2019–20 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team

2019–20 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record8–23 (3–17 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaWelsh–Ryan Arena
Seasons
2019–20 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 17 Wisconsin 14 – 6   .700 21 – 10   .677
No. 9 Michigan State 14 – 6   .700 22 – 9   .710
No. 12 Maryland 14 – 6   .700 24 – 7   .774
No. 21 Illinois 13 – 7   .650 21 – 10   .677
No. 25 Iowa 11 – 9   .550 20 – 11   .645
Penn State 11 – 9   .550 21 – 10   .677
No. 19 Ohio State 11 – 9   .550 21 – 10   .677
Rutgers 11 – 9   .550 20 – 11   .645
Michigan 10 – 10   .500 19 – 12   .613
Purdue 9 – 11   .450 16 – 15   .516
Indiana 9 – 11   .450 20 – 12   .625
Minnesota 8 – 12   .400 15 – 16   .484
Northwestern 3 – 17   .150 8 – 23   .258
Nebraska 2 – 18   .100 7 – 25   .219
Note: The 2020 Big Ten tournament was canceled prior to the second round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

The 2019–20 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team represented Northwestern University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by seventh-year head coach Chris Collins, the Wildcats played their home games at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 8–22, 3–17 to finish in 13th place in Big Ten play. They lost in the first round of the Big Ten tournament to Minnesota.

Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2018–19 season 13–19, 4–16 in Big Ten play to finish in last place. They lost in the first round of the Big Ten tournament to Illinois.[1][2]

Offseason

Coaching changes

In March 2019, assistant Billy Donlon was hired as the new head coach at Kansas City.[3] Collins hired Jon Borovich as Donlon's replacement in May 2019.[4]

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Vic Law 4 F 6'7" 200 Senior (RS) South Holland, IL Graduated
Dererk Pardon 5 F/C 6'8" 235 Senior Cleveland, OH Graduated
Ryan Taylor 14 G 6'6" 195 Senior (RS) Gary, IN Graduated
Jordan Ash 23 G 6'3" 200 Senior Bolingbrook, IL Graduate transferred to Wright State
Barret Benson 25 C 6'10" 240 Junior Chicago, IL Graduate transferred to Southern Illinois
Charlie Hall 34 G 6'5" 210 Junior (RS) Los Angeles, CA Graduated; chose to enter the workforce
Aaron Falzon 35 F 6'8" 235 Junior (RS) Newton, MA Graduate transferred to Quinnipiac

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Remaining Seasons Previous School Notes
Chase Audige 1 G 6'4" 193 Freshman Coram, NY 3 William & Mary Sat out the 2019–20 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Pat Spencer 12 G 6'3" 205 Graduate Davidsonville, MD 1 Loyola (MD) Was immediately eligible for the 2019–20 season, having graduated from Loyola University Maryland. Eligible to play basketball because he never played that sport while at Loyola, instead playing lacrosse.[5]

2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Robbie Beran
PF 		Richmond, VA Collegiate School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Oct 1, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Jared Jones
C 		Jacksonville, FL McEachern High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 232 lb (105 kg) Sep 30, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Daniel Buie
PG 		Troy, NY Gould Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sep 14, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2019 Northwestern Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2019–20 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Boo Buie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Gould Academy Albany, NY
G 1 Chase Audige Current redshirt 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr The Hill School (PA)
William & Mary 		Coram, NY
G 2 Ryan Greer 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Northfield Mount Hermon Atlanta, GA
F 4 Jared Jones 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr McEachern HS Hiram, GA
F 10 Miller Kopp 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Houston Christian HS Houston, TX
G 11 Anthony Gaines 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr New Hampton School Kingston, NY
G 12 Pat Spencer 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) GS Loyola (MD) Davidsonville, MD
C 15 Ryan Young 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Fr Bethlehem Catholic HS Stewartsville, NJ
F 21 A. J. Turner 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Sr Boston College Mount Clemens, MI
F 22 Pete Nance 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Revere HS Akron, OH
F 31 Robbie Beran 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Collegiate School Richmond, VA
G 33 Tino Malnati 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Menomonee Falls HS Northfield, IL
G 53 Roy Dixon III (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Greater Atlanta Christian School Atlanta, GA
G 54 Dylan Sandhu (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 165 lb (75 kg) RS Fr Detroit Country Day School Northville, MI
G 55 Eric Zalewski (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS So Stevenson HS Buffalo Grove, IL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: July 24, 2019

