Welsh-Ryan Arena erupted in cheers as senior guard Brooks Barnhizer was announced in the starting line-up as Northwestern took on Montana State Tuesday night.
Barnhizer, a weapon on both ends, made his season debut while the Wildcats (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten) took down the Bobcats (1-4, 0-0 Big Sky). He made his presence known swiftly, scoring 20 points while nabbing 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
“It was just great to have him back out there tonight. I was just happy for him,” NU coach Chris Collins said. “That kid loves to play the game, and just to see him back out there put a smile on my face.”
Barnhizer’s absence came due to an undisclosed injury which landed him in a boot for a good chunk of the lead-up into the season.
The NU star was named to the 2024-25 Preseason All-Big Ten Team after averaging an explosive 14.6 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game last season.
” I missed it a lot, just to be out there with the guys, being able to go to war with them,” Barnhizer said. “It was really sweet to be back out there.”
He wasted no time proving his preseason accolades. Barnhizer’s first points of the season came on a layup with a little under 17 minutes left in the first half, sparking a 7-2 ’Cats run.
A Barnhizer three-pointer put the ‘Cats up by four with about 13 minutes left in the first half. Additionally, his and-one conversion as the first half was coming to a close was crucial to Northwestern’s ability to stay in the contest.
“(Brooks is) the leader of this team and just impacts the game in so many ways,” Collins said.
Every time the game was slipping away from NU, Barnhizer was there to clean things up on the offensive side. He secured a layup on a spin move with around two minutes left in the half, tying the game at 31.
Although Barnhizer had an impressive first-half outing, notching a near double-double of 14 points and eight rebounds, NU trailed the Bobcats by five points heading into the locker room.
After the break, Barnhizer’s blazing performance cooled as foul trouble forced him to sit out for most of the half.
Barnhizer immediately influenced the game when he checked back in with a little over five minutes left in the second half. His driving layup with around a minute left in the matchup and clutch assist to graduate student center Matthew Nicholson for an alley-oop dunk provided the finishing touches on NU’s win.
“(Barnhizer) just did what big-time players do,” Collins said. “He kept poise, was confident, and made big plays down the stretch.”
The ’Cats ultimately secured a 72-69 victory against Montana State thanks to Barnhizer’s performance.
His roommate, junior forward Nick Martinelli, said he was ecstatic to see one of his best friends back on the court.
“It’s been something I’ve been praying for for a while,” Martinelli said of Barnhizer’s return. “It felt great, seeing him out there, just running through people. He plays so hard … He has such a respectable game.”
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