Who is She
Senior Guard, 5-foor-9, from Westport, Connecticut
2024-25 Stats
27 games, 25 starts, 4.9 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game, 6.0 assists per game, 1.4 steals per game, 28.1% FG, 25.5% 3PT, 52% FT
Advertisement
2024-25 Review
Caroline Lau’s junior season was a study in contrasts—brilliant facilitation overshadowed by a scoring slump that raised questions about her role heading into her senior year.
The Westport, Conn. native became the first Northwestern player since Ashley Deary in 2016-17 to lead the Big Ten in assists, averaging 6.0 per game—a mark that ranked 10th nationally. Lau recorded double-digit assists four times, including a season-high 12-assist performance against Lehigh and Cornell.
After averaging 3.8 turnovers per game as a sophomore, 115 in total, Lau dramatically improved her ball security. She cut turnovers to 2.8 per game in 2024-25, reducing total giveaways to 75 while increasing her assist average. Lau also improved as a rebounder, averaging 4.7 boards compared to 4.2 the previous season. She posted her fourth career double-double against Maryland with 10 assists and 11 rebounds.
Advertisement
But her scoring vanished. After averaging 7.8 points on 40.6% shooting as a sophomore, Lau plummeted to 4.9 points: even below her freshman output (5.7 PPG).
Offensive bright spots were rare. She scored a season-high 15 points with four made threes against Washington on December 28. Against Iowa, she posted 13 points and seven assists while hitting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. At Purdue, she added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. But those performances became outliers rather than the norm.
Behind the plague, there was a downward trend in attempts. Lau dropped shot attempts from 7.1 per game as a sophomore to 6.2 as a junior. Against Maryland, despite her double-double, she scored just two free throws on two field goal attempts. This troubling pattern hurt an offense desperately needing backcourt scoring.
Strengths
Lau’s passing remains her defining skill and one of the best in the Big Ten. Her court vision creates opportunities others simply don’t see, and her ability to deliver assists from half-court distance sparks transition opportunities that transform Northwestern’s offensive efficiency. With a 2.24 assist-usage ratio, she proved capable of handling increased responsibility while maintaining elite production.
Her improved ball security cannot be overstated. Cutting 40 turnovers from her sophomore season while increasing her assist average demonstrates genuine growth in decision-making. Her 2.24 assist-usage ratio, per CBS Analysis, demonstrated efficiency as her responsibility grew. Northwestern went 5-2 in games where she dished out at least eight assists.
Advertisement
Lau’s rebounding improvement to 4.7 per game adds value beyond traditional point guard contributions. For a 5-foot-9 guard to average nearly five boards shows effort and positioning that can ignite fast breaks with the ball already in the primary ball-handler’s hands.
Her leadership qualities are undeniable. Named team captain as a sophomore, Lau enters her senior season as Northwestern’s unquestioned floor general. Head coach Joe McKeown has repeatedly praised her basketball IQ and ability to run the offense exactly as designed.
Weaknesses
The scoring collapse overshadows everything else. Lau shot 28.1% from the field and 25.5% from three-point range for a team that ranked last in the Big Ten in three-point shooting (28.6% last season). That’s not just bad, it’s debilitating for an offense already starving for perimeter threats.
Advertisement
What makes this regression particularly puzzling is Lau’s scoring pedigree. She averaged 22 points per game in high school, made the school’s 1,000-point club, and tried out for the USA U16 National Team. As a sophomore, she shot 40.6% from the field and 36.1% from three. Her three-point percentage also plunged from 36.1% to 25.5%. Free-throw shooting hovered just above 50%. The talent exists, but something went wrong last season.
Shooting consistency has become questionable for Lau. She’ll hit 4-of-6 threes in one game and then disappear for multiple contests. This fluctuation makes her nearly impossible to game-plan around offensively. Defenses can leave her alone without consequence, blocking driving lanes and forcing contested shots from teammates.
Her shot selection also needs addressing. Despite poor shooting percentages, she attempted 58.7% of her shots from beyond the arc, per CBS Analysis. For a player shooting 25.5% from three, that frequency suggests either poorly recognizing her own struggles or facing scenarios that force shots she shouldn’t take.
Expectations
Lau enters her senior season as one of three returning starters alongside Casey Harter and Grace Sullivan. With the departures of Caileigh Walsh (12.4 PPG), Taylor Williams (11.7 PPG), and Melannie Daley (11.7 PPG), Northwestern lost 35.8 points per game,nearly 53% of their scoring. Someone has to replace that production.
Advertisement
The backcourt is crowded with transfers Tate Lash and Sammy White joining freshmen Amparo López and Angelina Hodgens, but Lau’s starting spot is secure. Her leadership, system knowledge, and elite passing guarantee significant minutes. The question isn’t playing time, it’s whether she can rediscover her scoring touch.
McKeown said at the Big Ten Media Day that Lau is “playing her best basketball.” If that assessment proves accurate, it likely refers to finding a balance between facilitating and scoring. Northwestern cannot afford a point guard who averages 6.0 assists but scores fewer than five points per game when the team desperately needs offensive production from every position.
If she can bump her field goal percentage back to 35-38% and three-point shooting to 32-34%, enhancing her average scoring back to a seven or eight point range, she will transform from only a facilitator into a dual threat that defenses must pay attention to.
Expect Lau to start every game and play 28-30 minutes as the primary ball-handler. Her assist numbers should remain elite, potentially even improving as she develops chemistry with newcomers. But the key to her and the ‘Cats lies in whether she can weaponize herself as a scorer again.
