Northwestern Basketball Ranked in AP Poll for First Time Since 2009

EVANSTON, IL - As bizarre a year in sports 2016 was, 2017 is shaping up to give it a run for its money.

Sure, 2016 saw the city of Cleveland break its more than half-century championship drought and the Chicago Cubs win the World Series for the first time in more than 100 years, but something even more rare is unfolding in the early stage of 2017.

The Northwestern University men’s basketball team is good. So good, in fact, that they have cracked the Associated Press’ most recent Top 25 ranking.

The Wildcats cracked the list just barely on Monday, at No. 25, by edging out an SMU team that received the most votes among teams not included in the weekly list. It’s the first time Northwestern has been ranked in the national poll since 2009, when a 10-1 start to the season also earned them the No. 25 spot.

The recognition comes on the heels of a pair of impressive home victories for the Wildcats over Big 10 conference rivals Nebraska and Indiana that put the team at 18-4 overall and 7-2 in conference.

A Big Ten team making the Top 25 list is not rare. There are usually a few ranked every week and this week includes three other conference foes (Wisconsin, Maryland, Purdue) ranked ahead of the Wildcats.

But in-tuned college sports fans realize what’s on the line for Northwestern this year.

An NCAA Tournament berth. With one month remaining in the regular season, Northwestern looks to be in good shape to crack the field of 68 teams selected for the big “March Madness” tournament that takes hold of the nation for much of the month of March.

For Northwestern, that would be a first. Since the tournament’s inception in 1939 (when the first Final Four was held in Evanston), Northwestern has never qualified for the tournament. They are the only school in a major conference that continues to hold that dubious distinction.

The 2016-17 season has seen the Wildcats bolt from the back of the pack in the Big 10 to one of the leaders in the conference thanks in part to three players (Scottie Lindsey, Vic Law and Bryant Mcintosh) averaging double figures in points and the team holding opponents to an average of less than 65 points per game.

The team is riding a six-game win streak heading into a Wednesday showdown with Purdue, which if they win will not only bolster their hopes for a spot in the tournament but will have Head Coach Chris Collins and crew thinking about seeding come March.

Patch file photo / Tim Moran