It’s not Wednesday, but that’s okay. It’s still time for your NU Sports Report! Here’s Brendan Preisman with more on NU’s newest head football coach, what the basketball teams have been up to, and the latest field hockey news.
Photo by Northwestern Athletics / nusports.com
Hi, I’m Brendan Preisman. It has been a very busy, very successful week for Wildcat athletics. Here’s your NU Sports report for this week.
FOOTBALL
It was a program-shifting week in more ways than one. On Saturday, the Wildcats defeated Wisconsin on the road by a score of 24-10. It was the first time Northwestern beat Wisconsin in an away game since 2015. Ben Bryant was the starting quarterback again after returning from injury. He played splendidly, throwing for nearly 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. The defense held their own as well, holding Wisconsin to 86 rushing yards and just one touchdown.
Four days later, on Wednesday, the athletic department announced that David Braun would have the interim tag and title removed. Braun becomes the 30th head coach in program history thanks to the move, after 10 games in the interim capacity. Both president Michael Schill and athletic director Derrick Gragg highly praised Braun, saying he rallied the team and earned the full-time job. Braun is the first Northwestern head coach to win five games in his first season since 1903. And if he gets to win number six, the Wildcats will go to a bowl game for the first time since 2020.
BASKETBALL
Turning to the hardwood, both the men’s and women’s teams stayed undefeated up until Wednesday night. On the men’s side, the Wildcats gritted out wins against Dayton and Western Michigan, beating both teams by a combined nine points. In the 71-66 win over Dayton, the team nearly blew a 10 point halftime lead. But thanks to 19 points from Ryan Langborg, the ‘Cats held on. Against Western Michigan, the team was badly outrebounded, but 21 points from Boo Buie and 20 from Brooks Barnhizer kept the Wildcats’ record unblemished. After closing the homestand with that 63-59 victory, the Wildcats will travel to the East Coast to take on Rhode Island this Saturday.
On the women’s side, it was a tale of two games. On Sunday, the Wildcats dominated Omaha, opening up a 17-0 lead en route to an 87-69 victory. The Northwestern defense forced 20 turnovers and held UNO to just 35% shooting. However, the team hit a massive wall by the name of Notre Dame later in the week. On Wednesday, Northwestern was demolished on the road by a score of 110-52. The Wildcats missed 40 of their 61 shots and were outrebounded by 20. They will look to bounce back at home against Southeast Missouri State this Sunday.
FIELD HOCKEY
And finally, Northwestern field hockey spent the week preparing for its third straight final four. The top-ranked team in the coaches poll had a home doubleheader over the weekend to open the NCAA tournament. On Friday, the Wildcats beat Miami (Ohio) by a score of 3-0. On Sunday, with a trip to the final four on the line, the Wildcats took on Louisville, the only team to beat them all year. Northwestern got its revenge, thanks to a last-minute goal from senior Lauren Wadas. The 3-2 victory kept Northwestern’s season alive, and earned them a third straight appearance in the final four. The Wildcats continued their quest for a national title earlier today against Duke, the third ranked team in the nation.
That wraps up your NU Sports report for this week. For more information about upcoming games, as well as how you can watch the Wildcats live, visit www.nusports.com.
I’m Brendan Preisman, WNUR News.
