Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Rutgers
Northwestern Begins Road Swing at Rutgers
2/14/2024 11:07:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Over the last two seasons, the 'Cats have won 20 Big Ten games, their most across consecutive seasons in school history since winning 20 games over the 1930-31 and 1931-32 seasons. NU's next Big Ten win would give it nine-plus league wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1930-33 (3x).
Last time out, Northwestern grinded out a 68-63 win over Penn State at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Sunday, Feb. 11, sweeping the regular season series against the Nittany Lions for the first time since 2012. Northwestern improved to 9-0 this season when holding its opponent to 65 or fewer points and 29-2 over the last two seasons when doing so. The 'Cats improved to 7-0 in Big Ten home games this season, equaling its best home start in conference play in program history with the 1967-68 team, which went a perfect 7-0 in Big Ten home tilts.
Boo Buie led all Wildcats with 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the free-throw line. The Albany, N.Y. native also posted six assists and five rebounds in the win. Buie ranks second in program history with 1,993 points, just seven points away from becoming Northwestern's second-ever 2,000-plus points scorer. He trails John Shurna (2,038 career points) by 45 points for the program's all-time scoring record.
Nick Martinelli earned his first career start against the Nittany Lions, posting 11 points to go along with career-highs of eight rebounds and 36 minutes. Brooks Barnhizer posted 14 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two blocks on Sunday, nearly recording his third consecutive double-double. He is the only player in the country to produce two games of at least 14-plus points, 9-plus rebounds, 4-plus steals and 2-plus blocks in a game, also doing so against Binghamton. Barnhizer is averaging 14.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game this season. Matthew Nicholson contributed 11 points and eight rebounds, grabbing eight rebounds for the second consecutive game.
NU and Rutgers will meet for the 20th time, with the Wildcats holding a 12-7 edge all-time in the series. The two teams split last year's meetings, with the 'Cats earning a 65-53 win over the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway to lock up the No. 2-seed in the Big Ten Tournament on the regular season's final day. Barnhizer came off the bench to record his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Buie contributed 14 points. Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins is 8-6 in his career against Rutgers.
RU allows just 65.0 points per game, the second-fewest in the Big Ten. Opponents are shooting 39.6% from the field and 30.3% from beyond the arc against the Scarlet Knights.
Northwestern continues its Big Ten road swing when it heads to Indiana on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m. CT on FS1 and WGN Radio 720.
