2024-25 Men’s Basketball Player Previews: Brooks Barnhizer

In his senior season, Barnhizer is ready to take over this team and lead it back to the NCAA Tournament.

Who he is

Senior; 6-foot-6 guard from Lafayette, Indiana

2023-2024 stats

34 games (started in all), 36.7 minutes per game, 14.6 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, 2.6 assists per game, 0.8 blocks per game, 1.8 steals per game, 42.9% FG, 34.8% 3P, 76.6% FT

2023-2024 review

As a selection to both the Third Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Defensive Team, Brooks Barnhizer continued his trend of improving each season. After playing in every game but not starting once in the 2022-23 season, Barnhizer stepped into a bigger role in his junior season. He was seventh in the Big Ten in rebounds, second in minutes per game, fifth in steals and 13th in points. Barnhizer also had 10 double-doubles, which ranked fourth in the Big Ten and third in Northwestern school history.

In the season opener against Binghamton, he posted a double-double. He followed that by posting his second of the season in the next game against Dayton. Barnhizer then had his first 20-point game of the season against Western Michigan. Overall, in non-conference games, Barnhizer had trouble with three pointers, shooting only 27.8% from beyond the arc. Even with these struggles, he was still averaging over 13 points per game. Barnhizer, though, wasn’t needed for his scoring. His rebounding and his pick-pocket ability was huge for the ‘Cats.

Once conference play began, Barnhizer really started to improve his game. Excluding the home game against Purdue which happened in the middle of the non-conference portion of the season, Barnhizer shot 42.4% from three, including a 4-of-6 performance in the ‘Cats home victory over the Fighting Illini. He had five games in which he scored 20+ points against Big Ten opponents along with six double-doubles in games against conference foes. He had his ninth double-double of the season in Northwestern’s loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament. His most clutch moment of the season came against FAU in the Round of 64 when he made the tying shot to send the game into overtime.

Strengths

Brooks Barnhizer is one of the most experienced players on this team. He’s a 6-foot-6 guard who is one of the best rebounders in the Big Ten. He had 10 double-doubles in 2023-24 and also was seventh in rebounding in the conference. Having a rebounding guard is huge for any basketball team, and it just so happens that Barnhizer is the best rebounding guard Northwestern has ever seen. Additionally, his three point percentage can be seen as a weakness if the season is looked at overall, but he was a lot better in conference play when it came to that aspect of his game. Barnhizer also has a lot of experience. He has played in two consecutive March Madness tournaments and started every game a season ago. Lastly, his defense is exceptional. He is great at pick-pocketing players and is always all over the court on defense.

Weaknesses

Brooks Barnhizer hasn’t been “the guy” during his time playing at Northwestern. Boo Buie has always been on the team, but this year he’s not. Barnhizer will need to be able to step up and be the leader of this team which is still a question mark. Also, his three point shooting in both the Big Ten Tournament and in March Madness was less than ideal as he shot only 16.7% from beyond the arc in those three games overall. His free-throw percentage is a little lower than ideal, and his field goal percentage could also be improved. Barnhizer should be striving to get close to 50/40/90 this season. He also does foul a fair amount, but never fouled out last season.

Expectations

It’s going to be tough to replace what Boo Buie was to this Northwestern team. However, Barnhizer was named to the 2024-25 Preseason All-Big Ten Team and is now Northwestern’s leader. He’s expected to be in the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year conversation and doesn’t have to be the leading scorer for this team. The scoring load will be split this year between Barnhizer, Leach, Berry and others, but the defensive ceiling of this team will be led by Barnhizer. Positively, he seems to be on track to be ready for the season after being seen in a walking boot this offseason. He is also expected to bring up the ball a lot, like he did last season when Buie was on the bench.