Northwestern University Athletics
Sunday, January 11
Piscataway, N.J.
4 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
Rutgers
Photo by: David Dermer/Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern Wraps Up Road Swing Sunday at Rutgers
1/10/2026 1:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern men's basketball plays its second road game in four days by taking on Rutgers on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 4 p.m. CT. The game will air on Peacock with Mike Corey (play-by-play) and Tre Demps (analyst) on the call and can be heard on WGN Radio 720 with Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst).
Last time out, the Wildcats (8-7, 0-4 Big Ten) led by seven at halftime before falling 76-66 to No. 12 Michigan State on Thursday night (Jan. 8). The 35-28 halftime score marked the Spartans' biggest halftime deficit this season, with their 28 points being their fewest first-half points. Northwestern forced 15 turnovers, while surrendering just six turnovers. Senior forward Nick Martinelli posted 28 points and five rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor and 10-of-10 shooting from the free throw line, marking his fifth straight game with at least 25 points.
The Wildcats have continued their steady, turnover-free basketball, turning the ball over just 8.6 times per game — the fewest nationwide. They currently hold the nation's best assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.12. Northwestern is averaging 18.6 assists per game (6th in the Big Ten, 25th nationally). Compared to previous seasons, Northwestern is playing at a faster pace and is averaging 14.4 fastbreak points per game (3rd in the Big Ten).
The team has made 48.2% of its field goal attempts (7th in the Big Ten), the highest percentage it has shot through the season's first 15 games during the Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins era. It would also be the second-best field goal percentage in a single-season in program history. The Wildcats are scoring 79.4 points per game, their most through 15 games of a season since 1989-90 (82.6) and their most in a full season since 1970-71 (81.6).
This season, Martinelli leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally with 23.4 points per game while converting on 59.1% of his field goal attempts (5th in the Big Ten). With 6.4 rebounds per game (17th), Martinelli would join Jerry Lucas (Ohio State: 1959-60, 1960-61), Alan Henderson (Indiana: 1994-95), and Zach Edey (Purdue: 2023-24) as the only Big Ten players to ever record 23-plus points and six-plus rebounds per game on at least 59% shooting in a season. With his 59.1 field goal percentage, Martinelli is the most efficient 20+ point per game scorer in the country. Dating back to last season, Martinelli has 29 games of 20 or more points, which leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally. His 11 games scoring 20 or more points this season also lead the conference. After scoring a program single-season record 676 points last season, Martinelli has tallied 1,003 points over the last two seasons combined, ranking third nationally and the most by a forward. Over his last eight games, Martinelli is averaging 26.4 points per game, the highest-scoring eight-game stretch by a Wildcat since at least 1996-97.
Junior guard Jayden Reid has posted averages of 11.3 points and 5.6 assists per game (4th in the Big Ten). His 5.6 assists per game would rank second for a season in program history, trailing only Bryant McIntosh (6.7) in 2015-16. He is three assists away from 300 in his career.
Northwestern leads the all-time series against the Scarlet Knights (8-8, 1-4 Big Ten), 12-9. The Wildcats are aiming to secure their first victory against Rutgers since March 5, 2023, when a 65-53 win in Piscataway secured Northwestern a second-place finish in the Big Ten Conference standings.
Tariq Francis leads the Scarlet Knights with 14.4 points per game, while Dylan Grant adds 13.1 points per game. Rutgers averages 27.8 bench points per game, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten, and pulls down 12.8 offensive rebounds per game — the fifth-best mark in the conference. Rutgers dropped its last game on Thursday night at No. 16 Illinois, 81-55.
The Wildcats return home for the first of two matchups with the Fighting Illini this season. Tipoff from Welsh-Ryan Arena is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and WGN Radio 720.
Last time out, the Wildcats (8-7, 0-4 Big Ten) led by seven at halftime before falling 76-66 to No. 12 Michigan State on Thursday night (Jan. 8). The 35-28 halftime score marked the Spartans' biggest halftime deficit this season, with their 28 points being their fewest first-half points. Northwestern forced 15 turnovers, while surrendering just six turnovers. Senior forward Nick Martinelli posted 28 points and five rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor and 10-of-10 shooting from the free throw line, marking his fifth straight game with at least 25 points.
The Wildcats have continued their steady, turnover-free basketball, turning the ball over just 8.6 times per game — the fewest nationwide. They currently hold the nation's best assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.12. Northwestern is averaging 18.6 assists per game (6th in the Big Ten, 25th nationally). Compared to previous seasons, Northwestern is playing at a faster pace and is averaging 14.4 fastbreak points per game (3rd in the Big Ten).
The team has made 48.2% of its field goal attempts (7th in the Big Ten), the highest percentage it has shot through the season's first 15 games during the Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins era. It would also be the second-best field goal percentage in a single-season in program history. The Wildcats are scoring 79.4 points per game, their most through 15 games of a season since 1989-90 (82.6) and their most in a full season since 1970-71 (81.6).
This season, Martinelli leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally with 23.4 points per game while converting on 59.1% of his field goal attempts (5th in the Big Ten). With 6.4 rebounds per game (17th), Martinelli would join Jerry Lucas (Ohio State: 1959-60, 1960-61), Alan Henderson (Indiana: 1994-95), and Zach Edey (Purdue: 2023-24) as the only Big Ten players to ever record 23-plus points and six-plus rebounds per game on at least 59% shooting in a season. With his 59.1 field goal percentage, Martinelli is the most efficient 20+ point per game scorer in the country. Dating back to last season, Martinelli has 29 games of 20 or more points, which leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally. His 11 games scoring 20 or more points this season also lead the conference. After scoring a program single-season record 676 points last season, Martinelli has tallied 1,003 points over the last two seasons combined, ranking third nationally and the most by a forward. Over his last eight games, Martinelli is averaging 26.4 points per game, the highest-scoring eight-game stretch by a Wildcat since at least 1996-97.
Junior guard Jayden Reid has posted averages of 11.3 points and 5.6 assists per game (4th in the Big Ten). His 5.6 assists per game would rank second for a season in program history, trailing only Bryant McIntosh (6.7) in 2015-16. He is three assists away from 300 in his career.
Northwestern leads the all-time series against the Scarlet Knights (8-8, 1-4 Big Ten), 12-9. The Wildcats are aiming to secure their first victory against Rutgers since March 5, 2023, when a 65-53 win in Piscataway secured Northwestern a second-place finish in the Big Ten Conference standings.
Tariq Francis leads the Scarlet Knights with 14.4 points per game, while Dylan Grant adds 13.1 points per game. Rutgers averages 27.8 bench points per game, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten, and pulls down 12.8 offensive rebounds per game — the fifth-best mark in the conference. Rutgers dropped its last game on Thursday night at No. 16 Illinois, 81-55.
The Wildcats return home for the first of two matchups with the Fighting Illini this season. Tipoff from Welsh-Ryan Arena is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and WGN Radio 720.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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