Northwestern basketball hasn’t been very enthralling this season. While there are impressive individual seasons for both men’s and women’s teams, those seasons are courtesy of seniors who will almost certainly be gone next season. Despite this, the men’s team still has the Big Ten Conference Tournament, and there is always the lens of looking to the future. With that being said, here are some reasons to be optimistic about Northwestern basketball.
Men’s Basketball
The men’s team has been on a roll as of late. After
a five-game losing streak, the ‘Cats have won consecutive Big Ten games for the first time all season. With just three games to go in the regular season, followed by the Big Ten Tournament, Northwestern is playing its best basketball of the season. This is in part due to Nick Martinelli playing better as of late, but also credit should be given elsewhere.
Northwestern has found its point guard
Jake West has been a revelation for the ‘Cats as of late. The first-year went from playing the first 16 games of the season off the bench, cracking 20 or more minutes just three times, to now starting the last 12 games and logging over 30 minutes in his last five, which includes two double-digit scoring performances. Coach Chris Collins gave him his shot to show what he can do with a larger sample size, and he’s made the most of that.
“I want [West] to get a sample size of what this entails in this league,” Collins said about him meeting with West during the season. “I’ve noticed a big growth in him over the last month.”
West has become a leader on this Northwestern squad as well. His minutes increase is no mistake; he’s been playing like a Big Ten point guard. West isn’t just someone who can score a few buckets either: he’s a good and willing passer and has been strong defensively. He was averaging 2.5 assists per game and 0.4 steals per game in his first 23 games. In the last five, he’s at 4.2 assists per game and 1.8 steals per game. West’s whole game is improving — he has been key to Northwestern’s success lately and seemingly will be a huge factor in the future.
The best basketball of the season
As I said earlier, Northwestern is playing at its best right now. Rattling off back-to-back Big Ten wins for the first time this season is a sign of hope, especially considering how strong the Big Ten is in basketball. While it may seem bleak, there is the off chance that the Wildcats flat-out win the Big Ten if everything goes well at the Big Ten Tournament. While still a long shot, the product Northwestern has been putting out on the floor is at its best quality all season, regardless. With Oregon also on a hot streak with recent wins over USC and Wisconsin, Saturday’s matchup against the Ducks is going to be a battle of momentum.
“They’re on a roll right now, and they’re definitely playing their best basketball,” Martinelli said of the Ducks. “I feel like we’re playing our best basketball, so I think tomorrow is going to be a great game.”
Martinelli is back to his normal self after a tough stretch, notching back-to-back 20-plus point performances on over 50% shooting after five consecutive games of shooting below that clip. West has been evolving into the second option that the Wildcats have been lacking all season. March is the right time to get hot for any team, and that’s the case for Northwestern right now.
Women’s Basketball
Northwestern is set to miss the Big Ten Tournament for the second consecutive season. With that comes obvious questions about the team’s future and what it will look like next season. With key players like Caroline Lau and Grace Sullivan set to graduate, the ‘Cats lose some surefire veteran leadership. In addition, Joe McKeown is retiring at the end of this season, so the team could look very different in the 2026-27 season. That leads me to my first point of optimism for Northwestern women’s basketball.
New Coach
Under coach McKeown, Northwestern has had four-straight losing seasons, including this year, recording fewer than 10 wins in all those seasons. Also in these four seasons, Northwestern has won a total of 10 conference games (would be 11 if the ‘Cats beat Purdue on Sunday, March 1). As great as McKeown has been for the Wildcats program overall, it’s time to turn to someone new.
Whether it’s hiring within the organization or from somewhere else, having a fresh mind in the lab working with the roster the ‘Cats put together for 2026-27 is something all fans should be open-minded about. Players are extremely important, but coaching can be just as vital. Take the Indiana Hoosiers in football. They’d almost certainly be bottom feeders still if not for Curt Cignetti. The right hire can completely change a team. While the impact of a new coaching hire may never reach the same levels as Indiana hiring Cignetti for the next century, it can still make a team better. That’s the hope for Northwestern here.
The emergence of the sophomore class
The group that saw the biggest jump this season for NU women’s basketball was the sophomore class. Since she played almost the entire second half against USC, Kat Righeimer has logged double-digit minutes off the bench in every game since. She has provided a spark for Northwestern in various situations across these last six games, including a 22-point shooting clinic against Penn State and bringing down six rebounds against USC. Righeimer has proven that she can play in the Big Ten, and with a little more polishing of her game, can be a key rotational piece (and even primary option) for the ‘Cats going forward.
Sophomores Tayla Thomas and Xamiya Walton also had breakout seasons for the Wildcats as first-year starters and will surely be key players on future teams. Thomas ranks third on the team in scoring with 9.9 points per game, while her 7.3 rebounds per game are top 10 in the conference. Meanwhile, Walton leads the team in three-point percentage (39.6) and has provided sparks from beyond the arc. Her younger sister, Xyanna, is a four-star guard recruit coming to Evanston next season and another player that Cats fans can look forward to watching.
