Northwestern is now 3-1 in their "tough" non-conference games, with one more remaining (Stanford). Since it's never too early to dream, let's take a look at the Wildcats' tournament chances.
Before the season started, there were three things Northwestern needed to do to make the tournament (in my opinion).
#1: Split with Butler and Notre Dame. Check
#2: Win all of their other non-conference games. They have a really good chance at doing this.
#3: Go .500 in Big Ten play.
That last one's going to be tough without Coble. The early Big Ten schedule is brutal. But here's an early look at how it might go down.
2 wins over Indiana
2 wins over Iowa
2 wins over Penn State
Split with Illinois
Split with Wisconsin (we need to win at home, since the Badgers are almost unbeatable on the road)
Split with Minnesota or Michigan
It won't be easy, but judging by what I've seen of this team, they can get it done. I put their chances at slightly below 50%, to be realistic. What do you think? Let your thoughts be known in the poll. Good luck, Wildcats!