2013-2014 Big Ten Basketball Preview: #11. Northwestern Wildcats

Last Season: Just like Penn State, Northwestern had its best player get hurt last year, and it got uglier from there. When Drew Crawford went down, players like Jer'shon Cobb and Dave Sobolewski were forced to step up their games, and they both did in fact show substantial improvement (side note: I'm putting Crawford on Peyton Siva watch: I swear he's been at NW for 9 years). Last year again ended without a postseason berth, and NW is still searching for their first ever invitation to the Big Dance. As a result, Bill Carmody and his gimmicky system are gone. Duke assistant Chris Collins is in.

Departures: Alex Marcotullio (I swear this guy never missed a 3... but actually), Jared Swopshire, Reggie Hearn

Returning Players: Drew Crawford, Jer'shon Cobb, Dave Sobolewski, Alex Olah, Tre Demps, Kale Abrahamson, Mike Turner

Newcomers: Nate Taphorn

What to expect: The fact that Bill Carmody is the one coach who Ed DeChellis consistently beat tells me that this change is a good thing. Collins has some momentum rolling in Evanston, but the wins are not going to come just yet. While Crawford, Cobb, and Sobolewski will be an effective, high IQ trio, there's not a lot of help. Sophomore Alex Olah is a seven-footer who has shown some promise, so he will be a staple in the front court (I wish Luka Mirkovic was still roaming the paint for Northwestern), and a variety of other sophomores, such as Kale Abrahamson, Mike Turner, and Tre Demps could round out the Wildcats's rotation.

Drew Crawford

Storyline to watch: Maybe the most important part of this season for NW is maintaining their established recruiting momentum. Northwestern currently has a commitment from top 75 recruit Vic Law, and he has openly stated that he would not have chosen NW if Carmody was still there. So, clearly Collins has things moving in the right direction, and if he can recruit at a high level, the Kevin Coble injury that may have cost NW a tourney bid will stop haunting the team's fans.

Final Prediction: 14-17 (5-13)  
New Coach! Things will get better in Evanston soon. Chris Collins makes me believe that. Carmody, ehh.. not so much.