A Disappointing Performance for the Northwestern Wildcats

The Northwestern Wildcats’ season may have come to an end on Saturday afternoon, as they faced a tough loss against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Despite the efforts of senior wing Nick Martinelli, one of the top offensive talents in the nation, and freshman forward Tre Singleton, who had a strong showing, the rest of the team struggled significantly on offense. The defensive issues were clear, with problems in both point-of-attack defense and interior protection.

The visiting Nebraska Cornhuskers, under the guidance of former Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg, dominated the second half in a home game at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The final score was 77-58, marking another loss for the Wildcats. This defeat brought their record down to 8-10 on the year (0-7 in the Big Ten) and extended their losing streak to five games.

Guard Play and 3-Point Shooting Remain Concerns

Northwestern’s guard play has been a consistent issue throughout the season, as has their 3-point shooting. While the team showed some competence in long-range shooting during this game, their backcourt players continued to struggle offensively.

Jayden Reid, who had a season-high scoring performance as a sixth man against the Fighting Illini, remained a bench option for head coach Chris Collins. Although he is a solid fastbreak player, his style doesn’t always complement the slower Martinelli, making it logical to separate the two.

Reid, a 5-foot-10 transfer from USF, had a poor defensive performance against Rutgers, which led Collins to move him to a reserve role. He seemed to find his footing with the ‘Cats but couldn’t match his previous 28-point night on Saturday.

A Promising Start for Singleton

With Martinelli frequently being double-teamed, someone needed to step up. That person wasn’t Reid, but Singleton had a promising start in the first half. He scored eight points on 3-of-6 field goal shooting and 2-of-2 free throw shooting. His size and strength helped him stand out, and he was aggressive in looking for his own shot.

Martinelli led all scorers at the break with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line, along with eight rebounds. However, only four Northwestern players managed to score in the first half, despite nine players suiting up. Nebraska led 34-29 at the break, which marked just the second time the Wildcats had been limited to under 30 points in a half all year.

Pryce Sandfort led the Cornhuskers with nine points, and the Wildcats managed to stay in the game thanks to a strong rebounding performance in the first half, where they led Nebraska 21-14.

A Disastrous Second Half

The second half proved to be a disaster for the Wildcats. Nebraska started the half with a 9-0 run, building a nine-point lead, 43-34. A Sandfort three-pointer helped the Huskers extend their lead to 46-36 at the 15:11 mark. Sandfort has now made at least three three-pointers in seven of his last eight games.

As the game progressed, Sandfort became more comfortable, and Nebraska took control with an 11-0 run midway through the third quarter. Suddenly, the Wildcats found themselves trailing by 19 points after a Sandfort 23-footer, 63-44, with 7:42 remaining in regulation.

By 1:19, Collins gave up, substituting his deep bench with the game already decided.

Post-Mortem Analysis

Three Nebraska players finished in double-digits, with Sandfort (22 points) and reserve Braden Frager (20) each scoring 20 or more. Martinelli recorded his ninth consecutive 20+ point game, finishing with a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Only one other Northwestern player scored more than six points—Singleton, who ended with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Singleton’s size made him a formidable opponent on both ends of the court. In one sequence, he hit a lengthy mid-range jumper and then followed it up with a massive block.

Center Arrinten Page, the team’s second-best player, had a terrible game, playing only nine minutes before being benched for the final 17:35. Collins explained that he leaned on a small-ball lineup to compete with Nebraska’s shooters, citing the difficulty of the matchup.

Despite not being a great rim protector, Page still has offensive potential and could have contributed more. Nebraska outperformed the Wildcats in several areas, including three-point shooting (11-of-26, 42%) compared to 5-of-14 (36%), free-throw attempts (five more), turnovers (11 to 5), and field goal percentage (51%).

Looking Ahead

Nebraska’s 18-0 start marks the best start in program history. They now have a chance to go 20-0, facing Washington and Minnesota next. For Northwestern, the upcoming week includes conference road games against the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins.