NCAA Tournament March Madness

#61 Northwestern

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Projection: likely out

Northwestern's resume faces challenges, particularly with inconsistent performance against both ranked and unranked opponents. While they secured quality wins against teams like Illinois and Montgomery State, their losses—including a narrow defeat against the solid Dayton team and an unfortunate collapse against Butler—expose vulnerabilities in high-pressure situations. Furthermore, their upcoming schedule is daunting, with games against teams like Penn State, Purdue, and Maryland, which could further complicate their tournament hopes unless they can secure key victories. The mixed bag of offensive rankings paired with a strong defense presents a risk; if the offense falters in tough matchups, their chances for an NCAA tournament bid dwindle considerably.

Date Opponent Ranking Outcome
11/4Lehigh238W90-46
11/9@Dayton41L71-66
11/12IL Chicago186W83-74
11/15E Illinois301W67-58
11/19Montana St141W72-69
11/22Pepperdine249W68-50
11/28(N)Butler66L71-69
11/29(N)UNLV121W66-61
12/3@Iowa45L80-79
12/6Illinois12W70-66
12/15(N)Georgia Tech138W71-60
12/21DePaul8257%
12/29Northeastern14563%
1/2@Penn St2140%
1/5@Purdue2841%
1/12Michigan St2348%
1/16Maryland1044%
1/19@Michigan2741%
1/22Indiana5954%
1/26@Illinois1238%
1/29Rutgers8758%
2/1Wisconsin3049%
2/4USC8958%
2/8@Washington9751%
2/11@Oregon1639%
2/16Nebraska5152%
2/20@Ohio St3742%
2/25@Minnesota15256%
2/28Iowa4552%
3/3UCLA1346%
3/8@Maryland1036%