Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, December 6
Evanston, Ill.
8 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
#19 Illinois
'Cats Welcome No. 19 Fighting Illini for Big Ten Home Opener
12/5/2024 5:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern men's basketball returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena after a season-long three-game road stretch to take on in-state foe No. 19 Illinois for the Big Ten home opener. The game will tip off on Friday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. CT. The contest will air on BTN with Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) on the call and WGN Radio 720 with Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst) describing the action.
Last time out, the Wildcats (6-3, 0-1 Big Ten) fell to Iowa 80-79 after the Hawkeyes sunk a game-winning buzzer-beating 3-pointer on Tuesday night in Iowa City. Northwestern trailed by as many as 17 points before making a strong second-half comeback. Senior Brooks Barnhizer tallied his second consecutive double-double with team-highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds, adding three assists and two steals. Graduate student Ty Berry had a season-high 20 points, canning 5-of-9 3-point attempts, while tying team-highs of four assists and two steals. His five treys were the most by a Northwestern player this season. Junior Nick Martinelli added 19 points, five rebounds and a career-high four assists on 7-of-17 shooting.
The three became the eighth trio of Wildcats to each score 19+ points in a game since 2005-06 and the first to do so since Northwestern upset No. 1 Purdue on Dec. 2, 2023, led by led by Boo Buie (31 points), Berry (21) and Ryan Langborg (20). The Wildcats outrebounded Iowa 36-26, including 11-5 on the offensive glass, and drained 8-of-21 (38.1%) of their three-point attempts.
Barnhizer and Martinelli are averaging 20.2 and 20.1 points per game, respectively. The two are the only teammates in the country to both average over 20 points per game. Barnhizer has posted three consecutive games of 20+ points for the first time in his career. Barnhizer and Martinelli are two of six high-major players averaging over 20 points and six rebounds per game.
Over the last three seasons, Northwestern has won 50 total games, which ranks third among Big Ten schools, trailing Purdue (70) and Illinois (55). NU has won 24 Big Ten Conference games over the last two seasons, trailing only Purdue (32) and Illinois (25). Northwestern and Michigan State are the only two Big Ten teams to win at least one game in each of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 NCAA Tournaments.
Sullivan-Ubben Head Coach Chris Collins is in his 12th season at the helm for the Wildcats, and his 182 wins rank third-most by a head coach in program history. The unanimous 2023 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Collins has guided the team to back-to-back 20+ win campaigns. Of the six 20 or more win seasons in school history, Collins has recorded four of them (2015-16, 2016-17, 2022-23, 2023-24). Over the last two seasons, the Northwestern has won 24 Big Ten Conference games, their most ever in back-to-back seasons in school history, surpassing 20 wins encompassing the 1930-31 and 1931-32 seasons.
Graduate student guard Jalen Leach enters the game needing 15 points to reach 1,000 for his career. The Nyack, N.Y. native logged 858 points in his four-year career at Fairfield, where he was named First Team All-MAAC last season. Graduate student center Matthew Nicholson is one blocked shot away from 100 for his career, and is looking to become the seventh player in program history to tally triple-digit blocks. Dererk Pardon (2015-19) was the last Wildcat to join that club during the 2018 season. Berry is also two 3-pointers away from 200 in his career.
Northwestern trails the all-time series against the Fighting Illini (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten), 146-44. The teams split last season's series, with the Wildcats winning 96-91 in overtime in the most recent contest in Welsh-Ryan Arena on Jan. 24, 2024. Buie led Northwestern with 29 points and dished out seven assists, while Barnhizer added 23 points. Berry posted 14 points, while Nicholson notched 12 rebounds, eight rebounds and four blocks. The Wildcats look to win consecutive games against Illinois for the first time since wins in 2017 and 2019.
The Fighting Illini are coming off a 90-77 win over then-No. 19 Arkansas. The team has four players scoring in double digits in Tomislav Ivisic (16.3), Will Riley (15.4), Kasparas Jakucionis (13.6) and Ben Humrichous (10.1).
