Ben Chasen: Loss in the conference semifinal
One word describes my expectations for Northwestern’s Big Ten Tournament experience: redemption. Standing in NU’s path to a likely NCAA Tournament berth are two teams — Minnesota and Iowa — that left a sour taste in the Wildcats’ mouths after matchups earlier this season. Against the Gophers, the ‘Cats had arguably their worst performance of the season and wound up taking a loss that remains a blight on their resume for the Big Dance. Then there’s the Hawkeyes, who NU took down on the road but fell to in remarkably controversial fashion at Welsh-Ryan Arena, denying the Wildcats what would’ve been another big boost in their tourney hopes.