As Nick Martinelli walked out for Senior Night and paused to take it in, Welsh-Ryan Arena rose with him. The Glenview, Illinois native has poured everything into this season, carrying Northwestern night after night. He leads the conference in scoring at 22.7 points per game and is on track to finish as the Big Ten’s leading scorer for the second straight year, a rare kind of consistency in a league that makes nothing easy.
Northwestern wanted to send him off the right way one final time in Evanston
and, for 20 minutes, it looked possible. The ‘Cats played with the edge they have flashed against top teams, the same tone they set against Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois (at home), jumping on Purdue early and controlling the half. They defended with purpose, moved the ball with pace and built a nine-point lead by the break. When the teams headed to the locker rooms, the crowd felt it too. The building had that familiar crackle, the kind that makes you think about what might happen when the final buzzer sounds.
The second half turned into a grind. Purdue chipped away, Northwestern answered and the lead swung back and forth until Purdue finally nudged in front. Still, Northwestern kept finding just enough to stay within reach. With the Wildcats down two late, Jordan Clayton drilled a fading, shot-clock-beating three, a tough shot that landed like a jolt. Suddenly Northwestern was back in front, 66-65, and the upset felt real again.
But the closing stretch unraveled. A couple defensive breakdowns and a costly foul on Braden Smith opened the door. C.J. Cox slipped free for a clean look. Turnovers followed. Possessions that could have sealed the moment instead gave Purdue extra chances, and the margin for error disappeared.
It was another gutting finish in a season defined by narrow gaps and nagging what-ifs, the kind of loss that lingers because the opponent is good enough to punish every mistake and talented enough to make a deep March run. Fans can point to execution late because this one was there to win. Still, Northwestern’s identity has been clear all season. This group does not fold. It fights, it answers, and it keeps coming.
That fight mattered even more given what Northwestern carried into the night. Chris Collins admitted he was unsure how much his team had left.
“I was really proud of my team tonight,” Collins said. “I didn’t know how much we were gonna have in the juice or how much we were gonna have in the tank. You know, we lost Jake West to an injury coming in. Angelo Ciaravino got hurt in the last game. Arrinten Page hadn’t done anything since the last game after his fall against Oregon. I was super proud of our guys. I thought we fought for 40 minutes.”
Northwestern was also facing a Purdue group that arrived desperate and sharp, trying to steady itself after losing three of its last four. The Wildcats had to match that urgency while missing key pieces and leaning on players who were less than full strength. Jake West’s absence hurt on both ends, especially against a Purdue attack powered by Braden Smith’s control and Cox’s shot-making. Northwestern still built a halftime lead, still dictated long stretches and still put itself in position to win.
Collins kept circling back to Martinelli, not only for what he produced but for what he represents.
“I can’t imagine anybody else in the league being able to carry a team the way he carries us,” Collins said. “Not just with his scoring, with his leadership, with his heart, with his emotion, the way he’s embraced being the big brother with these guys this year. I’m just so proud. It’s bittersweet because I’m not going to coach him that much longer.”
Collins also zoomed out to the bigger picture, the value of sticking with a program in an era when so few do.
“There’s still value in a four-year journey,” Collins said. “To be a part of that journey with Nick and see how far he’s come as a player, as a leader, as a man, it’s been special. I’m just really proud of him in every way.”
Martinelli, who passed Bryant McIntosh for sole possession of seventh on Northwestern’s all-time scoring list, did not want the moment to be about him.
“It’s definitely hard to look at that type of stuff,” Martinelli said. “That game tonight should have been won 100% and it’s on me and the other leaders on our team. I can’t even think about that right now. You’re gutted after so many of these games.”
That is the emotional tension of this season. Northwestern has taken real punches, played meaningful minutes against high-level teams and repeatedly stood toe-to-toe with ranked opponents. A few weeks ago, at 2-13 in conference, it would have been easy to let the year drift and start counting the days. Instead the ‘Cats kept competing until results finally followed, putting together a three-game winning streak against Maryland, Indiana and Oregon. Northwestern earned them by staying connected and playing with pride.
Senior Night was supposed to end with a celebration. It ended with another what-if. But the lasting image was still the one from the beginning: Martinelli soaking in the ovation, and a team behind him refusing to fade. Northwestern may not have gotten the ending it wanted, but it is still building something that lasts, a program that keeps swinging, keeps believing and makes you feel like the next moment might finally break its way.
