Northwestern (5-5) vs. DePaul (11-1)
Wintrust Arena, Chicago; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Northwestern goes up against DePaul in a non-conference matchup. Northwestern fell short in a 77-72 game at home to Michigan State in its last outing. DePaul is coming off a 73-65 win at Cleveland State in its most recent game.
TEAM LEADERS: The dynamic Paul Reed has put up a double-double (15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks) to lead the charge for the Blue Demons. Charlie Moore is also a top facilitator, accounting for 15.8 points, 6.4 assists and two steals per game. The Wildcats have been led by Pete Nance, who is averaging 10.9 points and 6.7 rebounds.
KEY CONTRIBUTIONS: Moore has either made or assisted on 46 percent of all DePaul field goals over the last five games. The junior guard has 25 field goals and 36 assists in those games.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Wildcats have recently converted baskets via assists more often than the Blue Demons. DePaul has 36 assists on 82 field goals (43.9 percent) over its previous three outings while Northwestern has assists on 45 of 70 field goals (64.3 percent) during its past three games.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: The disruptive DePaul defense has forced opponents to turn the ball over on 25.1 percent of all possessions, the 23rd-best rate among Division I teams. Northwestern has a forced-turnover percentage of only 18.6 percent through 10 games (ranking the Wildcats 251st).
