In their regular season opener, the Northwestern Wildcats took down the Eastern Illinois Panthers 80-56. The ‘Cats were favored by 23 points and put out a well-rounded scoring performance. Junior guard Boo Buie led the way with 17 points as well as five steals, while senior center Pete Nance and sophomore guard Ty Berry both ended with 13 points. Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s opening night win.
The freshmen need time to develop
In their first two collegiate games, freshmen Julian Roper II and Casey Simmons have played significant minutes for Northwestern, but have struggled to translate this time into positive results.