In what will be his final season in Evanston, Big Matt will need to step up once again.
Who he is
Grad student; 7 feet; from Clarkston, Michigan; returning starting center
2023-2024 stats
29 games (24 starts), 22.3 minutes per game, 5.3 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game, 1.8 assists per game, 1.4 blocks per game, 0.5 steals per game, 65.7% FG, 0% 3P, 52.5% FT
2023-2024 review
Nicholson had his ups and downs for the ‘Cats last season, but was generally consistent when he was available to play. He struggled in non-conference play and even lost the starting center role to Luke Hunger for a time but returned to the starting lineup in short order. A foot injury against Iowa on March 2 ended Nicholson’s season, forcing him out of Northwestern’s Big Ten Tournament and March Madness squads.
In non-conference play, Big Matt’s impacts were scattered, with a particularly strong performance coming against NIU where he recorded 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Given struggles to score and rebound in a string of games that followed, he temporarily lost the starting role to Hunger ahead of NU’s showdown against Michigan State, a game the ‘Cats won decisively. Nicholson regained the role after displaying some improvements, especially in a 10-point performance against Maryland.
Nicholson’s best game of the season came in Northwestern’s massive road victory at Assembly Hall against Indiana when Big Matt recorded 14 points and a whopping 16 rebounds. He was the driving force behind one of NU’s biggest wins of the season, a game that set the ‘Cats up well for the late-season push toward a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. He had disparate impacts in games against Michigan, Maryland and Iowa, and suffered his season-ending injury against the Hawkeyes in what became NU’s only conference loss of the season at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Strengths
Big Matt’s strength lies in his size, as is the case with many centers. While his average rebound numbers dipped between the past two seasons, Nicholson is still decent on the boards, averaging over four rebounds per game in the 2023-24 campaign. He doesn’t need to reach Brooks Barnhizer’s rebound levels — who averaged 7.5 per game last season — but his size gives him a natural advantage that should help him thrive in this area. Nicholson is also very good at boxing out opposing defenders, which has often allowed other players to grab rebounds and capitalize on the boards. Among other measurements, Nicholson also improved his assisting last season, and has been one of the better passers on this Northwestern team. His strong passing is a great asset to Chris Collins’ team, especially in transition.
Weaknesses
Big Matt’s weaknesses are hard to pin down, as he is a fairly consistent player. However, his offensive output has been subpar for the ‘Cats, with the center only averaging 5.4 points per game last season, a dip from his average in the 2022-23 season. Nicholson has proven to be good at shooting the basketball, even though he shot 38 fewer times and averaged fewer points last season than he did the season prior. It must be said that 93% of his shots came at the rim, indicating Nicholson’s lack of offensive versatility especially when compared to transfer big man Keenan Fitzmorris, who showed an ability to stretch the floor at Stony Brook. With that said, he should have more opportunities for offensive output in the paint with fewer star shooters on the team with Boo Buie and Ryan Langborg leaving Evanston, allowing Big Matt to take more shots and further increase his scoring. Beyond his inability to score, Nicholson has struggled at times on the offensive glass, with a bigger decrease in offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds between his previous two seasons.
Expectations
As long as Nicholson can stay healthy and remain a consistent presence in the ‘Cats lineup, expect a similar or even better season from him this time around.
Nicholson’s place on the depth chart remains strikingly similar as well. It’s unclear how exactly graduate transfer Keenan Fitzmorris will fit into the rotation, but he certainly doesn’t pose any threat to Nicholson’s starting role in the immediate future either. If anything, Fitzmorris will likely backup Nicholson and allow Luke Hunger more opportunities at power forward, a more natural position for a player of his stature. Hunger should still get reps at center, however, allowing Chris Collins to have his team play small ball when it needs to. Given NU’s depth at the position, Big Matt should see similar time on the floor to last season as well, when he averaged 22 minutes per game.
Given the absence of big scoring threats such as Boo Buie and Ryan Langborg, I expect Nicholson to be more involved on the offensive end. These improvements should be marginal — Big Matt only averaged just upwards of five points per game last season — but still noticeable on a team that will require offensive prowess to win lots of Big Ten games. This won’t require Nicholson to suddenly learn to hit three pointers or jumpers, but rather finish at the rim in crucial moments down the stretch. Meeting his 2022-23 season average of 6.3 points a game would be massive, with every point potentially making a difference for this team in close games. Also making improvements on the offensive glass would be huge, and is something I trust Nicholson to improve in this season. As for defense, Big Matt has been fairly consistent on that end, and nothing stands out as extremely worrisome heading into the season.