Northwestern’s already forgettable season adds a new chapter of heartbreak.
Two years ago when the Wildcats surged to a surprise appearance in the NCAA Tournament, I had the pleasure of writing a ranking of all 21 of Northwestern’s wins from the breakout campaign. I still look back at it as one of my favorite things I’ve gotten to write for this site and it still puts a smile on my face to go back and relive those victories.
This season, I think we have enough content to fill an entire ranking of heartbreaking losses.
Sunday afternoon’s 68-64 loss to Nebraska is the newest entry into a year chock-full of melancholy and despair. The ‘Cats led by 15 at half and the lead ballooned to as many as 20, but it still wasn’t enough. The Cornhuskers outscored Northwestern 47-28 in the second half, dropping the Wildcats to 4-11 in conference play. It was both incredibly predictable and still somewhat shocking to see that big of a lead vanish so quickly.
Brief side note, now that I opened that Pandora’s Box. If I had to rank Northwestern’s heartbreaking losses, I think I would go (1) Iowa, (2) Penn State, (3) Michigan, (4) Butler, (5) Nebraska. I’m curious what you all think in the comments.
There’s no doubt about it. Northwestern has had a cursed season. Chris Collins opened an umbrella inside. Brooks Barnhizer stepped on a sidewalk crack. Nick Martinelli walked under a ladder. All of it happened. Between two devastating injuries, some poor officiating and a few moments of outright bad luck, Northwestern has had a season from hell.
Unlike the San Francisco 49ers or Philadelphia 76ers, the two most recent examples of “season from hell” teams I can think of, Northwestern won’t be awarded a high draft pick at the end of this season. There are no rewards for being bad in college sports. And although the last time I wrote one of these I expressed my long-term optimism with the team (and still feel that way), I don’t think any of the above is an excuse in the short term. In other words, I think it’s fair to want more.
I think it’s good to want more than 4-11. That means the past two years weren’t a blip. That’s the standard now. Anything below that is disappointing. That’s why yesterday’s attendance in the student section was unacceptable (Yes, it goes both ways. If you want more from the team, but aren’t willing to show up to support them, that’s on you.)
Tough showing for the students before tip off pic.twitter.com/OWkkM0Risf
— Matthew Shelton (@M_Shelton33) February 16, 2025
Those who were in the building brought the energy but had to watch a dreadful second half that was just as foreseeable as it was excruciating. Being in the building, it truly was like the cliché scene in a horror movie where you know the killer is right behind you, closing ground.
Northwestern couldn’t buy a bucket for much of the second half, going on several multi-minute droughts that allowed Nebraska to climb back in. But, whatever, bad shooting halves happen. Far more puzzling was the low-IQ basketball the Wildcats displayed throughout the second half. Sloppy turnovers on bad passes. Lapses on defensive assignments. We aren’t used to seeing that from Chris Collins’ teams and that is why it is fair to want more.
This was a winnable game, and the defense, especially, let the game slip away in the second half.
“Our defense wasn’t where it needed to be in the second half and that’s why we lost,” Collins said postgame. “We had some really critical breakdowns on simple ball screen actions where we didn’t talk through switches.”
Collins partly attributed the second-half struggles to the court flipping sides. In the first half, the defense plays directly in front of the bench and is able to receive information and energy from the players and coaches on the sideline. In the second half, that advantage is lost. Ty Berry agreed, adding, “[The second half] more relies on the five out there on the court talking versus the entire bench calling out action and plays.”
Some of these struggles can also be attributed to Northwestern’s lack of big-game experience without Barnhizer and Leach on the floor. For guys like Mullins, Clayton, Windham and Ciaravino, there’s still a learning curve.
Regardless of the reasons, although valid, I still think it’s fair to want more. Northwestern should have won on Sunday.
Where I will give the Wildcats credit is in the fight they showed. This team refuses to roll over. Martinelli and Berry have continued to step up despite vaulting up to one and two on the opposing scouting report. Matt Nicholson and Keenan Fitzmorris secured 18 of Northwestern’s 46 rebounds, 19 more than Nebraska’s total. The Wildcats snagged 23 offensive boards, played physically and forced turnovers. The want is there. The results are not.
The final five games of the season are now a testing ground. With tournament hopes dashed, Northwestern still has a chance to make a late push for the conference tourney. It’s been an exhausting and emotional season for Northwestern and its fans, but the final stretch offers a chance to start fresh. No excuses. No baggage. Just hoops. And if the team can deliver, even in this snakebitten season, it will be an accomplishment worthy of celebration.