Northwestern (22-12, 12-8 Big Ten)
Northwestern looks to keep the run going after making the NCAA Tournament the past two years. It’s a massive accomplishment for a school with only one appearance prior to that. All three have come under coach Chris Collins, who appeared to be on the hot seat before getting the program back on track. The Wildcats had five straight losing seasons after making the tournament in 2017.
Players to watch
Brooks Barnhizer (senior, guard, 14.6 ppg). A preseason All-Big Ten pick, Barnhizer was third-team all-conference last season when he averaged 7.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks. His 10 double-doubles ranked third on the program’s single-season list.
Ty Berry (graduate student, guard, 11.6 ppg). The sharp-shooting Berry figures to have more opportunities to score and create for his teammates with Boo Buie now a pro. Berry made 43.3% of his 3-pointers and was 89.5% from the foul line last year before missing the final 11 games with a knee injury.
Nick Martinelli (junior, forward, 8.8 ppg). Martinelli played a bigger role after Berry was injured and started the final 11 games. He scored 27 late in the year in a win at Maryland and shot 49.2% for the season.
Departures and arrivals
Though the Wildcats have some productive players returning, they also have a big hole to fill after Buie led them to back-to-back NCAA tourney appearances. The guard averaged 19 points and five assists last season and was first-team all-conference. Also gone is Ryan Langborg. The Wildcats added guard Jalen Leach in the transfer portal. He averaged 16.2 points as a senior at Fairfield.
Top games
Northwestern opens at home against Lehigh on Nov. 4 and figures to be tested at Dayton — coming off a 25-win season and NCAA tourney appearance — five days later. The Wildcats will meet Butler in the Arizona Tip-Off on Nov. 28 and Mississippi State or UNLV on the 29th. They also play Georgia Tech in Milwaukee on Dec. 15. They open Big Ten play at Iowa on Dec. 3 and host Illinois on Dec. 6.
Facts and figures
Collins, beginning his 12th season, is 177-174 at Northwestern. He has never been a head coach elsewhere. … The Wildcats haven’t finished with winning records in three straight seasons since a four-year run from 2008-09 to 2011-12 under former coach Bill Carmody.
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The Associated Press