In the 2023-24 regular season, Northwestern lost just one game by double digits. Now, in back-to-back blowout losses, the Wildcats (10-6, 1-4 Big Ten) have dropped their last two by margins of 18 and 10 and have yet to win a game in 2025.
A 24-3 Spartan (14-2, 5-0 Big Ten) run in the middle of the first half broke the game wide open, and the Wildcats (10-6, 1-4 Big Ten) never recovered en route to a 78-68 loss.
Michigan State overwhelmed NU’s defense, repeatedly creating open looks under the basket. On the offensive end of the floor, the ’Cats shooting struggles continued — they shot just 35.6% from the field and went 5-of-25 from three-point range.
Junior forward Nick Martinelli led all scorers with 27 points. Spartan guard Jaden Akins led the way for the visitors with 14.
From the game’s opening minutes, it was the Martinelli show.
NU’s first six points all came from signature Martinelli hook shots, and the junior forward also recorded a block and an offensive rebound before the first media timeout.
After Michigan State took its first lead of the game on a Jaden Akins three-pointer that put the Spartans ahead 14-13, Martinelli responded with a triple of his own.
Senior guard Brooks Barnhizer, on the other hand, started cold, missing his first seven field goal attempts in a scoreless first half. His profligacy, along with three consecutive NU turnovers, allowed Michigan State to take control of the game with a 14-0 run that put it ahead 28-16.
A Martinelli and-one layup put a stop to that streak, but Michigan State then embarked on a second significant run, scoring 10 unanswered. The Spartans headed to the break up 47-28 — they shot 62.1% from the field in the first half and made four of six three point attempts.
The ’Cats kept pace in the second half, but never came close to mounting a serious comeback. Barnhizer finally got on the board at the 13:56 mark of the second half. That basket cut the lead to 15 — NU never got closer than 8 after the intermission.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s victory over the Spartans.
1. Spartans show strength in depth
Barnhizer and Martinelli each entered the game averaging over 19 points per game. By contrast, Michigan State had only one player averaging over 10 points per game — Akins with 14.1.
Yet, on Sunday, the Spartans’ well-rounded 10-man rotation overpowered the ’Cats’ star power. At halftime, Michigan State’s bench had racked up 24 points, outpacing its starting lineup and almost matching NU’s total for the half of 28.
Michigan State’s scoring was remarkably spread out once again. Although its leading scorer, Akins, only finished with 14 points, the Spartans had five other players score at least eight points.
While the Barnhizer-Martinelli tandem is one of the highest performing in the country, Sunday’s rout demonstrated the perils of relying on the duo. When one of them has an off day — as Barnhizer did against Michigan State — NU is rarely able to get enough production from the rest of its lineup to compete at the highest level.
Graduate student guard Ty Berry’s struggles from beyond the arc continued, failing to connect on all three of his attempts. He has now shot 1-of-12 from distance over the last three games.
2. NU’s center woes intensify
With redshirt sophomore forward Luke Hunger out with a foot injury, graduate student forward Keenan Fitzmorris was handed his first significant minutes of the season. Fitzmorris was the first player off the NU bench along with junior forward Justin Mullins.
The 7-footer failed to make an impact, scoring one point and gathering in one rebound in his 18 minutes on the floor.
When starting graduate student center Matthew Nicholson committed his second foul before the ten minute mark of the first half, Fitzmorris checked in with the ’Cats trailing 18-16. By the time he checked out under five minutes later, Michigan State had extended its lead to 14 points, which ultimately proved insurmountable.
Prior to today’s contest, Fitzmorris had only appeared in four games for NU since transferring from Stony Brook, scoring four points and grabbing one rebound on the season.
To make matters worse, Nicholson went down holding his left leg with just over four minutes left to play and did not return.
3. Maryland is a must-win
Coach Chris Collins’ team returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Thursday desperately needing a win against Maryland.
With the ’Cats 1-4 in conference play, a loss to the Terrapins could be lethal for their hopes of climbing the Big Ten standings.
Given NU’s struggles on the road — it is currently 0-4 in true road matchups — falling to 1-5 ahead of a trip to No. 24 Michigan could prove a hole too deep to climb out of.
Maryland’s resumé took a hit at the beginning of the month when it suffered back-to-back road losses to Washington and Oregon, but the Terrapins bounced back on Friday with a comprehensive 79-61 victory over No. 22 UCLA.