Since his hire in 2013, Northwestern head coach Chris Collins has proven to be a magnificent leader for the Wildcats basketball program. Leading the men’s team to three NCAA tournament appearances, as well as three consecutive winning seasons, he’s done plenty to make them competitive. This is in no small part due to Northwestern becoming one of the more physical teams in the Big Ten.
Nothing has been perfect though, and their hopes of reaching the NCAA tournament for a third-straight season weren’t answered. Due to a plethora of injuries, the Wildcats wrapped up their 2024-25 campaign with a 17-16 record. Adding insult to injury, the heart and soul of Northwestern Basketball –2023-24 All-Big Ten selection Brooks Barnhizer –is gone. Now, they must find others who can help 2024-25 All-Big Ten selection Nick Martinelli get them back to the top half of the Big Ten.
Northwestern Basketball 2025-26 Preview: Put Up Or Shut Up
Let’s look at Northwestern basketball for 2025-26, as it’s a put up or shut up season for Collins.
Roster Outlook
Following the graduations of Ty Berry, Keenan Fitzmorris, and Matthew Nicholson, the Wildcats have to really work on their frontcourt. The best news for the Wildcats is that Martinelli is back to build off his all-conference season. However, Collins was able to use the NCAA transfer portal to add three new faces.
6-foot-11 and 245-pound junior Arrinten Page transfers in from Cincinnati. Sure, his trey-ball doesn’t quite say much with 25 total attempts in 58 career games. Still, Page is a career 36.0 percent 3-point shooter with a gigantic frame and a chance to contribute right away to Northwestern. With that being said, Holy Cross guard Max Green has a good shot at filling the hole left by Berry. To that point, the 2025 Patriot Rookie of the Year shot 38.0 percent from deep last season. The final transfer is junior point guard Jayden Reid, an important contributor for South Florida. Thus far in his collegiate career, the 5-foot-10 floor general is averaging 9.6 points, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 39.1 percent from 3.
Some 3 on 3 highlights for your afternoon enjoyment
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Elsewhere, Northwestern has an impressive freshman class coming in, led by the Mr. Basketball of Pennsylvania: Jake West. A three-star recruit, the 6-foot-3 guard has a legit shot to become the next Wildcats star. Ranked No. 80 nationally by 247 Sports, dynamic small forward Tre Singleton is the highest-ranked recruit in program history. He and Cade Bennerman, a seven-footer rated as the No. 1 prospect in Tennessee, are key frontcourt additions.
It would be negligent not to mention sophomore guard KJ Windham. Though better coming off the bench than starting, he certainly got his feet wet last season in the Big Ten. In 2025-26, he should be able to take the next steps towards making a consistently positive impact.
The rest of the Northwestern basketball roster includes:
Tyler Kropp (Fr.)
Jordan Clayton (Jr.)
Phoenix Gill (Fr.)
Justin Mullins (Sr.)
Blake Smith (Sr.)
Angelo Ciaravino (So.)
Gus Hurlburt (Jr.)
Schedule Outlook
Collins isn’t afraid to throw his team into the fire.
The Wildcats open with an exhibition against the tough-as-nails Iowa State Cyclones. That matchup should prepare them well for their challenging non-conference schedule. A road visit to fellow Chicago area university DePaul in early November will be fun. That gears them up for the Greenbrier Tip-Off in West Virginia. Of note, the Wildcats have drawn the Virginia Cavaliers and a clash with the South Carolina Gamecocks during that event.
All of this leads into what will be a huge Thanksgiving Classic game in downtown Chicago against Oklahoma State. In December, there will be one more massive neutral site clash, this time with the Big East’s Butler in Indianapolis. Ultimately, their non-conference schedule should be a good tune-up to see where they stack up once they begin Big Ten play.
Speaking of conference play, Northwestern will have plenty of huge showdowns in the Big Ten. Home and away games against Illinois are always entertaining, especially as they’re in-state rivals. They’ll also have both home and away games with Nebraska and Minnesota.
This season, Northwestern’s road-only games will be against Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, and Wisconsin. Their home-only games will be against Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, and Washington. With that in mind, the Wildcats have given Purdue fits in Evanston in recent years. History says that this is a battle that will be highlight-worthy once again.
The Last Word On The Northwestern Wildcats
So, what can be expected of the Wildcats? Martinelli, who’s poised to be the team’s centerpiece, brings a lot to the table. In fact, he has a real shot to challenge Braden Smith for the Big Ten Player of the Year next season. Yet, they’re pretty young on the whole and it might take more time than is ideal for this squad to gel.
Given that Northwestern has only made three appearances in the NCAA tournament ever, it’s hard to come out and predict they will do it again in 2025-26. However, they definitely won’t be a team that finishes in the bottom three of the Big Ten and misses the Big Ten Tournament.
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