There are upsets, and there are big upsets — and then there is something that defies history.
Wednesday night in Welsh-Ryan Arena, for example. Chicago State 75, No. 25 Northwestern 73. “Probably one of the biggest wins in the state of Illinois history,” coach Gerald Gillion said afterwards. “For Chicago State, not even a question.”
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How was this one of those moments nobody could see coming? One of those nights that makes college basketball the constantly exploding cigar it is? Let us count the ways.
-- Northwestern had just entered the Associated Press poll at No. 25 and was all ready to win its first home game as a ranked team since 1959. Talk about your mood killers.
-- Chicago State was 0-15 all-time against Northwestern.
-- And 0-64 all-time against current members of the Big Ten.
-- And according to ESPN Stats & Info, 0-39 all-time against ranked opponents.
-- And at least a 24-point underdog Wednesday night.
-- Twelve days after beating No. 1 ranked Purdue in Welsh-Ryan Arena, Northwestern lost on the same floor to the No. 327 team in the NCAA NET ratings.
-- The Wildcats had scored 89, 92 and 91 points their past three games. Last Sunday, they solidified their case for being ranked with a 91-59 pummeling of Detroit Mercy. On the same day, Chicago State was dropping to 3-9 by losing 66-50 to St. Thomas before a home crowd of 127. The Cougars average crowd of 156 is No. 360 out of 361 Division I schools. They won in front of 4,153 Wednesday night at Northwestern — or 3,215 more than their combined home attendance for six games.
-- Chicago State came into the game 324th in the nation in field goal shooting and 310th in rebound margin. But the Cougars hit 48 percent to stay with Northwestern and outrebounded the Wildcats.
-- There is one independent school in all of Division I. Chicago State, located in south Chicago just off Bishop Ford Freeway with an undergraduate enrollment in the 1,700 range. The Cougars were in the WAC from 2013-2022. They went 8-8 in league play their first season and 9-95 in the eight seasons after that. They are scheduled to join the Northeast Conference next season.
-- Chicago State has had one winning season in the past 37 years and that was in 2009. It has had only three since moving up to Division I in 1984.
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And yet there had been some warning that the Cougars could make trouble in Gillion’s third year. He’s only 38 years old, and this is his first college head coaching job. Four years ago, he was a high school teacher and working in AAU ball. Before that, a college assistant.
Chicago State went 11-20 last season, and that was as many victories as the previous three years combined. The Cougars have been in most of their games this season, 4-9 record or not. And they featured a consistent scoring threat in guard Wesley Cardet Jr., who entered the Northwestern game with a 17.3 average. He proceeded to drop 30 points on the Wildcats, making 13 of 21 shots and delivering the final go-ahead basket with a 3-pointer with 1:23 left.
Chicago State’s chance had come and the Cougars were not going to let it get away. They might have been 243rd in the nation in free throw percentage, but they made five of six in the final 16 seconds. Northwestern was No. 1 in the nation in fewest turnovers with 7.9 a game. Chicago State had 13 steals.
“Every time we tried to get away from them a little bit, they responded,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. “You have to give their kids a lot of credit. They were worthy of winning tonight.”
A nine-point loss to Loyola Chicago in late November put Chicago State at 2-7, the Cougars squandering a 10-point lead in the second half. Times were tough, but Gillion sought to stay positive afterward.
“I’m grateful and I’m blessed,” he said of this opportunity to coach. “We’re going to find ourselves. This is not looking pretty right now but by the time the season is over we’re going to do some good things.”
Now they have. All in all, a rather shocking evening. Or maybe just another night in college basketball.
