by By Shannon Ryan, Tribune reporter , Chicago Tribune

Following up a 14-point victory Wednesday over Florida State in the Big Ten / ACC Challenge, the Wildcats enjoyed another significant home win Saturday, dispatching Big East member DePaul 63-36.

Now, if only the Big Ten schedule goes so well ...

"We were pretty bad last year," Carmody said of last season's 8-22 record. "I don't know if we were better the year before."

The Wildcats (6-1) are off to their best start since the 2001-02 season.

Northwestern's goal is to keep momentum rolling before playing Missouri-Kansas City on Dec. 15. DePaul's mission is to keep a bad loss from snowballing into a bad season after a loss Wednesday night to California.

DePaul (4-2) was without injured center Mac Koshwal, but Wainwright wouldn't use it as an excuse for the Blue Demons' lowest point total since they lost to Oklahoma A&M 37-26 on Jan. 29, 1949.

Koshwal sat out with plantar fasciitis, a problem that flared up at Thursday's practice. His injury is considered day-to-day, Wainwright said.

Without DePaul's double-double performer, the Wildcats' Kevin Coble stepped up.

Coble played a nearly flawless game, scoring 25 points on 11-for-19 shooting. He connected on 3 of 8 three-pointers, grabbed six defensive rebounds and had no turnovers.

"Everything [on offense] was running so well," Coble said. "I was on the receiving end of a lot of stuff."

With freshmen making up four of DePaul's eight players in the game, the Blue Demons struggled to find their shooting touch and fell behind quickly. Junior guard Will Walker's cold streak continued with 0-for-7 shooting.

Northwestern checked twice as many players into the game. DePaul made only 6 of 29 first-half field goals and shot only 24.1 percent for the game. The Wildcats' defense double-teamed Dar Tucker consistently, knowing that if any player would hurt them, it would be the sophomore who averages nearly 21 points per game.

Tucker finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but only four other players scored and none had more than eight points.

"We played our cards; [Carmody] played his," Wainwright said.

Northwestern hit 46.4 percent of its shots, going 8-for-20 on three-pointers. Craig Moore scored 14 points, while guard Michael Thompson had eight assists.

Along with keeping DePaul out of an offensive flow, the Wildcats outrebounded the Blue Demons 43-38.

"We're committing to doing it," Carmody said, noting this season he has a new luxury of bigger players. "Guys are buying into it."

Carmody said he will keep the gym open during exam week in case the players can find time between writing papers and taking tests to stay sharp.

"It's a unique feeling," Coble said. "This week for Northwestern basketball has been one of the best in a long time."

sryan@tribune.com

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