After a thrilling overtime win over Maryland Thursday, Northwestern traveled east to face No. 20 Michigan on Sunday, marking its third game against a ranked opponent in just two weeks. Despite a strong start, the Wildcats (11-7, 2-5 Big Ten) couldn’t maintain the momentum, as the Wolverines (14-4, 6-1 Big Ten) pulled away for a 80-76 overtime victory.
In a topsy-turvy affair that saw 19 lead changes and 10 ties, the Wolverines ultimately secured the win. The ’Cats haven’t defeated a ranked Michigan team at home since February 1981.
Graduate student center Matthew Nicholson posted a season-high 16 rebounds Sunday.
With the loss, The ‘Cats have now had nine games this year that were decided by five points or fewer.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s loss at Michigan Sunday:
1. A tale of two stars
The last time NU faced Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin, it was in March Madness, where the then-Florida Atlantic center dropped 19 points in an overtime thriller. But Sunday, Goldin showed a new dimension to his game. A player who never attempted a three-pointer during his time at FAU, the 7-foot-1 big has transformed into a deep threat for Michigan, hitting 9-of-16 from beyond the arc this season. Against NU, he drilled three triples in the first half, adding a lethal new element to Michigan’s offense.
Goldin wound up with 31 points Sunday.
Meanwhile, Barnhizer kept the ’Cats in the fight with 21 points. Though he shot just 2-of-7 from the field in the first half, his consistency at the charity stripe during overtime helped the ’Cats stay competitive until the final buzzer.
Barnhizer shot 8-of-11 from the free throw line during overtime.
2. Hello there, Jalen Leach. Goodbye there, Jalen Leach
Graduate student Jalen Leach has typically been a steady contributor with solid, low-double-digit scoring performances behind the more headline-grabbing acts of Brooks Barnhizer and Martinelli.
But on Sunday, Leach stepped up to lead the ’Cats, on pace to be their top scorer with 19 points on a 8-of-12 shooting clip. However, his performance was cut short when he was ejected for a flagrant-2 foul with 11:35 remaining in the second half. Freshman guard K.J. Windham and junior guard Blake Smith stepped in to finish the game in his place, as NU’s offense lost a key contributor for the remainder of the contest.
3. ’Cats’ defensive grit
Michigan entered Sunday with the highest field goal percentage in the Big Ten (51.5%), while NU sat at 16th in the league. But the ’Cats showed they were ready to battle on the defensive end, limiting Michigan to just 29% shooting in the first half. Though the Wolverines found their rhythm after the break, NU’s defense kept the game within reach into the final seconds of Sunday’s contest.
One of the ’Cats’ biggest defensive successes was holding Michigan center Danny Wolf to just 4 points, with zero made-shots from the field. Wolf, who transferred from Yale and considered powerhouse programs like North Carolina, Duke and NU before landing at Michigan, struggled to find his rhythm, a testament to NU’s defensive effort.
Email: audreypachuta2027@u.northwestern.edu
Twitter: @AudreyPachuta
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