Is this the year?
With an ugly win over Rutgers on Thursday night, Northwestern moved to 14-4 on the season and 3-2 in the Big Ten, good for a share of fifth place in the conference standings. In other words, the Wildcats are right in the thick of things. Chris Collins’ team has no bad losses and has picked up a few decent wins, although no truly impressive ones.
If the season ended in mid-January, Northwestern would most likely be in. The Wildcats are 37th in KenPom and 47th in RPI, both of which will carry weight with the selection committee this year.