Cats down No. 23 Notre Dame

If there was any doubt, it turns out that, no, the season is not lost. John Shurna and Michael Thompson came up huge as Northwestern sprung an upset Friday night against No. 23 Notre Dame, a win that should allay some fears and (re)inspire some optimism about this hoops season.   Full Story

The Fighting Irish have been on fire so far this season. And while No. 10 Butler, which Northwestern played last week, certainly goes down as a quality opponent, No. 23 Notre Dame may be just as good. Purple Reign previews the Wildcats' next opponent.   Full Story

Continuing the season-long “Every night is different” theme, freshman Drew Crawford officially had his coming out party for Northwestern on Tuesday night. Purple Reign looks back at Crawford’s big night and the unpredictability trend emerging so far in this young season.   Full Story

With the team in dire need of players to compensate for the loss of Kevin Coble, freshman Alex Marcotullio has had a sterling start to the season. After playing just one minute in the opener, Marcotullio has been integral in the Cats’ last two games. A closer look at the freshman’s numbers, and how important they have been to the Cats' 2-1 start.   Full Story

From the statistics to the style to the players' hometown proximity to campus, Butler is a lot like Northwestern. With the Bulldogs providing a serious challenge (and measuring stick) for Northwestern, Purple Reign takes a look at just how similar these two teams are.   Full Story

It's been a dizzying season for Northwestern's hoops team. And we're only one game in. Two season-ending injuries to two seniors, including the team's unquestioned leader, have cast quite the question mark over all the preseason plans.   Full Story

With the hoops season set to tip off tonight, Purple Reign looks at some of the more pressing questions heading into this highly anticipated campaign. Along with the impact of Kevin Coble’s injury, PR takes a gander a few other factors that could help determine the fate of the season.   Full Story

With the basketball season just around the corner, it won't be long before senior Kevin Coble resumes his ascension up the list of Northwestern's all-time leading scorers. Purple Reign puts a microscope to the hierarchy of the great Wildcat scorers and forecasts where Coble is likely to end up.   Full Story

John Shurna and Kevin Coble lead the Wildcats past Robert Morris, a 2009 Tourney team. Read on for details about the Cats' season-opener, which was an encouraging start to a promising season.   Full Story

Bill Carmody has mentioned Northwestern's depth as part of the fuel for this preseason's optimism. "I can look down the bench and think, 'That ninth guy's OK," he said at Big Ten media day. Well, Purple Reign looked, too, taking a gander at the players who figure to comprise the top nine spots on the depth chart. And Carmody's right: There's a lot to like.   Full Story

Basketball dominates this week's Weekly Wildcat Watch. Aside from Purple Reign's round-up of recent recruiting news, there are articles discussing freshman Drew Crawford's hops, Tom Izzo's "challenge" to Bill Carmody and the team's goal of going dancing. Oh, and there's some football too.   Full Story

It's a bit of a no-duh statement, but nonetheless: When the Wildcats hit their threes, they do a lot better. Sure, that's true of just about every team in the country. But for the 08-09 Cats, wins and losses often hinged on the team's ability to hit threes. And judging by the roster – and what Coach Carmody had to say on media day – threes will continue to be a big factor for the Cats.   Full Story

Some recent developments have changed the landscape of Northwestern’s 2010 recruiting class. In light of the goings-on, Purple Reign talked with a source close to the program about the team’s current recruiting priorities. Get a look at the positions – and a few of the players – that the Wildcats will be looking to add to the 2010 class.   Full Story

Last season, preseason hoops pundits were talking as though anything better than an embarrassing season would be a success. But coming off an NIT berth, there is an air of anticipation about this Wildcats team that hasn't been seen in years, especially not last season. Purple Reign takes a look at the stark change in preseason rhetoric from '08 to '09.   Full Story

A look at Fitz's use of Facebook, some preseason basketball chatter and a handful of recaps that pounce on Northwestern's second half digression against MSU. Articles come from the Detroit Free Press, the Tribune, NBC Sports and many more.   Full Story

In this Weekly Wildcat Watch, Purple Reign rounds up articles that take a look at: How a former Northwestern All-American is gearing up for a triathlon (at the age of 60), how NU's running game would be better against Miami (it wasn't) and Fitz's displeasure with his squad's ground attack (expressed via some four-letter words.)   Full Story

Purple Reign gets a little grief for a recent hoops article, an interesting take on Mike Kafka's lack of rushing yards -- apparently it's Kafka's fault -- some good recaps on the Purdue heart-stopper, plus more. Articles come from the Tribune, the Herald and pretty much every corner of Indiana.   Full Story

One outlet called the commitment of Georgia guard Jershon Cobb "the most prestigious commitment of the Bill Carmody era." See what else people are saying about Cobb, as well as football coverage that focuses on Mike Kafka's monster game last year at Minnesota, and how UM plans to stop him. Calling it trash-talking may be an overstatement, but you could certainly call it, uh, chirping...   Full Story

Northwestern released its basketball schedule, which features a record 20 games at Welsh-Ryan as well as 18 contests against teams that played in the postseason a year ago. Inside, get details on ticket and broadcast information and see what preseason Top 25 squad is heading to Evanston in the non-conference.   Full Story

This round-up of Northwestern news includes articles from the Chicago Tribune, ESPN, a Texas Tech blog and more.   Full Story

The news out of Griffin McKenzie's Wednesday news conference wasn't good for Wildcat fans. The 6-9 forward, who had Northwestern on his short-list, announced that he has opted to stay close to his Cinci home and play ball at Xavier.   Full Story

Corey Wootton's NFL prospects are analyzed, people get in their last-minute football predictions, a look at Mike Kafka's summer workout regimen, plus a blogger asks, "Is Northwestern Basketball Boring?" Stories this week coming from the Tribune, Daily Herald, ESPN, Daily Iowan and more.   Full Story

This week Purple Reign rounds up news about Northwestern's football practices thus far, a look at how guys recovering from knee injuries may shape the Big Ten race, some NU hoops news -- including how the Wildcats are getting short-changed on national TV coverage -- and much more. Stories come from the Tribune, Daily Herald, ESPN and more.   Full Story

Deerfield (Ill.) High School's Duje Dukan is getting looks from a lot of schools, including Northwestern. But despite a solid summer on the AAU circuit, the pure-shooting 6-8 wing has yet to receive many offers. Purple Reign chatted with a couple of Dukan's coaches about the lagging recruitment of this intriguing prospect, and just how much interest NU is showing.   Full Story

After four members of the Georgia-based Southern Kings visited Evanston last week, Purple Reign had a chance to speak to John Cross, the co-director of the Southern Kings program and head coach of the 16U team. In an exclusive interview, see what Cross had to say about his players and their nationwide recruitment.   Full Story