Vic Law keeps telling people that this year's Northwestern team is different from Northwestern teams of the past.
Of course, the key to that will be the Wildcats reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time ever. Well, if Chris Collins' team plays like it did in Tuesday's win at Penn State, that invite to the Big Dance will be on its way.
Northwestern dominated much of the contest, getting a career-high 31 points from Scottie Lindsey en route to an 87-77 road victory at Penn State.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The Cats built a massive lead in the first half, shooting a scorching 55.9 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes, capitalizing on the Nittany Lions' lack of defense not to mention the home team's multiple minutes-long stretches without points and baskets. Lindsey was on fire, scoring 17 points in the first half on 6-for-9 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. The Cats made six 3s in the first half and scored 16 points in the paint and 11 fastbreak points.
The second half started poorly for Northwestern, which scored just two points in the first six minutes out of the break. But Penn State couldn't take advantage of Northwestern's cold snap, and the lead stayed big and grew even bigger, hitting a game-high 24 later on in the second half as Lindsey and others kept pouring in the points. Penn State made a very late push, closing the game on a 21-7 run and getting as close as nine, but the Lions ran out of time.
Northwestern held on for the win despite shooting just 31 percent in the second half, during which Penn State hit on 55.6 percent of its shots.
Lindsey's 31 — and five 3-pointers — led the Cats, with three others scoring in double figures. Law had 12 points to go along with 12 rebounds, Bryant McIntosh scored 11 points, and Gavin Skelly had 12 off the bench, hitting a pair of 3s.
Big Ten
It was a sensational opening to conference play for the Cats, who finished the non-conference portion of their schedule with an 11-2 record and wins over name-brand opponents Texas, Wake Forest and Dayton, building a legitimate NCAA tournament resume. A win over Penn State won't necessarily add to that, but what a confidence booster and a springboard into the Big Ten schedule a double-digit win will be for Collins & Co.