Monday, March 3
Evanston, Ill.
8 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
UCLA
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern Hosts Big Ten Newcomer UCLA for Senior Night
3/2/2025 5:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Winners of three consecutive games in conference play for the first time this season, Northwestern men's basketball hosts UCLA on Monday, March 3 at 8 p.m. CT and will honor its senior class of Brooks Barnhizer, Ty Berry, Keenan Fitzmorris, Jalen Leach and Matthew Nicholson as part of its Senior Night festivities. The game will air on FS1 with Connor Onion (play-by-play) and Stephen Bardo (analyst) on the call and can be heard on ESPN 1000 WMVP and SiriusXM Channel 119/195 with Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst).
Last time out, the Wildcats (16-13, 7-11 Big Ten) held Iowa to season-lows of 57 points and 36.2% shooting from the field (21-of-58) in a 68-57 wire-to-wire win over Iowa on Friday night (Feb. 28). The Hawkeyes scored their fewest points against Northwestern since 2017.
First-year K.J. Windham tied his career-high and scored a game-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and 4-of-7 from three. He also notched a career-high five rebounds. Windham led Northwestern in scoring for the first time in his career. The Indianapolis, Ind. native became the first Wildcat first-year to post 20+ points and 5+ rebounds since Ryan Young on Dec. 15, 2019 against SIUE, and the first player to reach these numbers with 4+ threes since Drew Crawford did on Jan. 10, 2010 against Michigan.
Junior Nick Martinelli registered 16 points and nine rebounds. Junior Justin Mullins posted 10 points, knocking down 2-of-4 treys, and added three rebounds and three assists. Graduate student Ty Berry stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Northwestern last won three straight Big Ten games by 10+ points from Feb. 27 - March 6, 2016. The Wildcats have held their opponent to fewer than 60 points in two of their last three games, a feat they last accomplished in Big Ten play from March 3-10, 2021.
Martinelli leads the Big Ten in scoring and ranks 19th nationally, averaging 19.9 points per game this season. The Glenview, Ill. product, who played high school basketball 10 miles away from Welsh-Ryan Arena at Glenbrook South HS, is attempting to become just the fourth Wildcat to lead the league in scoring, joining John Shurna (2011-12, 20.0), Joe Ruklick (1958-59, 23.0), and Ray Ragelis (1950-51, 19.1). He is the first Wildcat to average at least 19 points per game, while shooting at least 46% from the field since Evan Eschmeyer in 1997-98 (21.7 ppg, 61.0%).
Martinelli ranks second in the country in scoring by high-major forwards, trailing only the nation's scoring leader Eric Dixon (23.6, Villanova). Martinelli leads the Big Ten with 26 games of 15+ points and has scored 15+ points in 14 straight contests, which is tied with Evan Eschmeyer (1998, over two seasons) for the longest at NU since at least 1996. It also stands as the longest active streak of 15+ point games by a high-major player nationally. Martinelli has scored in double digits in 22 straight games, tying Boo Buie (2022-23) and John Shurna (2011-12) for the longest streak by a Northwestern player since 2000. With two regular season games remaining, Martinelli ranks second in the program's single-season field goals made leaderboard with 218, trailing only John Shurna (2011-12, 228), and seventh in the program's single-season points leaderboard with 578.
Over his last six games, Berry is averaging 15.3 points and 4.3 rebounds on 49.3% shooting from the field and 39.0% shooting from beyond the arc. It is the highest scoring six-game stretch of his career. Berry has played 139 career games, the third most in program history, and he ranks fifth in career 3-pointers made with 246.
Windham is averaging 12.6 points and 3.4 assists over his last five games, converting 45.8% of his shots from beyond the arc. The Indianapolis, Ind. product has scored 15+ points in three of the last five contests, becoming the first Northwestern first-year to score 15+ points three times over a five game stretch since Boo Buie in 2019.
Over the last four seasons (2021-25), Northwestern has won 38 Big Ten games, equaling the stretch from 1930-34 (38) as the most of any four-season period in school history.
The Wildcats have scored 70+ points in 13 conference games this season, tied for the most in program history and the most since 1989-90 (13). Northwestern is 10-0 this season when holding its opponent to 65 or fewer points.
As a team, the Wildcats are averaging 9.8 turnovers lost per game, which is the fewest in the Big Ten, and ranks 23rd fewest nationally. Northwestern ranks second in the Big Ten and 19th nationally with a turnover margin of +3.6.
The Wildcats are forcing an average of 13.3 turnovers per game, which ranks fifth in the conference. It's the program's highest average since forcing 14.9 turnovers per game in 2008-09. Northwestern ranks fifth in the Big Ten in steals, averaging 7.2 per game. Northwestern has averaged over 7+ steals per game in each of the last three seasons, the first time it has done that since 2006-09.
The Wildcats trail the all-time series against the Bruins (20-9, 11-7 Big Ten), 5-1. Northwestern split its previous two home matchups against UCLA, with its only win coming on Dec. 29, 1949, by a score of 64-58. The teams last faced off in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on March 18, 2023, in Sacramento, when then-No. 7 UCLA defeated the 'Cats, 68-63. Boo Buie, Matthew Nicholson, and Chase Audige combined to score 51 of Northwestern's 63 total points. Nicholson set a career-high with 17 points on 9-for-9 shooting with nine rebounds.
UCLA won seven straight Big Ten games from Jan. 17 - Feb. 8. Since then, the Bruins have gone 2-3 and enter Evanston off of a 76-66 loss at Purdue on Friday (Feb. 28). Tyler Bilodeau leads the team in scoring averaging 13.9 points per game. UCLA boasts the Big Ten's best scoring defense, allowing 65.0 points per game, which ranks 21st in the country. The Bruins rank seventh nationally with a +4.7 turnover margin and 15th nationally by forcing 15.4 turnovers per game. Both figures lead the conference.
