N'wstrn Wildcats no pushover

Most IU fans were probably more than a little relieved to see the Big Ten home schedule open with Northwestern at Assembly Hall. It's easy to think a home date with the Wildcats means certain victory, as it has every year since 1969. That's before there even was an Assembly Hall.\nThink again. This is no longer a game where benchwarmers can count on getting 10 minutes of PT. And it has nothing to do with the demise of IU. It has to do with the fact that these aren't your grandfather's Wildcats. (Although your grandfather might have used the same offense).\nNorthwestern has long been an anomaly in the Big Ten. They have never made it to the NCAA Tournament. No, nay, never, not a once. An NIT bid is cause for celebration in Evanston, Ill. They play in a gym the size of a high school's. They are the only private school in the Big Ten. They still call themselves "Northwestern" in spite of the fact that it has been a very long time since anyone considered the Chicago area to be in the northwest region of our country. They wear purple.\nIn fact, I wonder if the rest of the conference decided not to kick them out in the past because they all decided that there should be a team that everyone could beat.\nBut Northwestern Coach Bill Carmody has brought the Wildcats into the ranks of semi-respectability over the past several years. (IU's loss at NU last year can attest to that).\nThis year, the `Cats are poised to do even more. If you look to the top of the Big Ten standings, you will find an unusual name -- Northwestern. Granted, they are locked in a five-way tie for first three games into the season. \nBut this is looking increasingly like a season where anything and everything can happen in the Big Ten. I'm still not closing the door on the possibility that there will be an 11-way tie for first place at the end of the season, with everyone finishing 8-8 in conference play. \nLike everyone in the Big Ten, they have had some ugly losses -- a 49-47 barnburner against Mississippi Valley State (aka Jerry Rice University) and a 19-point loss to Illinois-Chicago stick out in my mind. But they have beaten Iowa on the road and will head to Bloomington fresh off a 10-point victory over No. 25 Illinois.\nThere are many keys to Northwestern's success. Good guard play is one of them. Leading the way is senior shooting guard Jitim Young, who is averaging 18.1 points per game. Handling the point is sophomore T.J. Parker, who has a 2-to-1 assist to turnover ratio.\nBall control is another Northwestern forte. Carmody is a disciple of Princeton's legendary Pete Carril. (Not to be confused with USC's soon-to-be legendary Pete Carroll). That means the Wildcats will hold onto the ball as long as they can before creating a backdoor cut and putting up a good shot. This process can take upwards of 30 seconds a possession. So don't forget to bring your No-Doz to the game.\nAnother area Carmody excels in is recruiting. No, McDonald's All-Americans aren't signing up to play in the renowned Welsh-Ryan Arena. But who needs Americans? Northwestern's roster consists of three Croatians, a Moroccan-Canadian and a Frenchman. Parker, the younger brother of the Spurs' Tony, is the Frenchman. Now if they just found Manu Ginobili's brother, they'd be money.