After an uninspiring road effort against Purdue, it’s gut-check time for the Wildcats.
“There’s a little fire alarm going off that we got to extinguish.”
Those were the words out of Chris Collins’ mouth following Northwestern’s road loss to Purdue on Sunday, which sunk the Wildcats to 1-3 in conference play. The Wildcats do, in fact, have a fire — not a big one just yet, more of a kitchen fire — but it needs to be put out promptly before its flames grow any fiercer.
It was an exhausting week for the Wildcats, who turned around after a heartbreaking loss on Thursday night against Penn State for another road game Sunday afternoon. In the matchup against the Nittany Lions, Northwestern had the right to feel slighted. Questionable officiating dominated the game as Northwestern stomached a four-point loss in a game where it’s easy to imagine a different result had one or more calls gone differently. That was not the case on Sunday. The players decided this one. Purdue’s players showed up and met the moment — Northwestern’s didn’t.
Yet again, the Wildcats started slow. By halftime, the scoreboard read 41-18 Purdue and the game had already been effectively decided. The 18 points were Northwestern’s lowest total in any half all season. Northwestern was 25% from the floor and 14.3% from three in the opening frame. In the first 20 minutes, the Wildcats’ two stars, Brooks Barnhizer and Nick Martinelli, combined for just four points on 1-of-10 shooting, including a first-half goose egg from Martinelli. By the game’s end, both players snuck into double-digits, but neither was efficient from the field and Barnhizer had a career-high eight turnovers.
Barnhizer and Martinelli will be fine (at least in my opinion). Purdue’s game plan of not allowing them in the paint worked, and while there could be a concern that this game provides a roadmap going forward, players have off nights, and that’s what Collins chalked it up to after the game. Where there should be real concern is with the other members of the starting five.
Both Ty Berry and Matt Nicholson, Northwestern’s most experienced players, came up empty in the scoring column Sunday afternoon. Nicholson only took one shot and grabbed one rebound. Berry missed each of his three shots. Both played just 13 minutes, which can partially be attributed to the unreachable lead Purdue built in the second half that allowed both teams to test their depth, but both were pulled well before the halfway point in the second frame. Berry played just one minute in the second half while Nicholson was on the floor for just four. For comparison, Barnhizer and Martinelli played 16 and 17 minutes, respectively.
Even Jalen Leach, who was Northwestern’s leading scorer at halftime with eight, was pulled after playing just seven minutes in the latter half of the game. He exited with a -22 plus-minus, tied for the team low.
When asked about the minutes for those three, Collins was candid, saying, “Jalen made some shots but I just didn’t think their energy was great today.” Instead, Northwestern gave minutes to some fresh faces, emptying the bench and allowing 12 different Wildcats to touch the court.
“I was playing the guys I thought were competing. I was just trying to find a group out there that was going to fight and battle and compete,” Collins said. Reading between the lines, could there be a shake-up to the minutes distribution?
As much as he’s earned his reputation as a Northwestern staple, Ty Berry has struggled as of late. Since his stellar performance against Northeastern where it looked like he may have turned the post-injury corner, Berry has looked lost. In the two games since, he’s shot just 1-of-9 and has more personal fouls (5) than points (3).
Meanwhile, in that same timeframe, freshman Angelo Ciaravino has posted 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting and led the team with 19 points on Sunday. Collins described Ciaravino’s minutes as the “one real bright spot”, as he looked fearless and aggressive despite the imposing road environment. If Ciaravino were to bite into the minutes of Berry or Leach, it would not be all that surprising.
Collins on Angelo Ciaravino’s career-day: “His role on the team going forward is huge. We’re a developmental program.”
“He’s fearless; he’s athletic; he’s not afraid of the moment. He’s competitive.”
— Inside NU (@insidenu) January 5, 2025
Similarly, Collins offered praise for both Luke Hunger and Keenan Fitzmorris, who played in relief of Nicholson. Fitzmorris, who has barely touched the court this season, tallied two blocks and a steal late in the game. Could a redistribution of minutes at the center spot be in the cards as well?
Perhaps its unwise to assume major changes are coming after a two-game losing streak, a relatively common occurrence in college basketball, especially considering both games were on the road. But at 1-3 in Big Ten play, Northwestern’s margin for error is slimming, and to get to where this team wants to go, a spark might be necessary.
Chris Collins often describes the Big Ten gauntlet like a boxing match, where each game is a round in the ring. If that’s the case, Round 15 was a real punch in the teeth (literally). Now, the question for the Wildcats is if they’ll look different when Round 16 comes around, and more importantly, whether they can bounce back and put themselves right back in a position to push for the tournament by putting that kitchen fire out.