THE GOOD NEWS
Northwestern retains 89 percent of its scoring, 93 percent of its rebounding and 90 percent of its assists next season. The Wildcats don't lose anybody who started a game this year -- and junior-to-be Kevin Coble and senior Craig Moore will contend for all-Big Ten recognition.

Even more importantly for a program that badly needs to improve its depth, there are three freshmen coming in who figure to make immediate splashes. Swingman Nick Fruendt (Batavia, Ill.) was a four-year prep standout whose skill set is perfect for the Princeton offense. Forward John Shurna (Glenbard West High School) dominated his league and has the ability to shoot and defend. Both were ranked by at least one publication as national Top 150 talents, but they'll need to add some strength in order to maximize their effect. NU also recently found a big man, 6-foot-9 Davide Curletti, from suburban Detroit, who could be the post defender they've been seeking for years.

THE BAD NEWS
Bill Carmody hasn't led Northwestern to a single postseason game in eight years at the helm. With a new athletic director coming online in April -- and a new school president due in 2009 -- Carmody could be facing a win-or-else mandate next season. Well, to be more specific, the Wildcats need to make significant progress.

KEY RETURNEES
Northwestern welcomes back three double-figure scorers: F Kevin Coble (15.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg), shooting guard Craig Moore (13.4 ppg, 97 3-pointers) and point guard Michael Thompson (11.6 ppg, 4.3 apg). Redshirt freshman C Ivan Peljusic and sophomore G Jeremy Nash made big strides as the season went along, so they could be big positives if they improve in the offseason.

Fifth-year senior Sterling Williams (5.3 ppg) and oft-injured junior-to-be Jeff Ryan (5.1 ppg) are wild-cards who could play critical roles revolving around the three returning big scorers. Ryan, in particular, could become a guy.

ROSTER REPORT

--F Kevin Coble's season couldn't have been more of a roller coaster. He spent the fall at home in Arizona supporting his mother's fight against breast cancer. He returned to school just before the Big Ten season started, and with his mom in the stands for every game, he earned honorable-mention all-Big Ten recognition. Coble finished fifth in conference scoring (15.2 ppg).

--Swingman Jeff Ryan missed the final quarter of the season with a nasty thigh bruise. Ryan endured multiple medical maladies during the year, which short-circuited what coach Bill Carmody hoped would be a breakout campaign. He finished with 5.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Perhaps most telling about NU's interior defense, Ryan led the team in blocks with 11.

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