By the time two of Northwestern\u2019s top three leading scorers were ruled out with season-ending injuries amid last season\u2019s conference slate, its hopes of making a third-straight March Madness appearance had all but evaporated.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the heels of a middle-of-the-road season with 17 wins and 16 losses, the Wildcats seek a new identity after a handful of critical departures.<\/p>\n
NU graduated three players who spent their entire collegiate careers in Evanston and two more who joined the squad as graduate student transfers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Among last year\u2019s graduating class was former guard Brooks Barnhizer, who was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in June<\/a>, making him the first Wildcat to have his name called on NBA draft night this century.<\/p>\n A consistent member of the starting rotation for three of his four years in a purple jersey, Barnhizer\u2019s time at NU didn\u2019t end the way he had hoped. After the \u2019Cats\u2019 Feb. 1 loss to Wisconsin, coach Chris Collins announced that Barnhizer would miss out on the remainder of his final season to undergo foot surgery. \u201cHe had set everything up to have this be the best year yet, to lead this program and to take us to new heights,\u201d Collins said that day. \u201cTo have the injuries derail that, it\u2019s unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n At the time, Barnhizer ranked second among NU scorers, and alongside then-junior forward Nick Martinelli, he completed one of the most lethal duos in college basketball.\u00a0<\/p>\n Just one game after Barnhizer was ruled out, then-graduate student guard Jalen Leach went down with a season-ending knee injury.<\/p>\n In their absence, Martinelli stepped up his already-dominant level of play and earned the Big Ten scoring crown, averaging 20.2 points per game during the regular season. The unorthodox southpaw also shattered NU\u2019s single-season scoring record in a season-ending loss to then-No.18 Wisconsin in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n Following his junior year ascension, Martinelli will return to NU next year to lead a younger coalition of players \u2014 without longtime starters like Barnhizer, former guard Ty Berry and former center Matthew Nicholson by his side.<\/p>\n Then-freshman guards K.J. Windham and Angelo Ciaravino saw increased playing time amid injury-induced lineup changes last season, as did then-junior guard Justin Mullins and sophomore guard Jordan Clayton.\u00a0<\/p>\n After graduating Nicholson and former center Keenan Fitzmorris, and losing former forward Luke Hunger to the transfer portal, the \u2019Cats will be looking to find the right big man to slot into their rotation among those additions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Five recruits and three transfers will enter the mix this fall. When the \u2019Cats first announced its recruiting class in November 2024, it was ranked among the top 10 by 247Sports.<\/p>\n Of the five recruits, two power forwards, two shooting guards and one center will be joining this year\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n Rising freshman forward Tyler Kropp brings international experience to the team. He\u2019s represented Argentina in FIBA U17 World Cup for the past two years and has juggled NU summer practices with those games ahead of his first year.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to his elite play on the court, rising freshman guard Jake West \u2014 rated one of the best players from Pennsylvania \u2014 is also a social media sensation, bringing 1.6 million TikTok followers with him to Evanston.\u00a0<\/p>\n Without Nicholson, Fitzmorris and Hunger, the biggest new faces to keep an eye on are rising freshman center Cade Bennerman and junior transfer center Arrinten Page who will be tasked with defining a new NU frontcourt.<\/p>\n As the \u2019Cats continue their summer practice schedule, they\u2019re preparing for their nonconference slate to begin in November.<\/p>\n A year after the Big Ten added four West Coast teams to the conference, NU will host Oregon and travel to UCLA for the first time this season. Its complete schedule with dates and times has not yet been finalized as of late July.<\/p>\n Email: [email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n X: @AudreyPachuta<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Related Stories:<\/p>\n \u2014 Men\u2019s Basketball: Brooks Barnhizer reflects on \u2018lifelong connections\u2019 at NU following NBA Draft<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Men\u2019s Basketball: Thunder select NU\u2019s Barnhizer in second round of NBA Draft<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Martinelli withdraws from NBA Draft, returns to NU<\/a><\/p>\n