Nov. 30, 2009

Northwestern at N.C. State
RBC Center (19,700)
Raleigh, N.C. • 6 p.m. CT
TV: ESPNU (Beth Mowins and Jay Williams)
Audio: WIND-AM 560 and wgnradio.com (Dave Eanet and Shon Morris)
Live State: gopack.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern looks to hand its third consecutive opponent its first loss of the season Tuesday as it travels to undefeated North Carolina State to participate in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Central time. The game is being televised live by ESPNU with Beth Mowins and Jay Williams on the call.

The Wildcats are seeking their fifth straight victory after downing No. 23 Notre Dame and Iowa State to win the Chicago Invitational Challenge last weekend. Sophomore forward John Shurna had a pair of breakout performances, scoring a career-high 25 points against the Irish before following it up with 23 points in the win over the Cyclones. He was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player for his efforts.

NU and N.C. State are meeting for the second time in the history of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with the Wolfpack winning the previous meeting 74-49 Dec. 4, 2003 in Raleigh.

Series History: N.C. State leads 3-0.
Last Meeting: The Wolfpack posted a 74-49 win over the 'Cats Dec. 4, 2003 in Raleigh behind 23 points from Marcus Melvin. Aaron Jennings led Northwestern with 17.

Scouting N.C. State
• North Carolina State (5-0) enters the contest on the heels of a 69-52 home win over New Orleans on Sunday. Junior forward Tracy Smith led four Wolfpack players in double figures with 20 points to go along with eight rebounds.
• Smith paces N.C. State with averages of 16.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Dennis Horner contributes 14.4 points per contest while Javier Gonzalez chips in with norms of 9.6 points, 6.6 assists and 5.0 rebounds.
• Sidney Lowe has a 56-46 record in his fourth season as the head coach at his alma mater.

So Far, So Good
Northwestern's 5-1 record is a tie for the best six-game start to a season during the Carmody era, matching the 2001-02 and 2008-09 teams. Both of those teams opened the season 7-1. NU earned five wins in the month of November this season for the first time in school history.

Looking Back on Iowa State
• Northwestern's wins over Notre Dame and Iowa State helped the team finish undefeated in an in-season tournament for the first time since Dec. 29-30, 1993 when it defeated Northeastern and Rider in the Hatter Classic in Deland, Fla.
• Sophomore forward John Shurna was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Chicago Invitational Classic while senior guard Jeremy Nash and junior guard Michael Thompson were also named to the all-tournament team.
• The Cyclones came into the game shooting 51.3 percent from the field, but were held to 40.4 percent, including 28.0 percent (7-25) in the second half. NU limited Iowa State to only one field goal over a 12-minutes span during the second period.

Shurna Named Big Ten Player of the Week
Sophomore forward John Shurna was recognized for his efforts in the team's wins over Liberty, Notre Dame and Iowa State by being named the Big Ten Player of the Week Nov. 30. He averaged 20.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the three victories while helping NU win the Chicago Invitational Challenge. Shurna tallied a career-high 25 points over the 23rd-ranked Irish and followed it up with 23 points against the Cyclones as the Wildcats handed both teams their first loss of the season. His efforts outshined those off All-America candidates Luke Harangody of Notre Dame and Craig Brackins of Iowa State. It is the first such honor of Shurna's career.

Bring on the Best
The Wildcats squared off against a pair of All-America candidates last weekend and more than held their own against Notre Dame's Luke Harangody and Iowa State's Craig Brackins. In fact, NU gave both players fits. Harangody had just two points until there were two minutes remaining in the first half and finished the game 7-of-19 from the field. The following night, Brackins converted on only six of his 16 field goal attempts.

A Memorable Win Over Notre Dame
Northwestern's 72-58 win over 23rd-ranked Notre Dame Nov. 27 marked the first meeting between the schools in 25 years. The victory was the Wildcats' second against a ranked non-conference opponent during Bill Carmody's tenure at NU. Northwestern defeated No. 16 USC 63-61 Dec. 27, 2000. The 'Cats are 2-3 against ranked non-Big Ten teams under Carmody. John Shurna's 25 points surpassed his previous career high of 20 set against UMKC Dec. 15, 2008. The 25 points by Shurna and 20 by Michael Thompson marked the first time NU had two 20-point scorers in the same game since Feb. 18, 2009 when Kevin Coble (26) and Craig Moore (23) did it in a 72-69 win over Ohio State.

On the Marc
Northwestern was looking for a long-range threat to replace the graduated Craig Moore and may have found it in freshman Alex Marcotullio. The southpaw hit a trio of 3-pointers in wins over Tennessee State and No. 23 Notre Dame and has made 11 of 21 3-point attempts (.524) so far this season.

Up Next...
Northwestern takes 11 days off for final exams before returning to action Dec. 13 when it hosts North Carolina A&T.

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