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 31, 2019*
7:00 p.m., BTN Plus 		Quincy W 105–64  –
  19 – Spencer   8 – Turner   5 – Buie/Turner  Welsh–Ryan Arena (N/A)
Evanston, IL
Regular season
November 8, 2019*
7:00 p.m., BTN Plus 		Merrimack L 61–71  0–1
  19 – Nance   12 – Nance   5 – Greeg  Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,014)
Evanston, IL
November 13, 2019*
8:00 p.m., BTN 		Providence
Gavitt Tipoff Games 		W 72–63  1–1
  16 – Young   8 – Nance   5 – Spencer  Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,204)
Evanston, IL
November 19, 2019*
7:00 p.m., BTN Plus 		Radford
Fort Myers Tip Off campus site game 		L 56–67  1–2
  16 – Nance   10 – Nance   6 – Spencer  Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,834)
Evanston, IL
November 22, 2019*
7:00 p.m., BTN Plus 		Norfolk State
Fort Myers Tip Off campus site game 		W 70–59  2–2
  19 – Young   12 – Young   5 – Spencer  Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,954)
Evanston, IL
November 25, 2019*
7:30 p.m., FS1 		vs. Bradley
Fort Myers Tip Off semifinals 		W 78–51  3–2
  23 – Spencer   9 – Gaines   8 – Spencer  Suncoast Credit Union Arena (2,286)
Fort Myers, FL
November 27, 2019*
7:30 p.m., FS1 		vs. Pittsburgh
Fort Myers Tip Off Finals 		L 59–72  3–3
  18 – Spencer   5 – Jones   3 – Spencer  Suncoast Credit Union Arena (2,046)
Fort Myers, FL
December 3, 2019*
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Boston College
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		W 82–64  4–3
  20 – Tied   6 – Nance   4 – Nance  Conte Forum (4,004)
Chestnut Hill, MA
December 8, 2019
4:00 p.m., BTN 		at Purdue L 44–58  4–4
(0–1) 		 14 – Nance   7 – Young   3 – Young  Mackey Arena (14,804)
West Lafayette, IN
December 15, 2019*
3:00 p.m., ESPNU 		SIU Edwardsville W 72–54  5–4
  25 – Young   12 – Young   6 – Buie  Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,464)
Evanston, IL
December 18, 2019
7:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 15 Michigan State L 72–77  5–5
(0–2) 		 26 – Buie   7 – Tied   4 – Buie  Welsh–Ryan Arena (6,734)
Evanston, IL
December 21, 2019*
7:30 p.m., CBSSN 		at DePaul L 78–83  5–6
  25 – Buie   11 – Young   6 – Buie  Wintrust Arena (6,357)
Chicago, IL
December 29, 2019*
1:00 p.m., BTN 		Hartford L 66–67  5–7
  24 – Kopp   5 – Nance   6 – Buie  Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,304)
Evanston, IL
January 5, 2020
6:30 p.m., BTN 		at Minnesota L 68–77  5–8
(0–3) 		 22 – Spencer   9 – Young   8 – Spencer  Williams Arena (9,574)
Minneapolis, MN
January 8, 2020
6:00 p.m., BTN 		at Indiana L 62–66  5–9
(0–4) 		 15 – Spencer   5 – Young   5 – Spencer  Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (13,751)
Bloomington, IN
January 11, 2020
3:30 p.m., BTN 		Nebraska W 62–57  6–9
(1–4) 		 15 – Kopp   10 – Beran   4 – Nance  Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,664)
Evanston, IL
January 14, 2020
7:00 p.m., BTN 		Iowa L 62–75  6–10
(1–5) 		 15 – Kopp   10 – Nance   4 – Tied  Welsh–Ryan Arena (6,023)
Evanston, IL
January 18, 2020
4:00 p.m., BTN 		at No. 24 Illinois L 71–75  6–11
(1–6) 		 17 – Beran   5 – Tied   5 – Spencer  State Farm Center (14,131)
Champaign, IL
January 21, 2020
6:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 17 Maryland L 66–77  6–12
