A rare somber song played over the loudspeakers as Nick Martinelli looked up at the jumbotron, watching his face flash across the screen before suiting up in Evanston one last time. A sold-out crowd packed Welsh-Ryan Arena for Senior Night, ready to celebrate Martinelli and the rest of the senior class as Northwestern tried to upset No. 15 Purdue.
In a manner all too similar for Northwestern fans, the ‘Cats fell to the Boilermakers in devastating fashion. After leading by nine at the halfway mark,
Northwestern held its lead for a long time, until it became a back-and-forth game in the last few minutes, finally ending in a Boilermakers win.
Here are three takeaways from the Wildcats’ near upset.
It’s tough to win games when you can’t stay even on the glass
In its last nine games Northwestern has posted an average rebound margin of -12. If you take out the win against Indiana, that number drops to -15. The Boilermakers nearly doubled the Wildcats’ rebounds, finishing the game with a margin of +14. The ‘Cats made clutch defensive stops throughout the entire game, only for their effort to get erased by an offensive rebound, or a quick turnover.
Even with the addition of Arrinten Page this season, the Wildcats are still missing a true glass cleaner. While at first glance, the 6-foot-11-inch forward certainly looks like he’d be a rebounding force, the former Trojan and Bearcat struggled in the month of February, grabbing under three rebounds a game. Northwestern as a whole, however, wasn’t much better on the night. No Wildcat grabbed more than three boards, as Northwestern failed to establish a consistent paint presence.
It often felt like the ‘Cats didn’t need the rebounding with how hot their shooting was. The Wildcats showed out in a handful of areas where they’ve been struggling. A 44% shooting mark from long range dwarfs their season average of 32%, and their impressive 92% clip from the line crushes their usual rate of 75%. In Big Ten play this season, the ‘Cats have shot a respectable 43% from the field, but outdid themselves on Wednesday, shooting over 51% from the floor. Unfortunately, their inability to find second chance points, and Purdue’s dominance on the glass protected the Boilermakers against the Northwestern shooting barrage in the long run.
Deja vu all over again
You know the game where Northwestern led against a ranked opponent in the second half, but fumbled the lead and lost? Michigan? Nah, different one. Virginia? Nope, another. Michigan State? Not the one I’m thinking of. Nebraska? No, not that one either. Purdue? There it is!
Whether it’s fatigue, lapses in focus, or execution that slips late, Northwestern has had the same issue all season: it has struggled to protect high-stakes leads against the nation’s best teams. A couple weeks ago, the ‘Cats were up 16 on No. 2 Michigan, and looked to be in prime position for an upset for the ages. 14 minutes later, the buzzer sounded with the Wolverines ahead by 12.
Five minutes into the game, Angelo Ciaravino tied the game at six with a layup. His bucket kicked off a Northwestern 13-0 run. For the next 28 minutes and 41 seconds of game clock, the Wildcats retained command, leading by as much as 10 points, despite their recent second half struggles. With 6:08 left in the game, Purdue’s Oscar Cluff put the Boilermakers up by one. The final few minutes of the game could not have been much tighter. Nine of the game’s 11 lead changes happened in the last six minutes, and neither team led by more than a possession. With 1:03 left on the clock, Jordan Clayton sank a miracle three pointer as the shot clock expired, his defender draped all over him. His deep ball gave the ‘Cats a one point lead, but a pair of Northwestern turnovers gifted the Boilermakers the win. Not until the Wildcats had to play the foul game did either team lead by multiple possessions in the final few minutes.
Even when the two squads were trading buckets, the lead going back-and-forth, it felt like the Boilermakers had the momentum and control. In the last 4:30, the ‘Cats took the lead briefly twice, one of them requiring a prayer of a three pointer. A couple sloppy passes allowed Purdue to seal the deal, leaving the Wildcats stunned.
Martinelli says goodbye to Welsh-Ryan with a textbook game
His career as a Wildcat is not over yet, but emotions ran high throughout Welsh-Ryan Arena for Northwestern’s star. Before tipoff, tribute videos rolled across the jumbotron, honoring each senior and their time in Evanston.
Four-year players are rare now in the transfer portal and NIL era. Martinelli is one of the few who has spent his entire career at one school. He has been the engine, and at times the entire force, of Northwestern’s offense the past two seasons, and his final home game looked like a classic Nick Martinelli night.
In 38 minutes, the senior forward scored 28 points on an efficient 9-of-19 shooting and 2-of-5 from deep. By Martinelli standards, the first half was quiet: nine points in 18 minutes. Then he flipped the switch. He poured in 19 of Northwestern’s 32 second-half points, repeatedly dragging the Wildcats back into the fight. He did it the way he always does, leaning on a bag that looks strange from the outside but makes perfect sense when it is him. Floaters dropped. Hook shots floated in. Looks that seem awkward turned into automatic.
That unconventional arsenal is exactly what has made him an all-time Wildcat. He set Northwestern’s single-season scoring record last year with 676 points and has a real chance to chase it down again. After Wednesday, his 659 points this season sit third all time, just two behind John Shurna in second and 17 behind his own record. His 1,687 career points rank seventh in program history, two shy of Michael Thompson for sixth. He led the Big Ten in scoring average last season and sits atop the league again as the regular season winds down.
Put simply, Martinelli is a bucket. His unorthodox style gets him to the rim in ways defenders do not expect, and once he reaches his spot, there is often nothing to do but watch the shot go up. Northwestern sits 15th in the Big Ten and is unlikely to make a tournament run, but with the Big Ten tournament in Chicago, there should still be plenty of purple in the building. Martinelli will leave Evanston the same way he has played in it: productive, stubborn, fearless. The final chapter is still ahead, but the legacy is already clear.
