Nov. 30, 2004

NU-Virginia Game Notes in PDF Format
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EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern men's basketball team began the season with four road games for the first time since 1915. Judging from the results, it may be another 90 years before it happens again -- after winning the first game on a buzzer-beater, the 'Cats have dropped three straight.

Northwestern vs. Virginia
Wednesday, Dec. 1 * 8:30 p.m. Central
TV: ESPN2 (Bob Carpenter, play-by-play; Tim McCormick, analyst)
Radio: WGN 720 AM and XM Satellite Radio 187 (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; Shon Morris, analyst)

With that in mind, one cannot blame head coach Bill Carmody if he is looking forward to tonight's home opener and hoping the return to cozy Welsh-Ryan Arena will be the tonic that cures the Wildcats' early-season woes.

"It is a confidence thing," he said. "The past few years, we seemed to get more energy from the home crowd. I feel like we should be at the point that we can play with energy and confidence anywhere, but maybe it starts at home. If that is the case, I will take it."

Adding to the atmosphere of Wednesday's tilt, the game will be the final contest of the nine-game 2004 Big Ten/ACC Challenge and broadcast to a national audience on ESPN2.

Carmody's teams have participated in every Challenge to date, and he sees no reason to change that.

"As a coach, I think everything is good about it," he said. "You are playing a quality opponent, so you are getting a good game. If you are home, that is an obvious positive, and if you are on the road that is a good thing too because you are going to play Big Ten teams on the road and you need to get used to the atmosphere of a big-time game."

Carmody also knows that "challenge" is an apt word to describe Wednesday's opponent. Virginia arrives in Evanston with a 4-0 record and a national ranking, thanks to four double-digit victories including a 17-point win over then-No. 10 Arizona. However, while the Wildcats are home for the first time this season, the Cavaliers are hitting the road for the first time.

"I look at Virginia and I see speed and athleticism--they are very fast and strong," said Carmody. "However, unlike Colorado, I feel like this team is athletic and they are great basketball players. They are getting great leadership from Singletary; it seems like he has galvanized the team."

The Fun Fact
Northwestern has played nine home games against ranked opponents during Bill Carmody's five-year tenure as head coach, and the Wildcats have won six of them (listed below) including three straight entering tonight's contest. Each of the last four wins have come by 10 or more points. NU has defeated a ranked opponent in each of Carmody's four seasons in Evanston.
12/27/00--NU 63, #16/15 USC 61
2/10/01--NU 69, #14/16 Iowa 61
1/19/02--NU 63, #17/15 Iowa 50
2/12/03--NU 78, #-/25 Purdue 67
1/14/04--NU 70, #25/25 Illinois 60
2/7/04--NU 69, #14/11 Wisconsin 51

The Series With Virginia
• The Wildcats and the Cavaliers are meeting for the first time in men's basketball.

• Northwestern began the season with four games on the road for the first time since 1915-16, playing three in Alaska (the fifth regular-season trip out of the contiguous 48 states in the program's history) and then one Sunday in Colorado.

• NU head coach Bill Carmody is 1-3 against teams that currently make up the Atlantic Coast Conference; all of those results have come in the Challenge.

The 'Cats in the Challenge
NU is 1-4 all-time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge; the Wildcats are one of just four Big Ten teams to have participated in every Challenge to date (the others are Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin). Northwestern's only win came here at Welsh-Ryan Arena, a 57-50 decision over Florida State during the 2001 Challenge.
12/1/1999 -- Florida State 60, at NU 46
11/28/2000 -- at Clemson 57, NU 44
11/28/01 -- at NU 57, Florida State 50
12/3/02 -- at N.C. State 74, NU 49
12/1/03 -- at Florida State 71, NU 53

The Wildcats enter tonight's game with a 3-17 record all-time against the schools that currently make up the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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