The ‘Cats suffered yet another tough conference loss on Saturday.
For now, a Wildcat March Madness appearance seems to be a relic of the past.
Northwestern dropped a home game against the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, falling to 3-8 in the Big Ten. The game all but assured that the ‘Cats will not qualify for the Big Dance this season. The Wildcats led by six at halftime, but the eventual 75-69 defeat was likely the nail in the coffin. Still, there are important lessons to be gleaned from the performance against the Badgers. Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s affair.
Jalen Leach was a successful transfer pickup
There were certainly major question marks surrounding Leach’s potential with the Wildcats following his transfer from Fairfield. However, he put those concerns to rest by mid-season, arguably putting up his best game of the year against Wisconsin. Leach scored 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, and he also added seven rebounds and seven assists, filling the void left by the absence of Brooks Barnhizer (who is now out for the season).
While Leach has sometimes felt slightly out of place in his hybrid guard role this season, he’s shown flashes of ability and improvement as a ballhandler. Having taken on an increased role as the de facto point guard, Leach has improved throughout the year, doing his best to fill the enormous shoes left by Boo Buie. It’s tough to expect Leach to be a consistent assist-getter, but he’s done a nice job at improving his passing ability, and on Saturday, he displayed a penchant for impacting the game in scoring, rebounding, and passing all at once.
As Leach has developed, he’s made his own imprint on the Wildcats, and his shoes will also need to be filled after this season. Regardless, Northwestern still has nine conference games remaining in the regular season. Those nine games will give Leach an opportunity to develop further, produce and possibly put his team in contention for a postseason appearance in the NIT or the College Basketball Crown. No matter what happens, though, head coach Chris Collins should be proud of the Leach acquisition, as it has worked out a lot better than many expected.
Nick Martinelli has fallen out of the flow
While Leach has had a nice season overall, it is Martinelli who represents the biggest Northwestern breakout player in 2024-25. The junior forward had a scorching-hot start to the season, however, over the last three games, his volume has risen while his efficiency has dropped. Against Wisconsin, Martinelli shot 6-of-18 from the field (including 1-of-5 from three), struggling to convert his typical floaters at an effective rate.
It seems that Martinelli has struggled to successfully pick his spots in the same way he did at the start of the year. As he’s become a bigger focal point of defensive attention, Martinelli has been forcing more looks. The floaters that aren’t forced are often rushed or lacking the typical teardrop arc that he’s specialized in creating this season.
Over his last five games, Martinelli has shot a combined 30-of-81 from the field, and he’s shot above 37% just once (in the win against Indiana). The four losses surrounding that game indicate that when Martinelli is scoring inefficiently, the Wildcats suffer. Against Wisconsin, Martinelli’s 6-of-18 mark was a major contributor to Northwestern’s offensive droughts. Certainly, the ‘Cats will need him to regain his early-season form down the stretch.
It’s time for the young guys to get more consistent minutes
This takeaway isn’t necessarily due to the play of the freshmen, but rather, the idea that Coach Collins needs to start thinking about his players on next season’s roster. Against Wisconsin, Angelo Ciaravino got the start once again, shooting 0-of-6 but creating some good looks and playing aggressively. Ciaravino feels past due for a big-time game at some point, but regardless, it’s a smart move to keep giving him playing time.
Off the bench, K.J. Windham also struggled to get going for the ‘Cats, but he has the tools to succeed at guard, a position at which Northwestern has sought consistency all season. Regardless, the team needs to know what it has in the freshman pair before the end of the season. A case can be made that both Windham and Ciaravino should’ve gotten more minutes in non-conference play, but to be fair to Collins, Northwestern was still well within tournament consideration at the time.
Now that the ‘Cats have fallen off the bubble, it’s certainly not prudent to suggest that they should simply give up and solely play for next year. However, at the same time, it’s hard to know whether Windham and Ciaravino deserve bigger roles until they get consistent minutes, so that should continue to be a point of emphasis for Collins and Co. going forward. Despite the missed shots, Ciaravino has looked decent in terms of his quickness on the floor. Thus, even though the results haven’t been there yet, Wildcat fans would be wise to keep faith in his potential.