The Arizona Tip-Off doesn’t feature any top 10 squads, but it’s the perfect place for Northwestern or Butler to earn two wins that will matter when the NCAA Tournament committee does its work.
The Wildcats (5-1) and Bulldogs (4-1) open the three-day event Thursday afternoon in Tempe. The winner will claim its most significant victory so far this season and a chance to notch another Friday against either No. 25 Mississippi State (5-0) or UNLV (4-1).
Three of Northwestern’s key players are still easing into the campaign after returning from injuries. Preseason all-Big Ten selection Brooks Barnhizer has played just two games after undergoing offseason foot injury, while Ty Berry (knee) and Matthew Nicholson (foot) missed the whole offseason.
“It’s not a work of art right now — and I knew that coming into the year,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. “You have three starters who missed all summer and all fall. We’re learning and putting together our team on the fly.”
Though mid-range master Nick Martinelli has stepped into the void — his 23.8 points per game entering Thursday rank fourth nationally — the Wildcats are still searching for their 3-point touch. They ranked seventh in the country last season at 39.0 percent, but they’re hitting just 31.7 percent this year. That includes a 2-of-11 showing against Pepperdine in their most recent outing.
“We’ve got to get in the gym and trust our work,” Collins said. “I tell the guys, âJust throw yourself in the competition.’ And we’ve got good enough shooters. We’ve got guys I really believe in that will make shots.”
Northwestern’s weakness is Butler’s strength. Entering Thursday, the Bulldogs are tied for 12th in the nation in 3-point shooting accuracy (41.1 percent) and rank eighth in 3-point defense (24.3 percent).
Butler hit 8 of 20 threes in its 78-39 home win over Merrimack on Friday. The Bulldogs outscored the Warriors 41-8 in the second half after holding just a six-point lead at the break.
“I think the attention to detail, what we’re trying to prep them to do, they’ve done a really good job of honing in on that,” Butler coach Thad Matta said. “It’s just gotta be every possession for us. … We’re doing a better job taking care of the basketball.”
Northwestern will aim to keep Pierre Brooks (16.6 ppg) and Patrick McCaffery (14.4 ppg) from launching 3-pointers, as they’re a combined 28-of-56 from long range.
