It's been a very eventful week for Northwestern men's basketball but, finally, the season opener is here. Later tonight, at Welsh-Ryan Arena, the Wildcats will play a game that counts for the first time since their 71-56 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Tournament last March.
They'll welcome the UMass Lowell River Hawks, a team that only joined Division 1 basketball two seasons ago, to Evanston in both teams' regular season openers. Northwestern beat Quincy College 80-64 in an exhibition last Thursday but the game tonight is one that actually counts. The River Hawks, who play in the America East, did not have an exhibition game this season.