Northwestern Men's Basketball Announces 2021-22 Schedule

Northwestern Men's Basketball Announces 2021-22 Schedule

9/8/2021 1:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern finalized its 2021-22 schedule on Wednesday, following the announcement of the Big Ten conference schedule.

The Wildcats are set for a 32-game campaign, including a 20-game slate of conference play. 19 games will be hosted at Welsh-Ryan Arena, including 10 Big Ten contests.

The 'Cats open their season on November 4th with an exhibition against Lindenwood at Welsh-Ryan Arena, followed by four more non-conference affairs in Evanston with Eastern Illinois (Nov. 9), High Point (Nov. 12), New Orleans (Nov. 16), and Fairleigh Dickinson (Nov. 18).

Chris Collins's team will then head to the 15th annual Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Northwestern will take on Providence on November 22 and either Virginia or Georgia the following day.

The Wildcats will then travel to Wake Forest for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on November 30, before heading to Maryland for the Big Ten opener on December 5.

After an additional four non-conference games at Welsh-Ryan Arena in December, the 'Cats will dive into the Big Ten campaign, hosting Michigan State on January 2 to kick-off 19 straight conference games.

Northwestern will be tested immediately, with 10 of its first 11 Big Ten contests scheduled against teams who reached the NCAA Tournament last season.

The regular season concludes on March 6 when the 'Cats host Minnesota for Senior day.

Northwestern returns eight of its ten players that averaged over ten minutes last season, including seniors Pete Nance and Ryan Greer, juniors Chase Audige, Boo Buie, Robbie Beran, and Ryan Young, and sophomores Ty Berry and Matthew Nicholson. Nance, Audige, and Buie all look to build off strong years where they each averaged over 10 points per game.

The Wildcats also welcome four newcomers: first-years Julian Roper II, Brooks Barnhizer, and Casey Simmons, as well as Evanston-native Elyjah Williams, a graduate transfer from Fairleigh Dickinson. Williams set career-highs with 13.9 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game during his final season with the Knights last year.

Roper II, Barnhizer, and Simmons comprise Northwestern's second highest-ranked recruiting class in school history, according to 247sports.

Tip times and TV designations will be announced at a later date and all games will be broadcasted on WGN Radio.