Northwestern's final regular season contest will take place in College Park against No. 16 Maryland at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 8. The game will air on Peacock and WGN Radio 720.
Last time out, the Wildcats (16-13, 7-11 Big Ten) held Iowa to season-lows of 57 points and 36.2% shooting from the field (21-of-58) in a 68-57 wire-to-wire win over Iowa on Friday night (Feb. 28). The Hawkeyes scored their fewest points against Northwestern since 2017.
First-year K.J. Windham tied his career-high and scored a game-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and 4-of-7 from three. He also notched a career-high five rebounds. Windham led Northwestern in scoring for the first time in his career. The Indianapolis, Ind. native became the first Wildcat first-year to post 20+ points and 5+ rebounds since Ryan Young on Dec. 15, 2019 against SIUE, and the first player to reach these numbers with 4+ threes since Drew Crawford did on Jan. 10, 2010 against Michigan.
Junior Nick Martinelli registered 16 points and nine rebounds. Junior Justin Mullins posted 10 points, knocking down 2-of-4 treys, and added three rebounds and three assists. Graduate student Ty Berry stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Northwestern last won three straight Big Ten games by 10+ points from Feb. 27 - March 6, 2016. The Wildcats have held their opponent to fewer than 60 points in two of their last three games, a feat they last accomplished in Big Ten play from March 3-10, 2021.
Martinelli leads the Big Ten in scoring and ranks 19th nationally, averaging 19.9 points per game this season. The Glenview, Ill. product, who played high school basketball 10 miles away from Welsh-Ryan Arena at Glenbrook South HS, is attempting to become just the fourth Wildcat to lead the league in scoring, joining John Shurna (2011-12, 20.0), Joe Ruklick (1958-59, 23.0), and Ray Ragelis (1950-51, 19.1). He is the first Wildcat to average at least 19 points per game, while shooting at least 46% from the field since Evan Eschmeyer in 1997-98 (21.7 ppg, 61.0%).
Martinelli ranks second in the country in scoring by high-major forwards, trailing only the nation's scoring leader Eric Dixon (23.6, Villanova). Martinelli leads the Big Ten with 26 games of 15+ points and has scored 15+ points in 14 straight contests, which is tied with Evan Eschmeyer (1998, over two seasons) for the longest at NU since at least 1996. It also stands as the longest active streak of 15+ point games by a high-major player nationally. Martinelli has scored in double digits in 22 straight games, tying Boo Buie (2022-23) and John Shurna (2011-12) for the longest streak by a Northwestern player since 2000. With two regular season games remaining, Martinelli ranks second in the program's single-season field goals made leaderboard with 218, trailing only John Shurna (2011-12, 228), and seventh in the program's single-season points leaderboard with 578.
Over his last six games, Berry is averaging 15.3 points and 4.3 rebounds on 49.3% shooting from the field and 39.0% shooting from beyond the arc. It is the highest scoring six-game stretch of his career. Berry has played 139 career games, the third most in program history, and he ranks fifth in career 3-pointers made with 246.
Windham is averaging 12.6 points and 3.4 assists over his last five games, converting 45.8% of his shots from beyond the arc. The Indianapolis, Ind. product has scored 15+ points in three of the last five contests, becoming the first Northwestern first-year to score 15+ points three times over a five game stretch since Boo Buie in 2019.
Over the last four seasons (2021-25), Northwestern has won 38 Big Ten games, equaling the stretch from 1930-34 (38) as the most of any four-season period in school history.
The Wildcats have scored 70+ points in 13 conference games this season, tied for the most in program history and the most since 1989-90 (13). Northwestern is 10-0 this season when holding its opponent to 65 or fewer points.
As a team, the Wildcats are averaging 9.8 turnovers lost per game, which is the fewest in the Big Ten, and ranks 23rd fewest nationally. Northwestern ranks second in the Big Ten and 19th nationally with a turnover margin of +3.6.
The Wildcats are forcing an average of 13.3 turnovers per game, which ranks fifth in the conference. It's the program's highest average since forcing 14.9 turnovers per game in 2008-09. Northwestern ranks fifth in the Big Ten in steals, averaging 7.2 per game. Northwestern has averaged over 7+ steals per game in each of the last three seasons, the first time it has done that since 2006-09.
The Wildcats trail the all-time series against the Bruins (20-9, 11-7 Big Ten), 5-1. Northwestern split its previous two home matchups against UCLA, with its only win coming on Dec. 29, 1949, by a score of 64-58. The teams last faced off in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on March 18, 2023, in Sacramento, when then-No. 7 UCLA defeated the 'Cats, 68-63. Boo Buie, Matthew Nicholson, and Chase Audige combined to score 51 of Northwestern's 63 total points. Nicholson set a career-high with 17 points on 9-for-9 shooting with nine rebounds.
UCLA won seven straight Big Ten games from Jan. 17 - Feb. 8. Since then, the Bruins have gone 2-3 and enter Evanston off of a 76-66 loss at Purdue on Friday (Feb. 28). Tyler Bilodeau leads the team in scoring averaging 13.9 points per game. UCLA boasts the Big Ten's best scoring defense, allowing 65.0 points per game, which ranks 21st in the country. The Bruins rank seventh nationally with a +4.7 turnover margin and 15th nationally by forcing 15.4 turnovers per game. Both figures lead the conference.
Northwestern's final regular season contest will take place in College Park against No. 16 Maryland at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 8. The game will air on Peacock and WGN Radio 720.
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