2017–18 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team represented Northwestern University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Chris Collins as members of the Big Ten Conference. They played their home games at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois while the university's Welsh-Ryan Arena, underwent renovations.[1] A winning record in the Big Ten as well, a Round-of-32 NCAA appearance in 2016–17, and the return of all key offensive contributors led to big expectations for the 2017–18 season. But the Wildcats stumbled to a poor start, finishing the season with a disappointing 15–17 record, 6–12 in Big Ten play to finish in 10th place. They lost in the second round of the Big Ten tournament to Penn State.

2017–18 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record15–17 (6–12 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaAllstate Arena
Seasons
2017–18 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Michigan State 16 2   .889 30 5   .857
No. 11 Purdue 15 3   .833 30 7   .811
No. 17 Ohio State 15 3   .833 25 9   .735
No. 7 Michigan 13 5   .722 33 8   .805
Nebraska 13 5   .722 22 11   .667
Penn State 9 9   .500 26 13   .667
Indiana 9 9   .500 16 15   .516
Maryland 8 10   .444 19 13   .594
Wisconsin 7 11   .389 15 18   .455
Northwestern 6 12   .333 15 17   .469
Minnesota 4 14   .222 15 17   .469
Illinois 4 14   .222 14 18   .438
Iowa 4 14   .222 14 19   .424
Rutgers 3 15   .167 15 19   .441
2018 Big Ten tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Wildcats finished the 2016–17 season 24–12, 10–8 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place. In the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Rutgers[2] and Maryland[3] before losing to Wisconsin in the semifinals.[4] They received the school's first ever bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 8 seed in the West region. In the First Round, they defeated No. 9-seeded Vanderbilt[5][6] before losing to No. 1-seeded Gonzaga in the second round.[7][8]

Offseason

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Coaching changes

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On June 20, 2017, assistant coach Patrick Baldwin left the school to become the head coach at Milwaukee.[9] On June 26, the school hired Michigan assistant coach Billy Donlon to replace Baldwin.[10]

Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Sanjay Lumpkin 34 G/F 6'6" 220 Senior Wayzata, MN Graduated
Nathan Taphorn 32 F 6'7" 215 Senior Pekin, IL Graduated

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
A. J. Turner 21 F 6'7" 188 Junior Mount Clemens, MI Transferred from Boston College. Under NCAA transfer rules, Turner will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.

Recruiting classes

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2017 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Anthony Gaines
SG
New Hampton, New Hampshire New Hampton School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sep 27, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 79
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:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

2018 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jordan Lathon
PG
Grandview, MO Grandview High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jun 25, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Pete Nance
SF
Richfield, OH Revere High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jun 29, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Ryan Young
PF
Stewartsville, NJ Bethlehem Catholic High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Aug 23, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Miller Kopp
SF
Houston, TX Houston Christian High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 21, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
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:

Preseason

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In its annual preseason preview, the Blue Ribbon Yearbook ranked Northwestern as No. 23 in the country.[11]

