Back-to-back 20-win seasons, three straight NIT appearances and one lingering question. Anyone who follows Northwestern knows what that is.
Can Wildcats dance?
The school that hosted the inaugural NCAA championship game in 1939 is still seeking its first invitation to the tournament more than seven decades later. With leading scorer John Shurna back, the bid seems likely.
''It's not even finally for these guys. ... They know the past, but they're not part of the past,'' coach Bill Carmody said.
They are part of a recent past in which they raised the standards for a program that for years was a Big Ten doormat.
They're coming off their second straight 20-14 season along with a trip to the NIT quarterfinals, and there's no question they're looking for more.
Carmody is no stranger to the NCAA.
He led Princeton to a 92-25 record overall four seasons in the late 1990s, going 24-4 in his first year (1996-1997) and 27-2 the next one while earning a Top 10 ranking and advancing to the second round of the NCAA. He was also part of seven NCAA teams in 14 years as an assistant under Tigers coach Pete Carril, but there were six straight losing seasons at Northwestern after going 16-13 in his second year.
And the tournament remains foreign territory to his players.
''We try not to harp on it so much, but it's always the main question, especially to begin the year,'' junior Alex Marcotullio said. ''Is this the year? There's always that opportunity, and if we jump on it, I think we can do it.''
The past few years have been sort of a tease for a program with six NIT appearances. They advanced all the way to the quarterfinals last season before an overtime loss to Washington State, ending their deepest postseason run, but the NCAA remains elusive.
''I think that is a little frustrating,'' Shurna said. ''In years past, it's considered great seasons for Northwestern standards, but I think everyone within the team feels we could do better. I think that's more incentive for us to work harder this summer and come out with a positive result.''
Whether they do largely hinges on Shurna's health and their ability to replace point guard Michael Thompson, the Wildcats' all-time assists leader and third leading scorer.
They're counting on Marcotullio, sophomore JerShon Cobb and freshmen Tre Demps and Dave Sobolewski to fill that void, and they're expecting the 6-foot-9 Shurna again to lead the way. He decided to come back for his senior season after averaging 16.6 points and nearly five rebounds as a junior, not bad considering his was limited by a high left ankle sprain and a concussion.
Now, he has a shot at the school's all-time scoring record and a more polished post game to go with the smooth jumper that allowed him to hit a team-leading 43.4 percent of his 3-pointers.
He enters the season 10th on Northwestern's all-time scoring list with 1,377 points, 523 shy of Billy McKinney's mark, and with more moves inside, he might challenge the record. The versatility should also help a team that finished eighth in the Big Ten at 7-11.
''There shouldn't be any place on the court where he feels uncomfortable offensively,'' Carmody said. ''You get to the foul line down there. People try to beat him up on the outside, get into him and get into his body. If they play a smaller guy, he's got to be able to just make them pay.''
If he does, Shurna becomes even more of a potential mismatch favoring the Wildcats.
''He's going to be fine,'' Carmody said. ''Our centers (Luka) Mirkovic and (Davide) Curletti, they have to come through. (Shurna's) going to attract a lot of attention, he's going to throw the ball to another guy, and then, they're going to make it.''
