Good morning. Welcome to the latest edition of the Inside NUsletter. After a week off, we are back.
It’s safe to say that a lot has happened since the calendar turned from 2020 to 2021.
Pat Fitzgerald and company capped a landmark season and sent defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz with a victory over Auburn in the Citrus Bowl. On the hardwood, Northwestern returned from its brief trip as a full basketball school. It is back to being a half basketball school. The men’s team is in the midst of a four-game slide with two top-ten opponents on the docket this week. The women’s team lost two games but has bounced back with as many wins since then.
A lot is going on in the world right now. We hope that this edition finds you safe and healthy.
Football: A season in review
Peyton Ramsey played his best game in a Northwestern uniform, and a defense coordinated by Mike Hankwitz in his final game neutralized Bo Nix and the Auburn offense to defeat the traditional SEC powerhouse 35-19. The now No. 10 Wildcats finished the season with their highest ranking in the AP Poll since the 1995 season.
Over the past week, we’ve looked both forward and back on the football program, which will surely produce news over the next couple of months with personnel additions both on the field and on the sidelines. Check out these pieces, and know that there’s more to come:
Roundtable: Best moment of Northwestern’s 2020 football season
Breaking: Quarterback Peyton Ramsey will not return to Northwestern next year
2020 Northwestern football post-mortem: August and September
2020 Northwestern football post-mortem, October: The ‘Cats start hot
2020 was Pat Fitzgerald’s most impressive coaching season yet
On the hardwood
Men’s basketball
What a difference two weeks make. Chris Collins’ team seemed to finally break through and put itself in a position to compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a three-game win streak over ranked opponents. However, inefficient shooting and poor second-half performances have doomed the ‘Cats, who now stand at 3-4 in conference play. Notably, Illinois outscored Northwestern 53-13 in the second half of last Thursday’s contest.
NU takes on No. 5 Iowa and No. 9 Wisconsin this coming week. Here’s a list of stories catching you up.
Rapid Reaction: Northwestern blows double-digit halftime lead in 81-56 loss to Illinois
Northwestern’s second-half collapse raises questions on how it moves forward
Bracketology: Northwestern’s men’s basketball is on the bubble
Rapid Reaction: No. 21 Ohio State holds off Northwestern 81-71
Women’s basketball
Joe McKeown’s squad seems to have re-established its defense-first identity after being shellacked by now-No. 13 Michigan. The No. 22 ‘Cats battled for two straight wins over Wisconsin and Iowa.
NU will face Penn State and Illinois this coming week after an elongated break due to COVID-19 cases at Rutgers postponing yesterday’s matchup.
Rapid Reaction: Northwestern battles to 77-67 victory over Iowa
By limiting the three and Caitlin Clark, Northwestern earns long-sought victory over Iowa
Good Tweets will be back next week. We hope you found the Inside NUsletter useful and enjoyable this football season. As always, provide us with feedback at insidenu@gmail.com.
Written by Colin Kruse and Eli Karp