Northwestern reached 3-0 with a 72-55 win over Boston University, and now the real measure arrives against DePaul. Jake West has been the center of the start, scoring at least 20 points in each of the Wildcats' first three games while Northwestern keeps leaning on its top scorers to carry the offense.
That matters because DePaul is also 3-0, which makes this matchup more than a routine early-season stop. Northwestern has been getting production from West and LA Pratt, with Phoenix Gill steady off the bench and an eight-man rotation still taking shape as Jack Karasinski works back from a concussion.
The Boston University game showed both sides of Northwestern's profile. The team forced 19 turnovers and turned them into 21 points while committing only five itself, but the outside shot was off again, with Northwestern going 6-for-26 from 3-point range after opening the season 12-for-23 against Stony Brook. West went 1-for-7 from deep against Boston University after shooting 4-for-9 against Stony Brook, and Pratt went 2-for-8 after going 2-for-4 in the earlier game.
That swing is why the search now is not just about the record. Northwestern needs its small-ball lineups to keep working because of its lack of size, and it needs more consistent shooting from the perimeter to make the offense less dependent on West, Pratt and Angelo Ciaravino. Aleksej Kostic and Colin Smith are part of that answer, but the bigger issue is whether the group can keep creating clean looks with tempo, movement and transition chances when the opponent is stronger.
For Northwestern, DePaul is the first chance to show that 3-0 was a start, not a streak built on thin margins. If the shots fall and the rotation holds, the unbeaten opening can survive a step up in class; if not, the early numbers will start to look more fragile than they first appeared.
