Fresh off two consecutive March Madness appearances, Northwestern is preparing to kick off its men’s basketball season with tonight’s exhibition against Lewis.
The Daily’s sports desk predicted NU’s future ahead of the 2024-25 season’s commencement.
Record: 19-12 (9-11 Big Ten)
Key Player: Brooks Barnhizer
Breakout Contender: K.J. Windham
The past two seasons have been dreamlike for Northwestern basketball, reaching back-to-back March Madness appearances and filling Welsh-Ryan Arena for nearly every home game.
But now, the Wildcats must face reality. Boo Buie, the architect of NU basketball’s rebrand, has graduated. The ’Cats have lost their leading scorer and top assist leader.
Graduate student guard Ty Berry and graduate student center Matthew Nicholson return, while senior guard Brooks Barnhizer prepares to become the primary scoring option for NU. Expect graduate student transfer guard Jalen Leach, joining the ’Cats from Fairfield, to contribute key minutes. Freshman guard K.J. Windham starred in NU’s European exhibitions and may have a strong role in coach Chris Collins’ squad.
The nonconference slate should be breezy. But NU faces a vaunted conference schedule that includes tough matchups and a Big Ten Conference featuring new schools like No. 22 UCLA and an Eric Musselman-led USC.
If the ’Cats are to make their third straight NCAA tournament, Barnhizer has to contribute First-Team All-Big Ten numbers. He averaged 14.6 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and nearly two steals per game last year. The senior from Lafayette, Indiana, has the caliber to shoulder the team’s primary scoring.
This year, Collins, The Pioneer, has a chance to blaze a new trail for NU hoops.
— Henry Frieman, Sports Editor
Record: 16-15 (8-12 Big Ten)
Key Player: Brooks Barnhizer
Breakout Contender: Jalen Leach
Northwestern’s past two seasons have set new program ceilings and paved the way for coach Chris Collins to reinvigorate his work on the recruiting trail — the Wildcats’ 2025 recruiting class is ranked No. 10 nationally by 247Sports.
However, Boo Buie will no longer be the marquee man in Welsh-Ryan Arena. The all-time program leader in career points, Buie forged a new winning culture in Evanston, where he helped NU knock off the nation’s No. 1 ranked squad in back-to-back seasons.
Now, the onus shifts to senior guard Brooks Barnhizer, who returned to the ’Cats after testing the NBA Draft waters in the spring. Barnhizer was in a walking boot for much of the offseason, but he is expected to start in the season-opener against Lehigh on Nov. 4.
NU will climb as high as Barnhizer leads it, and his supporting cast is set for significant roles in 2024-25. Graduate student center Matthew Nicholson will return for his fifth and final season, and graduate student guard Ty Berry will need to continue his pre-meniscus tear form from beyond the arc.
Look for graduate student transfer guard Jalen Leach to provide a much-needed scoring presence during his lone season in purple and white.
–– Jake Epstein, Gameday Editor
Record: 18-13 (9-11 Big Ten)
Key Player: Ty Berry
Breakout Contender: Angelo Ciaravino
Coach Chris Collins’ squad is amid one of Northwestern basketball’s most successful stretches ever, tallying consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. However, the road back to March Madness will not be easy for the Wildcats.
NU was ranked No. 16 of 18 in the preseason Big Ten media poll. The new-look conference is one of the most competitive in the nation, as 11 teams received votes in the first AP poll of the season. The ’Cats have home games against three preseason ranked teams and face Purdue on the road after consecutive seasons with upset wins over the Boilermakers at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Three returning starters from last season, graduate student guard Ty Berry, senior guard and preseason All-Big Ten honoree Brooks Barnhizer and 7-foot graduate student center Matthew Nicholson, headline NU’s roster. Junior forward Nick Martinelli and graduate student guard Jalen Leach, a transfer from Fairfield, are also expected to take on key roles in Collins’ lineup.
Keep an eye on freshman guard Angelo Ciaravino. The 6-foot-6 newcomer from local Mount Carmel High School starred while the ’Cats were in Europe this summer, averaging 15 points and nine rebounds in two of the team’s exhibition games.
After sharing the starting backcourt with program legend Boo Buie for the last three seasons, Berry will be counted on for his experience and leadership nearly nine months removed from a meniscus tear. Berry had four games with 20 or more points and eight with multiple steals last season. He can take on an even bigger role in the offense while still anchoring NU’s defense.
Collins’ crew has a tough road ahead, but they are battle-tested enough to be one of the Big Ten’s toughest outs.
— Andrew Little, Reporter
Record: 18-13 (9-11 Big Ten)
Key Player: Jalen Leach
Breakout Contender: K.J. Windham
The Northwestern blueprint for success has been simple: Slow the game down, swing the rock and take care of it when you get it. From both a talent and schematic perspective, that’s why the graduation of Boo Buie is so bittersweet.
Calling Buie the engine of last season’s offense is an understatement. No other ’Cat has averaged his mark of five assists per game since 2017, or at least 19 points per game since 2012.
Coach Chris Collins offers stability and a high floor for NU this season with the effort and scrappiness that has become synonymous with the ’Cats renaissance. The task for this season is attempting to recreate Buie in the aggregate.