Northwestern will travel to Milwaukee to take on Georgia Tech in the MKE Tip-Off inside Fiserv Forum at 3 p.m. CT on Sunday, Dec. 15. The game will air on BTN and ESPN 1000 WMVP.
Last time out, the Wildcats (6-3, 0-1 Big Ten) fell to Iowa 80-79 after the Hawkeyes sunk a game-winning buzzer-beating 3-pointer on Tuesday night in Iowa City. Northwestern trailed by as many as 17 points before making a strong second-half comeback. Senior Brooks Barnhizer tallied his second consecutive double-double with team-highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds, adding three assists and two steals. Graduate student Ty Berry had a season-high 20 points, canning 5-of-9 3-point attempts, while tying team-highs of four assists and two steals. His five treys were the most by a Northwestern player this season. Junior Nick Martinelli added 19 points, five rebounds and a career-high four assists on 7-of-17 shooting.
The three became the eighth trio of Wildcats to each score 19+ points in a game since 2005-06 and the first to do so since Northwestern upset No. 1 Purdue on Dec. 2, 2023, led by led by Boo Buie (31 points), Berry (21) and Ryan Langborg (20). The Wildcats outrebounded Iowa 36-26, including 11-5 on the offensive glass, and drained 8-of-21 (38.1%) of their three-point attempts.
Barnhizer and Martinelli are averaging 20.2 and 20.1 points per game, respectively. The two are the only teammates in the country to both average over 20 points per game. Barnhizer has posted three consecutive games of 20+ points for the first time in his career. Barnhizer and Martinelli are two of six high-major players averaging over 20 points and six rebounds per game.
Over the last three seasons, Northwestern has won 50 total games, which ranks third among Big Ten schools, trailing Purdue (70) and Illinois (55). NU has won 24 Big Ten Conference games over the last two seasons, trailing only Purdue (32) and Illinois (25). Northwestern and Michigan State are the only two Big Ten teams to win at least one game in each of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 NCAA Tournaments.
Sullivan-Ubben Head Coach Chris Collins is in his 12th season at the helm for the Wildcats, and his 182 wins rank third-most by a head coach in program history. The unanimous 2023 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Collins has guided the team to back-to-back 20+ win campaigns. Of the six 20 or more win seasons in school history, Collins has recorded four of them (2015-16, 2016-17, 2022-23, 2023-24). Over the last two seasons, the Northwestern has won 24 Big Ten Conference games, their most ever in back-to-back seasons in school history, surpassing 20 wins encompassing the 1930-31 and 1931-32 seasons.
Graduate student guard Jalen Leach enters the game needing 15 points to reach 1,000 for his career. The Nyack, N.Y. native logged 858 points in his four-year career at Fairfield, where he was named First Team All-MAAC last season. Graduate student center Matthew Nicholson is one blocked shot away from 100 for his career, and is looking to become the seventh player in program history to tally triple-digit blocks. Dererk Pardon (2015-19) was the last Wildcat to join that club during the 2018 season. Berry is also two 3-pointers away from 200 in his career.
Northwestern trails the all-time series against the Fighting Illini (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten), 146-44. The teams split last season's series, with the Wildcats winning 96-91 in overtime in the most recent contest in Welsh-Ryan Arena on Jan. 24, 2024. Buie led Northwestern with 29 points and dished out seven assists, while Barnhizer added 23 points. Berry posted 14 points, while Nicholson notched 12 rebounds, eight rebounds and four blocks. The Wildcats look to win consecutive games against Illinois for the first time since wins in 2017 and 2019.
The Fighting Illini are coming off a 90-77 win over then-No. 19 Arkansas. The team has four players scoring in double digits in Tomislav Ivisic (16.3), Will Riley (15.4), Kasparas Jakucionis (13.6) and Ben Humrichous (10.1).
Northwestern will travel to Milwaukee to take on Georgia Tech in the MKE Tip-Off inside Fiserv Forum at 3 p.m. CT on Sunday, Dec. 15. The game will air on BTN and ESPN 1000 WMVP.
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