Northwestern’s basketball program has real expectations for the first time ever following their maiden voyage to the NCAA Tournament (and a first-round victory over Vanderbilt). Four starters return, as do their top five scorers. They’re ranked #20, securing a ranking in the preseason poll for the first time.
So it’s a bit surprising that they struggled in winning two games over the weekend against mediocre foes. On Friday, they escaped Loyola-Maryland 79-75 — coming back to win after trailing by a point with four minutes to play. Monday night they squeaked past Saint Peter’s 75-66, leading most of the way but never able to create any separation between themselves and a subpar opponent.