Senior guard Brooks Barnhizer, known for his defense, projects to shoulder the scoring load, and graduate student transfer guard Jalen Leach should step into the primary playmaking role. Freshmen guards K.J. Windham and Angelo Ciaravino both showcased much-needed touch from beyond the arc in NU’s European exhibition games and will likely be threats in off-ball action.
The road to an NCAA tournament bid has become even harder, with the revamped Big Ten slate offering old foes, like No. 14 Purdue, and new challenges, like No. 22 UCLA.
There may be some early-season kinks to work out, but nonconference play creates the perfect environment for the team to get to know itself. This is a year of opportunities for familiar faces to don new hats and for newcomers to make big impacts, and that makes each game even more important to watch.
— Alex Boyko, Reporter
Record: 19-12 (10-10 Big Ten)
Key Player: Matt Nicholson
Breakout Contender: Justin Mullins
With the Boo Buie era officially in the rearview mirror, Northwestern faces the challenge of forging a new identity in an increasingly competitive Big Ten landscape this season.
Entering his 12th season at the helm, coach Chris Collins will turn to senior guard Brooks Barnhizer to shoulder the ball-handling responsibilities that Buie once carried. Alongside him, graduate student guard Ty Berry and graduate student center Matthew Nicholson will look to pick up where they left off before injuries sidelined them both ahead of last year’s postseason.
Those late-season injuries opened the door for younger players like junior forward Nick Martinelli and redshirt sophomore forward Luke Hunger to prove themselves indispensable, while junior guards Blake Smith and Justin Mullins also saw critical minutes off the bench. Though Smith and Mullins may not see as much playing time with Nicholson and Berry back in action, their readiness will be essential in fostering a next-man-up mentality, especially in the event of early foul trouble.
In addition to his returners, Collins has bolstered his roster with additions from the transfer portal, including graduate student guard Jalen Leach from Fairfield and 7-foot center Keenan Fitzmorris from Stony Brook, who will add depth to a frontcourt in physical conference matchups.
The path to a third-straight NCAA tournament appearance will not be an easy one, especially with Big Ten expansion schools like No. 22 UCLA joining the fray. Success for the ’Cats will hinge on continuing its legacy of home-court dominance as conference wins on the road will likely be a difficult challenge.
– Audrey Pachuta, Senior Staffer
Record: 20-11 (10-10 Big Ten)
Key Player: Brooks Barnhizer
Breakout Contender: Jalen Leach
After making March Madness in consecutive years for the first time in program history, the Wildcats have an opportunity to find success, but this time, without guard Boo Buie.
With two of NU’s top scorers gone in Buie and guard Ryan Langborg, senior guard Brooks Barnhizer will have the opportunity to step up. The preseason All-Big Ten appointee averaged 14.6 points per game last season but will need to continue putting up big numbers as a leader of this year’s squad.
Graduate student returners for the ’Cats, guard Ty Berry and center Matthew Nicholson, will bring four years each of experience in the Big Ten to support Barnhizer. Junior forward Nick Martinelli will likely see consistent court time after showing his potential by playing in all 34 contests last season and nabbing a career-high 27 points at Maryland in February.
Newcomers to NU include graduate student guard Jalen Leach, a transfer from Fairfield who averaged 16.2 points his senior season. Guard K.J. Windham, as part of the ’Cats freshman class, comes to NU as the No. 2 ranked player in his home state of Indiana. Expect to see coach Chris Collins give both court time early.
It’ll be a fresh start without the team’s point guard of five years, but if ’Cats veterans and new faces mesh, NU could make its third run in a row for March Madness in 2025.
— Paloma Leone-Getten, Design Editor
Record: 19-12 (10-10 Big Ten)
Key Player: Nick Martinelli
Breakout Contender: K.J. Windham
Northwestern comes into this season without two of its critical players from last season’s campaign. Boo Buie’s and Ryan Langborg’s impacts on the team’s success last season cannot be understated.
This season will hinge on NU’s ability to fill those holes. The Wildcats return key players like graduate student guard Ty Berry, graduate student center Matthew Nicholson, senior guard Brooks Barnhizer and junior forward Nick Martinelli. They will be the core of this offense because of their rapport and experience, but this season’s newcomers will also have chances to make an impact.
Transfer Jalen Leach will try to fill the hole Buie left. The graduate student guard from Fairfield averaged 16.2 points per game last season, but he will need to adjust to the Power 5 life. First-year guard K.J. Windham will also see important minutes this season.
Similarly to last season, NU’s nonconference test will come against Dayton, but, other than that trip to Ohio, the ’Cats should win most of their nonconference matchups.
The Big Ten is loaded with great teams this season, which could prove difficult for the ’Cats. NU will have to face teams like No. 14 Purdue, No. 17 Indiana, No. 22 UCLA and No. 25 Rutgers. If the experience of ’Cats returners and the potential of the newcomers mesh well, Chris Collins’ squad could come close to the success it achieved in the last two seasons.
— Anna Watson, Senior Staffer
Related Stories:
— Men’s Basketball: Northwestern acquires Stony Brook center Keenan Fitzmorris
— Men’s Basketball: What transfer guard Jalen Leach will bring to Northwestern
— Men’s Basketball: Northwestern’s Berry, Nicholson to return for fifth seasons
