opponent finished second in the Big Ten. What to know about Northwestern
The Boise State men’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row, and the Broncos’ opponent is one they’ve never faced before.
Boise State landed in the West Region of the bracket, where Kansas (27-7) is the No. 1 seed. The Broncos earned a No. 10 seed, and they’ll open the tournament against No. 7 Northwestern at 5:35 p.m. Mountain time on Thursday (truTV) in Sacramento, California.
The Broncos earned an at-large bid for just the third time in program history and enter with a 24-9 record. With a 13-5 mark in league play, the Broncos finished second during the regular season and were eliminated in the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament with a 72-62 loss to Utah State.
“It’s pretty surreal to be living this and have a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament,” Boise State redshirt senior Max Rice said. “... After it happens, when I’m looking back on it, it’ll be really, really cool to look back on. But now in the moment I’m just super focused with my guys and I’m excited to get out there and play.”
Here’s a look at Boise State’s first-round opponent, the Northwestern Wildcats:
Northwestern
Head coach: Reigning Big Ten Head Coach of the Year Chris Collins is in his 10th season with the Wildcats
Record: 21-11, 12-8 Big Ten
Conference finish: Northwestern finished tied for second in the conference in the regular season — the program’s top Big Ten finish since the 1958-59 season — and fell 67-65 in overtime to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
NCAA Tournament resume: The Wildcats are 6-7 against teams in this year’s field, including a victory over Purdue when it was ranked No. 1 in the country. Northwestern is making its second tournament appearance in program history. The Wildcats have wins over Michigan State, Illinois, Indiana (twice), Purdue and Iowa. Their losses came against Auburn, Pitt, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland and Penn State (twice). Michigan State is a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament; Illinois is a No. 9 seed; Indiana is a No. 4 seed; Purdue is a No. 1 seed; Iowa is a No. 8 seed.
Players to watch: Senior guard Boo Buie (6-2, 180) took home first-team All-Big Ten accolades from the media and averages 17.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Senior guard Chase Audige (6-4, 200) was tabbed the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in addition to receiving second-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches. Audige ranks second on the team in points (13.8). Both Buie and Audige have started all 32 games for the Wildcats this season, and they have been joined in the starting lineup consistently by junior guard Ty Berry (6-3, 185) and senior forward Robbie Beran (6-9, 215). Junior center Matthew Nicholson (7-0, 255) and graduate transfer forward Tydus Verhoeven (6-9, 235) have also started at times this season.
This story was originally published March 12, 2023 at 8:53 PM.
