Chris Collins earned his 200th career victory as the Wildcats blew out the Tigers.
Amid a three-game skid against power competition, Northwestern was in dire need of a break in the schedule. The Wildcats got that with a week of rest before snapping their short losing streak against Jackson State on Saturday, 93-53.
The Wildcats' 40-point victory was Chris Collins' 200th as the head coach in Evanston, making him the second in program history to reach that milestone. Here are our three other takeaways from Northwestern's bounce-back win:
Northwestern had a rough shooting start
Although the Wildcats found scoring contributions from all around their roster, it was not pretty. Northwestern made more free throws (18) than shots (11) in the first half, including a brutal 1-of-9 clip from deep.
The 'Cats found their shooting stroke in the second half with six triples and a 54.8% shooting percentage, but it took a while for Northwestern to truly get things going on offense. Nick Martinelli once again led the way with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while Angelo Ciaravino and Arrinten Page added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Still, the Wildcats' perimeter struggles are concerning. Chris Collins has so many potential shooting weapons in Max Green, K.J. Windham and Jake West, but it can often take a while during a game to figure out which one is going to be hot on a given day. Northwestern needs more consistent shooting from its backcourt.
A much better day for Northwestern's defense
Jackson State's leading scorer on the season, Daeshun Ruffin, scored 17 of Jackson State's 24 first-half points and finished with 20. The senior guard was 6-of-12 shooting, while the rest of the Tigers' lineup shot just 10-of-44.
As a whole, Northwestern's defense played much better than it has in recent games. After allowing at least 77 points in their last six games, the Wildcats held Jackson State to just 53 on Saturday. The Tigers shot 28.6% from the floor and only 24.0% from three.
Northwestern used its length on the wings to get into Jackson State's passing lanes and force deflections, eventually causing 13 JSU turnovers. Those takeaways allowed the 'Cats to run in transition and total 21 points off turnovers.
The 'Cats dominated down low
It's important to acknowledge that Jackson State just doesn't have the size to match a Big Ten team. The Tigers' tallest two players to take the floor for significant minutes on Saturday were 6-foot-10 Ebo Wilson and 6-foot-9 Raevon Thomas, and Northwestern took advantage.
The Wildcats ended the day with 42 points in the paint and drew 19 fouls. Jackson State, comparatively, finished with 16 points near the basket.
It's also fair to acknowledge that Northwestern has been getting killed in the interior and on the glass this season. Saturday's win over JSU showed much-needed improvement, as the 'Cats had a +16 rebounding advantage and five different Wildcats denied a shot at the rim.
Ciaravino was a big part of Northwestern's success on the offensive boards, accounting for three putbacks alone.