The Northwestern Wildcats showed their toughness as they fought off Rhode Island to move on to the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament title game.
4-0 ✅
Headed to the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament title game. pic.twitter.com/xPxkU1Etlj
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) November 18, 2023
Anyone who has been to a casino knows that it’s all about getting on a hot streak at the right time and trying to avoid the impending cold spell. The first half of this game at Mohegan Sun embodied just that as the Northwestern Wildcats opened with a 22-2 run where Rhode Island had just one made field goal at the under 8 minute timeout. Just when Northwestern felt comfortable and thought they could let their foot off the gas, Rhode Island replied with a 15-2 run of their own which made it just a 7-point deficit for the Rams at halftime. This set up an exciting second half as both teams proved that at any point they could hit the jackpot and pull ahead in this contest.
Ultimately, it was Northwestern who came out on top and secured their spot in tomorrow’s Hall of Fame Tip-Off Championship game. Boo Buie scored 16 points with 4 rebounds and Brooks Barnhizer scored 18 points with 9 rebounds and 2 assists as they dismantled Rhode Island’s backcourt. Rhode Island’s day was highlighted by Zek Montgomery’s 18 points as well as Cam Estevez’s 15 points off the bench.
Takeaway #1: Northwestern’s Two-Headed Scoring Monster
Boo Buie and Brooks Barnhizer combined for 34 points which made up nearly half of the Northwestern Wildcat’s offense today. Sharpshooter Ty Berry added 13 points of his own including back to back threes on a thrilling sequence of possessions. At the end of the day, the main event for the Northwestern Wildcats was the pair of Buie and Barnhizer. Both guards are able to create their own shots without disrupting the flow of the offense which makes them an especially tough pair to stop.
A testament to how important Boo Buie is to the Northwestern Wildcats is Head Coach Chris Collins letting him play with 4 fouls late in the game. Although Northwestern held a significant lead, it is important to note the trust between coach and player in situations like this which may happen again as the Wildcats fight their way through the gauntlet of the Big Ten.
Takeaway #2: Who can the Rams rely on?
Zek Montgomery had a great performance today, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the disappearance of Jaden House. Coming into the HOF Tip-Off, House averaged 20.7 points per game but scored just 6 points today on 2-13 shooting from the floor. During his post game press conference, Head Coach Archie Miller talked about how House is a confident player and he doesn’t expect one poor performance to alter his approach especially with a quick turnaround as the Rams play again in tomorrow’s consolation game.
As Rhode Island struggled to find ways to score in the first half, it was Cam Estevez who stepped up to begin climbing out of the early hole that Rhode Island found themselves in. Coming into today, Esetevez was 8th on the team in scoring due to limited minutes in his first three games of the season. With a performance like he had today, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Archie Miller ride the hot hand and give Estevez an increased role moving forward.
Takeaway #3: Northwestern’s Toughness
Northwestern’s toughness, both physically and mentally, was on display today. Coming out of the gates hot with a 20-point lead is great, but the more interesting part of that lead was how Northwestern was able to maintain it for the entire game despite Rhode Island’s multiple efforts to cut into it. Despite going through a scoring cold spell of their own, the Wildcats were able to shift their focus and continue doing the basics of putting pressure on the ball and grabbing rebounds until the lid came off the basket for them. Having these traits on display this early season should help Northwestern navigate their way through the grueling Big Ten regular season.
Next Game for the Northwestern Wildcats: vs. Mississippi State (Nov. 19 – 1 p.m.)
Next Game for the Rhode Island Rams: vs. Washington State (Nov. 19 – 3:30 p.m.)