(1–7) 		 17 – Spencer   9 – Spencer   4 – Turner  Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,236)
Evanston, IL
January 26, 2020
5:30 p.m., BTN 		Ohio State L 59–71  6–13
(1–8) 		 20 – Kopp   6 – Nance   4 – Spencer  Welsh–Ryan Arena (6,121)
Evanston, IL
January 29, 2020
5:30 p.m., BTN 		at No. 14 Michigan State L 50–79  6–14
(1–9) 		 11 – Spencer   6 – Beran   2 – Tied  Breslin Student Events Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
February 1, 2020
8:00 p.m., BTN 		Purdue L 58–61  6–15
(1–10) 		 15 – Kopp   7 – Spencer   4 – Buie  Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,874)
Evanston, IL
February 9, 2020
5:30 p.m., BTN 		at Rutgers L 73–77 OT 6–16
(1–11) 		 19 – Buie   6 – Young   5 – Spencer  Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,000)
Piscataway, NJ
February 12, 2020
8:00 p.m., BTN 		Michigan L 54–79  6–17
(1–12) 		 12 – Jones   8 – Young   4 – Tied  Welsh–Ryan Arena (6,054)
Evanston, IL
February 15, 2020
11:00 a.m., BTN 		at No. 13 Penn State L 61–77  6–18
(1–13) 		 12 – Tied   7 – Tied   4 – Kopp  Bryce Jordan Center (14,402)
University Park, PA
February 18, 2020
7:00 p.m., BTN 		at No. 7 Maryland L 67–76  6–19
(1–14) 		 17 – Young   8 – Young   3 – Tied  Xfinity Center (15,486)
College Park, MD
February 23, 2020
2:00 p.m., BTN 		Minnesota L 57–83  6–20
(1–15) 		 11 – Nance   5 – Kopp   6 – Spencer  Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,815)
Evanston, IL
February 27, 2020
7:00 p.m., BTN 		Illinois L 66–74  6–21
(1–16) 		 18 – Spencer   7 – Nance   3 – Spencer  Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,039)
Evanston, IL
March 1, 2020
3:15 p.m., BTN 		at Nebraska W 81–76  7–21
(2–16) 		 21 – Kopp   14 – Nance   7 – Buie  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,842)
Lincoln, NE
March 4, 2020
8:00 p.m., BTN 		at No. 24 Wisconsin L 48–63  7–22
(2–17) 		 14 – Nance   8 – Spencer   7 – Spencer  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
March 7, 2020
3:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 20 Penn State W 80–69  8–22
(3–17) 		 21 – Kopp   8 – Young   6 – Spencer  Welsh–Ryan Arena (6,084)
Evanston, IL
Big Ten tournament
March 11, 2020
5:00 pm, BTN 		(13) vs. (12) Minnesota
First Round 		L 57–74  8–23
  15 – Nance   8 – Tied   3 – Tied"  Bankers Life Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[6]


References

  1. ^ "Northwestern vs. Illinois – Game Recap – March 13, 2019 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  2. ^ Greenberg, Steve (March 13, 2019). "Just Sayin': Not even Illini, Cats can spoil a Big Ten tournament in Chicago". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  3. ^ "Former Wright State head coach Billy Donlon hired by UMKC". coachesdatabase.com. Coaches Database. March 28, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  4. ^ "Collins Names Jon Borovich Assistant Coach". Northwestern Athletics. May 2, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  5. ^ Rittenberg, Adam (March 5, 2020). "Why Pat Spencer, one of the best lacrosse players in the country, chose to play basketball at Northwestern". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  6. ^ "Official 2019–20 Northwestern Wildcats Basketball Schedule".