UConn’s Round of 32 matchup will be its first against Northwestern, but the programs have some ties

NEW YORK – The UConn men have never played Northwestern, but Cam Spencer and his family are more familiar than most.

The Spencer family has grown close with coach Chris Collins and the Northwestern program since it took a chance on his brother, Pat, in 2019, after his illustrious lacrosse career ended at Loyola. Pat used his graduate year of eligibility to play basketball for the Wildcats and, on Wednesday, scored his first NBA points for the Golden State Warriors.

“Once Pat left Northwestern that was kind of like a second home for him and our family,” Cam said.

In that lone year with the Wildcats, Pat got to know Boo Buie, a freshman at the time and now, in his fifth year, the most accomplished player in the program’s history.

“We talk all the time. We were actually texting a little bit yesterday, I know he’s mad that the brackets shook out the way they did and we’ve got to play against his brother,” Collins said. “He was with us for one year but his impact was huge, especially on Boo.

“I thought Pat did a great job showing Boo the ropes of what it takes to be a great athlete at the college level and the mentality and the mindset you have to have.”

Pat was the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer that season and Buie, now the program’s all-time scoring leader, was third. Spencer’s parents, Donna and Bruce, went to watch Buie and the Wildcats when they played at Maryland on Feb. 28.

“I love the Spencer family,” Collins said. “I just love how both of those guys are wired. They are just tough, competitive, confident guys that work hard. And Cam has become a terrific player, man. I mean, starting out at Loyola, going to Rutgers, what he did there, now coming here to the big stage at UConn and what he’s done, he gives them an edge.”

Cam scored his season-high 23 points in his first matchup against the Wildcats last year while he was at Rutgers. Now the second-leading scorer at UConn, he scored 15 in his first-ever NCAA Tournament game on Friday as the Huskies took down 16-seed Stetson, 91-52. He and the Huskies will be tasked with stopping Buie, who’s averaging 19.3 points and 5.1 assists this season while shooting over 44% from beyond the arc.