Roster

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2017–18 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 4 Vic Law 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Saint Rita South Holland, IL
C 5 Dererk Pardon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Villa Angela-St. Joseph Cleveland, OH
G 10 Charlie Hall (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Crossroads Los Angeles, CA
G 11 Anthony Gaines 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr New Hampton School (N.H.) Kingston, NY
G 12 Isiah Brown 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Lakeside Seattle, WA
F 14 Rapolas Ivanauskas 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Fr Brewster Academy Barrington, IL
G/F 20 Scottie Lindsey 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Fenwick Hillsdale, IL
F 21 A. J. Turner (I)   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Jr New Hampton School
Boston College
Mount Clemens, MI
G 23 Jordan Ash 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr St. Joseph Bolingbrook, IL
C 25 Barret Benson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Hinsdale South Chicago, IL
G 30 Bryant McIntosh (C) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Greensburg Community New Castle, IN
G 33 Tino Malnati (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Fr Wauwatosa West Northfield, IL
F 35 Aaron Falzon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS So Northfield Mount Hermon Newton, MA
F 44 Gavin Skelly 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Westlake Westlake, OH
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:30 pm, BTN+
No. 19 Loyola (MD) W 79–75  1–0
 26  Lindsey   9  Lindsey   7  McIntosh  Allstate Arena (6,013)
Rosemont, IL
Nov 13, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN+
No. 20 Saint Peter's
Hall of Fame Tip Off Campus Round
W 75–66  2–0
 17  McIntosh   7  Tied   6  Lindsey  Allstate Arena (5,101)
Rosemont, IL
Nov 15, 2017*
8:00 pm, BTN
No. 20 Creighton
Gavitt Tipoff Games
L 88–92  2–1
 30  Law   6  Skelly   9  McIntosh  Allstate Arena (6,384)
Rosemont, IL
Nov 18, 2017*
1:30 pm, ESPN3
No. 20 vs. La Salle
Hall of Fame Tip Off Naismith Bracket semifinals
W 82–74  3–1
 21  McIntosh   8  Law   7  McIntosh  Mohegan Sun Arena 
Uncasville, CT
Nov 19, 2017*
4:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 20 vs. Texas Tech
Hall of Fame Tip Off Naismith Bracket championship
L 49–85  3–2
 20  Lindsey   4  Law   3  McIntosh  Mohegan Sun Arena 
Uncasville, CT
Nov 24, 2017*
7:30 pm, BTN+
Sacred Heart
Hall of Fame Tip Off Campus Round
W 81–50  4–2
 19  Lindsey   6  2 tie   6  McIntsoh  Allstate Arena (5,216)
Rosemont, IL
Nov 28, 2017*
6:15 pm, ESPN2
at Georgia Tech
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
L 51–52  4–3
 18  McIntosh   12  Pardon   5  McIntosh  Hank McCamish Pavilion (5,562)
Atlanta, GA
Dec 1, 2017
8:00 pm, BTN
Illinois W 72–68 OT 5–3
(1–0)
 22  Lindsey   7  Law   6  McIntosh  Allstate Arena (10,017)
Rosemont, IL
Dec 3, 2017
3:00 pm, BTN
at Purdue L 69-74  5–4
(1–1)
 20  Pardon   10  Law   4  3 tied  Mackey Arena (14,360)
West Lafayette, IN
Dec 11, 2017*
6:00 pm, FS1
Chicago State W 96–31  6–4
 18  Law   8  Pardon   7  McIntosh  Allstate Arena (5,007)
Rosemont, IL
Dec 14, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN
Valparaiso W 84–50  7–4
 18  Law   10  Skelly   5  McIntosh  Allstate Arena (5,299)
Rosemont, IL
Dec 16, 2017*
1:00 pm, FS1
at DePaul W 62–60  8–4
 25  Lindsey   8  Lindsey   7  McIntosh  Wintrust Arena (7,001)
Chicago, IL
Dec 19, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN+
Lewis W 85–48  9–4
 24  McIntosh   6  Gaines   7  McIntosh  Allstate Arena (5,126)
Rosemont, IL
Dec 22, 2017*
6:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 17 Oklahoma L 78–104  9–5
 17  Pardon   9  Pardon   3  Tied  Lloyd Noble Center (11,259)
Norman, OK
Dec 30, 2017*
11:00 am, FS1
Brown W 95–73  10–5
 18  Pardon   8  Pardon   3  4 tied  Allstate Arena (6,006)
Rosemont, IL
Jan 2, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
Nebraska L 55–70  10–6
(1–2)
 17  Pardon   15  Pardon   4  Lindsey  Allstate Arena (5,443)
Rosemont, IL
Jan 5, 2018
7:00 pm, FS1
at Penn State L 63–78  10–7
(1–3)
 18  McIntosh   6  Law   5  Law  Bryce Jordan Center (4,682)
University Park, PA
Jan 10, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
Minnesota W 83–60  11–7
(2–3)
 22  Lindsey   12  Pardon   16  McIntosh  Allstate Arena (5,514)
Rosemont, IL
Jan 14, 2018
3:30 pm, CBS
at Indiana L 46–66  11–8
(2–4)
 9  Tied   7  Law   3  Law  Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
Bloomington, IN
Jan 17, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
No. 22 Ohio State L 65–71  11–9
(2–5)
 13  Lindsey   10  Pardon   4  Pardon  Allstate Arena (6,018)
Rosemont, IL
Jan 20, 2018
1:00 pm, BTN
Penn State W 70–61  12–9
(3–5)
 18  Law   5  Tied   4  McIntosh  Allstate Arena (6,544)
Rosemont, IL
Jan 23, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
at Minnesota W 77–69  13–9
(4–5)
 18  Tied   13  Law   5  Law  Williams Arena (14,625)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 29, 2018
6:00 pm, FS1
at No. 24 Michigan L 47–58  13–10
(4–6)
 15  Lindsey   7  Tied   5  McIntosh  Crisler Center (10,879)
Ann Arbor, MI
Feb 1, 2018
7:30 pm, FS1
at Wisconsin W 60–52  14–10
(5–6)
 17  Pardon   8  Law   4  McIntosh  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
Feb 6, 2018
6:00 pm, BTN
No. 20 Michigan W 61–52  15–10
(6–6)
 24  McIntosh   9  Skelly   5  McIntosh  Allstate Arena (7,457)
Rosemont, IL
Feb 10, 2018
11:00 am, ESPN2
at Maryland L 57–73  15–11
(6–7)
 20  Lindsey   8  Pardon   3  2 tied  Xfinity Center (16,164)
College Park, MD
Feb 13, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
at Rutgers L 58–67 OT 15–12
(6–8)
 19  Lindsey   13  Pardon   5  McIntosh  Louis Brown Athletic Center (3,827)
Piscataway, NJ
Feb 17, 2018
1:00 pm, FOX
No. 2 Michigan State L 60–65  15–13
(6–9)
 21  Law   6  Pardon   5  Law  Allstate Arena (12,114)
Rosemont, IL
Feb 19, 2018
6:00 pm, FS1
Maryland L 64–71  15–14
(6–10)
 15  Lindsey   6  Pardon   5  Gaines  Allstate Arena (6,014)
Rosemont, IL
Feb 22, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2
Wisconsin L 64–70  15–15
(6–11)
 26  Lindsey   9  Pardon   6  McIntosh  Allstate Arena (7,033)
Rosemont, IL
Feb 25, 2018
6:30 pm, BTN
at Iowa L 70–77  15–16
(6–12)
 32  Lindsey   10  Benson   6  Gaines  Carver–Hawkeye Arena 
Iowa City, IA
Big Ten tournament
Mar 1, 2018
5:30 pm, BTN
(10) vs. (7) Penn State
Second round
L 57–65  15–17
 14  Pardon   8  tied   5  McIntosh  Madison Square Garden (13,996)
New York City, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP1920RVRVRVNot released
Coaches20RV

