Through the first month of the season, Northwestern’s reserves received a ton of flak for their lack of production. The bench had averaged 10.3 points per game heading into this week, down from the 17.2 points per game the reserves averaged last season. But in these past three games, and especially against DePaul, the bench has proved its worth, providing the starters with scoring punch and defensive energy.
In blowout wins over Chicago State and Valparaiso, the Wildcats’ role players got a ton of run, scoring a combined 59 points. Those two performances were encouraging, given the bench’s early-season woes, but it was the reserves’ play against DePaul that impressed head coach Chris Collins the most.