Basketball Game Preview: Northwestern Bulls vs. Chaminade-Madonna Lions

Two dominant guards in Zacuras Dawson and Jasen Lopez are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Northwestern Bulls will head out on the road to face off against the Chaminade-Madonna Lions at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Northwestern knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 15 matchups -- so hopefully Chaminade-Madonna likes a good challenge.

Last Saturday, Northwestern was fully in charge, breezing past Dillard 68-28. The Bulls have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 24 points or more this season.

Northwestern got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Calvin Russell Jr. out in front who went 6 for 10 on his way to 14 points and five rebounds. Russell Jr. has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Jamiro Smith was another key player, putting up ten points.

Meanwhile, Chaminade-Madonna waltzed into their contest on Saturday with eight straight wins... but they left with nine. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Panthers, sneaking past 63-61.

Chaminade-Madonna's win came from a few key players Northwestern will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Lopez, who went 8 of 19 on his way to 28 points. That makes it four consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Chaminade-Madonna's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Matthew Pointer, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds.

Northwestern's record now sits at 12-3. As for Chaminade-Madonna, their record now sits at 12-2.