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

See also

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2017–18 Northwestern Wildcats women's basketball team

References

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  1. ^ "Northwestern basketball flipping homes in 2017–18 season as Welsh-Ryan undergoes 'compete renovation'". Land of 10. September 27, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  2. ^ Greenstein, Teddy. "Northwestern dances past Rutgers in 83–61 rout, into Big Ten quarterfinals". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  3. ^ "No home away from home for Maryland in Big Ten tournament loss to Northwestern". Washington Post. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  4. ^ Greenstein, Teddy. "Northwestern falls to Wisconsin in Big Ten semis, but Selection Sunday awaits". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  5. ^ "Northwestern's win over Vandy was wild. Here's what happened". SBNation.com. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  6. ^ "Vanderbilt blew Northwestern game with epic foul gaffe (but it wasn't the only reason) | FOX Sports". FOX Sports. March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  7. ^ "RAPID REACTION: Zags hold off the Wildcats 79–73 in Round of 32". Inside NU. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  8. ^ Dauster, Rob (March 19, 2017). "No. 1 Gonzaga's win over No. 8 Northwestern marred by blown goaltending call". CollegeBasketballTalk. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  9. ^ "UWM hires Northwestern assistant Patrick Baldwin as new coach". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  10. ^ "UWM hires Northwestern assistant Patrick Baldwin as new coach". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  11. ^ "Arizona Tops Blue Ribbon's 37th Annual Preseason Rankings". Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Retrieved September 20, 2017.