Northwestern University Athletics
Tuesday, December 3
Iowa City, Iowa
6 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
Iowa
Northwestern Set for Big Ten Opener at Iowa
12/2/2024 5:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern men's basketball opens Big Ten play on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Iowa at 6 p.m. CT. The game will stream on Peacock with Paul Burmeister (play-by-play) and Stephen Bardo (analyst) on the call and WGN Radio 720 with Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Nate Taphorn (analyst).
Under head coach Chris Collins, Northwestern is 8-3 in Big Ten Conference openers and 8-2 in its last 10, which ranks as the best record in the conference. The Wildcats have won their last four league openers, which includes three defeats over ranked opponents and two on the road.
Over the last three seasons, Northwestern has won 50 total games, which ranks third among Big Ten schools, trailing Purdue (70) and Illinois (55). NU has won 24 Big Ten Conference games over the last two seasons, trailing only Purdue (32) and Illinois (25). Northwestern and Michigan State are the only two Big Ten teams to win at least one game in each of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 NCAA Tournaments.
Last time out, Northwestern forced UNLV into 10 first half turnovers and recorded seven or more steals for the sixth straight game as it defeated the Runnin' Rebels 66-61 in the Arizona Tip-Off in Tempe on Friday (Nov. 29) evening. Brooks Barnhizer led all scorers and posted his second double-double in four games, recording 23 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, while being named to the all-tournament team. He became the first Wildcat to record 20+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists since Drew Crawford had 26 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 16, 2013. He was joined in double-figures by Jalen Leach (15), who went 5-for-6 from the field, 3-for-3 from behind the arc and 2-for-2 from the foul line and scored 12 of his points in the second half, and Nick Martinelli (12).
Leach enters the game needing 24 points to reach 1,000 for his career. The Nyack, N.Y. native logged 858 points in his four-year career at Fairfield, where he was named First Team All-MAAC last season. Graduate student center Matthew Nicholson is two blocked shots away from 100 for his career, and is looking to become the seventh player in program history to tally triple-digit blocks. Dererk Pardon (2015-19) was the last Wildcat to join that club during the 2018 season.
Martinelli is averaging 20.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game this season, and is one of only four high-major players posting at least those averages, and is joined by teammate Brooks Barnhizer.
Under head coach Chris Collins, Northwestern is 8-3 in Big Ten Conference openers and 8-2 in its last 10, which ranks as the best record in the conference. The Wildcats have won their last four league openers, which includes three defeats over ranked opponents and two on the road.
Over the last three seasons, Northwestern has won 50 total games, which ranks third among Big Ten schools, trailing Purdue (70) and Illinois (55). NU has won 24 Big Ten Conference games over the last two seasons, trailing only Purdue (32) and Illinois (25). Northwestern and Michigan State are the only two Big Ten teams to win at least one game in each of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 NCAA Tournaments.
Last time out, Northwestern forced UNLV into 10 first half turnovers and recorded seven or more steals for the sixth straight game as it defeated the Runnin' Rebels 66-61 in the Arizona Tip-Off in Tempe on Friday (Nov. 29) evening. Brooks Barnhizer led all scorers and posted his second double-double in four games, recording 23 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, while being named to the all-tournament team. He became the first Wildcat to record 20+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists since Drew Crawford had 26 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 16, 2013. He was joined in double-figures by Jalen Leach (15), who went 5-for-6 from the field, 3-for-3 from behind the arc and 2-for-2 from the foul line and scored 12 of his points in the second half, and Nick Martinelli (12).
Leach enters the game needing 24 points to reach 1,000 for his career. The Nyack, N.Y. native logged 858 points in his four-year career at Fairfield, where he was named First Team All-MAAC last season. Graduate student center Matthew Nicholson is two blocked shots away from 100 for his career, and is looking to become the seventh player in program history to tally triple-digit blocks. Dererk Pardon (2015-19) was the last Wildcat to join that club during the 2018 season.
Martinelli is averaging 20.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game this season, and is one of only four high-major players posting at least those averages, and is joined by teammate Brooks Barnhizer.
Iowa leads the all-time series, 125-61. The two teams first met on March 11, 1905, a 24-23 win in Evanston. The 1904-05 season was Northwestern's first, making Iowa the program's earliest played conference opponent. The Wildcats have not won at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since a 70-66 triumph on March 3, 2012.
Northwestern returns home for its Big Ten home opener on Friday, Dec. 6 inside Welsh-Ryan Arena against No. 19 Illinois at 8 p.m. CT on BTN and WGN Radio 720.
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