Northwestern was up 16 points with just over 14 minutes remaining. It marked No. 2 Michigan’s largest deficit of the season, and Welsh-Ryan Arena erupted into a frenzy as fans anxiously willed the Wildcats
to hold on and complete a stunning upset of a national powerhouse.
Instead, NU undid itself with errors down the stretch — some concerns that have persisted this season, and some that were specific to this game. Here are three takeaways from this agonizing 87-75 defeat.
Glimpses of greatness, followed by same old sluggishness
Rinse and repeat, a broken record, deja vu — however you want to describe it, NU’s faltering in late games continues to plague any chance of the team making ground in the Big Ten standings.
What makes it far more displeasing is that the Wildcats have shown glimpses of potential to be not just a good team, but an elite one. That was on display in the first half against Michigan: NU shot 51.6% from the field, hit five three pointers and was perfect from the line. The offense was balanced with great scoring distribution and incredible shotmaking, particularly from Jayden Reid who finished with 20 points. The ‘Cats got into a rhythm and weren’t afraid to challenge Michigan’s size inside, including the Wolverines’ center Aday Mara, who stands 7-foot-3. The defense was even more impressive — it held Michigan to 35% shooting and only five free throws, while being relentlessly aggressive in transition and on the boards. The switches were effective, seven turnovers were forced and the Wolverines’ offense was discombobulated to the point where Michigan head coach Dusty May would repeatedly put both of his hands on his head in frustration. It was the level of play analysts and fans have been waiting to see from NU this season, and when it came to fruition, the ‘Cats could outplay the second best team in the nation.
But after building and maintaining a double digit lead, everything fell apart in the final 14 minutes. At the 14:22 mark, Northwestern held a 58-42 lead, its highest of the game. Following that, Michigan stormed ahead with a 45-17 run the remainder of the game. That’s right, 45-17. Including that stretch, NU shot 30.8% from the field in the second frame and hit just one three pointer, while Michigan shot 55.2% from the three and had 22 free throw attempts (more on that later). There’s no need to belabor on what NU struggled with in that final frame, as they’re the same issues the ‘Cats have confronted all season— rebounding, transition offense and defense, bad shot selection, rushed possessions and conservative play.
The first half greatness indicated what Northwestern could be if they put the pieces together. The second half collapse indicated that Northwestern cannot keep the puzzle assembled for 20 minutes, as it falls apart even faster than it came together.
A tough night for Nick Martinelli
This season has been largely defined by Martinelli shouldering a heavy offensive load and carrying the team on his back to keep them in games. Wednesday night was not one of those days. While it’s true that Martinelli finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, his efficiency undermined those numbers. He went 5-for-22 from the field and 1-for-7 from three. During those final 14 minutes where NU’s 16-point lead was turned on its head, Martinelli went 1-f0r-7. When the ‘Cats needed late-game shotmaking to contend with the Wolverine offense gaining momentum, the Big Ten’s leading scorer couldn’t net the ball in the hoop and struggled to find any rhythm offensively. From his usual midrange, to layups, to fadeaways to shots from deep, nothing was clicking.
Martinelli was still the primary shot taker in those final minutes, but given how off his shooting had been throughout the game, one can’t help but wonder if the game would’ve turned out differently had guys like Reid or Arrinten Page taken more shots instead in those must-score possessions. Reid had 20 points on a more efficient 7-of-12, while Page looked strong and dynamic in his 11 points scored.
For much of this season, Chris Collins has spoken on the importance of guys producing behind a successful Martinelli performance. They got that against Michigan, but Martinelli’s struggles prevented that from coming to fruition. While failing to score, Martinelli’s defensive woes also were exploited, as several times he let Wolverines get loose under the basket.
Martinelli has been so good this year, and it’s not fair to pin this loss primarily on him or any one player. But had he shot more efficiently, NU would have had a better chance at victory.
Foul trouble is again a problem
When unpacking the second-half collapse, fouling was a major catalyst. Tre Singleton was excellent defensively in the first half, with his aggression and tenacity noticeable. But in the second half, he ran into foul trouble, and there was a trend with him being subbed out of the game and Michigan immediately going on a run. Singleton was first taken out after picking up his third foul with 15:29 left, and watched from the bench as Northwestern’s lead fell from 13 to six before being subbed back in at the 10:23 mark. Then, after being called for a fourth foul with 7:58 remaining, he left Northwestern with a 67-63 lead and was subbed back in at 5:26 when Michigan and a 73-69 lead. Those were all critical parts of the game where Singleton’s defense was needed, and if he wasn’t in foul trouble, some of Michigan’s momentum may have been stifled.
Beyond Singleton, Martinelli had four fouls, while freshmen Jake West and Tyler Kropp each had three. While the ’Cats initially defended without fouling and limited the Wolverines to just five free-throw attempts, that discipline unraveled in the second half. The Wolverines attempted 22 free throws, 17 more than the first half. The 16 points they scored in the second half were critical to helping Michigan mount a comeback and forced the ‘Cats to play more conservatively on defense. The result: see final score.
