Bleav in Northwestern

The Wildcats kicked off the men's basketball season with a bang, cruising past Lehigh in their opener on Monday. Zach overreacts to the game, discussing the identity of this year's team and highlighting the individual performances of Nick Martinelli, KJ Windham and more (1:26). Then, he welcomes on Sports Illustrated's Kevin Sweeney to dive deeper into the biggest questions facing NU this season (16:15). The pair discuss how Brooks Barnhizer will lead the charge to replace Boo Buie and what exactly Leach brings to the table from his days at Fairfield (19:33). They also discuss the parity in the Big Ten and how the 'Cats stack up (28:27). Finally, Kevin gives his thoughts on where NU ranks nationally and where Chris Collins and co. might expect to be when it comes time for Selection Sunday (34:09).

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Northwestern is back in the win column! The 'Cats overcame a never-say-die Purdue team and a number of self-inflicted mistakes to get their fourth win of the season and Zach is back to break down it all down. He begins with an overview of the game (1:29) before talking about how the running back pair of Joseph Himon II and Cam Porter revitalized NU's offense (6:45). Next, he discusses how Northwestern was able to get the most out of Jack Lausch (12:07) before critiquing some of the game management decisions made by the coaching staff (17:44). Finally, Zach touches on how the defense bent but didn't break against a surprising Purdue passing attack (22:28) and talks about how the game sets up NU for a difficult three-game stretch to end the year.

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Wildcats basketball is finally here! Zach breaks down everything there is to know about this year's Northwestern team, beginning with a brief reflection on what Chris Collins and co. have been able to accomplish the last two seasons (2:30). Then, he goes deep on this year's roster, breaking down each and every player expected to be in the rotation and how they might make an impact after the departures of Boo Buie and Ryan Langborg (8:45). Next, he discusses some of the biggest questions surrounding this group, including whether or not there's enough shooting in the rotation or if the defense can be as competitive as it has been in years past (33:54). Finally, he dives into his predictions, including where the 'Cats will finish in the Big Ten and whether or not this Northwestern team will make a historic third NCAA tournament in a row (50:35).

Contact info—Twitter: @ZachKoons, Email: [email protected]

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Northwestern dropped its fifth game of the season in disheartening fashion to Iowa Saturday and Zach takes a look at how this program got to the brink of bowl elimination. He begins by assessing the head-scratching coaching decisions made by David Braun and Zach Lujan, focusing on the lack of consistency and the uncertainty in the decisions (6:25). Then, he breaks down the play of Jack Lausch and how the young quarterback's development and growth doesn't seem to be headed in the right direction (22:55). After pointing to some numbers on the offense's futility (27:20), he pivots to the play of the defense (30:12) and the injuries that are plaguing a thin group (36:20). Finally, he looks ahead to the Purdue matchup on Saturday, pointing to a weak Boilermakers' defense that will give Northwestern's offense its best opportunity to get back on track (41:06).

Contact info—Twitter: @ZachKoons, Email: [email protected]

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Northwestern (3–4) needs to quickly turn the page after a dreadful loss to Wisconsin, so Zach welcomes on KCRG TV-9’s Jack Lido to take a look at the 'Cats eighth opponent of the season: Iowa. The pair discuss how the Hawkeyes' season took a rather dour turn with a surprise loss at Michigan State (2:28), before diving in on some individual scouting reports—beginning with Iowa's QB Cade McNamara (13:00). Next, they talk about the impressive rise of running back Kaleb Johnson (20:06) and what's happened with a usually stout Kirk Ferentz defense (26:40). Finally, they move into discussing the various keys to the game for both teams coming off disappointing losses (37:20) and make their picks for the Saturday mid-afternoon showdown in Iowa City (42:46).

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Northwestern heads back to Evanston for its final game of the season at the lakeside stadium against Wisconsin and Matt Perkins of the Bleav in Badgers podcast joins the show to give insight into Luke Fickell's program. He and Zach begin by discussing how Wisconsin has gained momentum over the last few weeks behind a strong rushing attack and the play of quarterback Braedyn Locke (1:58). They also discuss how the rest of the roster has improved to complement its quarterback, both on offense and defense (10:48). The pair pivots to discussing what expectations are for Wisconsin this season and going forward (18:40), before rounding out the show with their keys to the game for each team and, of course, picks (26:14).

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Northwestern forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter and shut the door on Maryland on the road to improve to 3–3. Zach was on hand in College Park and gives his thoughts on how the Wildcats were able to come up with just a few big plays to completely open up on the floodgates on the Terrapins (2:04). He breaks down the performance on offense, which featured plenty of explosiveness, but also a fair bit of futility in the second and third quarters (13:24). Then, he pivots to talking about the defense, which put together its best performance of the year, stifling the Maryland attack and coming up with timely takeaways in crunch time (23:31). Finally, Zach touches on the heroic special teams game, particularly from specialist Luke Akers (32:15).

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Northwestern heads east to close out the first half of the 2024 season against Maryland and Zach is joined by Inside the Black and Gold's Ahmed Ghafir to take a closer look at the Terrapins. They begin by assessing the job Mike Locksley has done with the program in his tenure (1:34) before going over the play of quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. in his first year as the team's starter (6:11). Next, they discuss where Maryland can improve on offense (8:37) and break down what's worked for the Terps' defense and, more importantly, what hasn't (11:32). Finally, they give their keys for each program to win such an important midseason matchup and make their predictions for the prime-time game in College Park (15:54).

Contact info—Twitter: @ZachKoons, Email: [email protected]

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Northwestern couldn’t keep pace with Indiana despite a better performance on offense and Zach takes a look at what happened to the Wildcats in their return home to Evanston. He begins with the disappointment of watching the defense, thought to be this team’s strength, struggle so much against one of the best units in the country (1:19). Then, he discusses the improvements he saw from Jack Lausch and the offense (9:22), while pointing out the necessary areas of growth (15:14). Then, he pivots to what went wrong for the defense, focusing on how the front seven and secondary failed to complement one another (19:51). Finally, he takes a brief look ahead to Maryland and the task that awaits NU on a short week with plenty to address (28:54).

Contact info—Twitter: @ZachKoons, Email: [email protected]

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Bleav in Big Ten podcast host and former Indiana receiver Rhett Lewis joins Zach on the show to preview Indiana, Northwestern’s undefeated opponent coming out of the bye week. The pair begin by discussing Curt Cignetti’s nearly instant turnaround of the program (1:39) along with Kurtis Rourke’s clinical start to the campaign in a high-powered offense (6:54). Next, they pivot to Indiana’s defense before touching on some keys to the game for each team (13:18). Finally, they make their predictions for this Saturday’s game in Evanston (21:50).

Contact info—Twitter: @ZachKoons, Email: [email protected]

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