Mother of NU's Corey Wootton bleeds purple

TAMPA, Fla. -- Corey Wootton's mother, Lori, played basketball at Auburn in 1980. But Lori said via email that not even one percent of her will be rooting for the Tigers in the Outback Bowl.

As Corey explained: "She's really dedicated to her son and will be cheering for me the whole time. Plus I don't think she liked (Auburn) as much as I like Northwestern. I think she liked the experience, but I don't think she liked the school that much, to be honest."

Lori did have one memorable moment in college: Tigers basketball star Charles Barkley accidentally crashed into her in a hallway.

"She said he was running and just knocked her over," Corey said. "He's like: 'I'm sorry. I'm late for class.' She felt it for about a week."