Scouting: Northwestern vs. St. Francis

Northwestern (7-0) vs. St. Francis, N.Y. (6-3)

When: 6 p.m. at Madison Square Garden

TV: MSG Network

Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: For the first time since 2001, the Wildcats get to play in the spotlights of World's Most Famous Arena. NU's first Holiday Festival appearance since 1966 gives Bill Carmody's crew a chance to earn two quality wins as the Big Ten season approaches. St. Francis enters with five wins in a row. Senior guards Akeem Bennett (16.3 ppg, 15 3s) and Ricky Cadell (16.2 ppg, 22 3s) drive the undersized Terriers. NU junior forward John Shurna, who entered Sunday's games ranked among the nation's top-10 scorers (23.7 ppg), made 26 of 33 field goals over the last three games. Either Shurna or sophomore wing Drew Crawford (13.9 ppg) has led the Wildcats in scoring each game.

Advancement: The winner faces the winner of St. John's (5-3) and Davidson (5-4) for the title at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. The losers play at 6 p.m.