Northwestern Faces Indiana in Penultimate Road Test

Tuesday, February 24

Bloomington, Ind.

6 p.m. CT

Northwestern

Indiana

Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics

Northwestern Faces Indiana in Penultimate Road Test

2/23/2026 3:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Charlie Spungin, NUSports.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Northwestern men's basketball heads to Bloomington, Ind., for its penultimate regular-season road contest, where it will face off with Indiana on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 6 p.m. CT. The game will air on FS1 with Connor Onion (play-by-play) and Jordan Taylor (analyst) on the call, and it can be heard on WGN Radio 720 and SiriusXM Channel 388 with Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst).

Last time out (Feb. 18), the Wildcats (11-16, 3-13 Big Ten) were led by senior forward Nick Martinelli's 29 points to defeat Maryland, 78-74. Northwestern tied its season-high with 12 made threes, going 12-of-21 (57.1%) from beyond the arc, and forced 15 turnovers. Led by junior guard Jordan Clayton and sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino, the Wildcats tallied 38 points off the bench, their most in a Big Ten game since Feb. 28, 2022, when they had 48 against Iowa. Clayton tabbed a career-high 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, while Ciaravino added 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.

This season, Martinelli leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth nationally in scoring, averaging 22.3 points per game, while converting 50.1% of his field goal attempts (9th in Big Ten). The Glenview, Ill., native is pulling down 6.2 rebounds per game (17th). Martinelli has 19 games with 20+ points this season, which leads the conference and is tied for third nationally. Martinelli's 22.3 points per game would rank fifth in program history, trailing Dale Kelley in 1969-70 (24.3), Frank Ehmann in 1954-55 (23.9), Rich Falk in 1963-64 (23.3), and Joe Ruklick in 1958-59 (23.0). Martinelli would be the first Northwestern player to average 20+ points per game in back-to-back campaigns since Jim Burns (1965-66, 1966-67). Over the last two seasons, Martinelli has scored 1,257 points, which ranks second nationally and is the most by a forward.

Martinelli joins Zach Edey (2022-23, 2023-24), Keegan Murray (2020-21), and Luka Garza (2019-20, 2020-21) as the only Big Ten players in the past 30 years to average 22+ points per game and 6+ rebounds per game.
Martinelli had a 12-game streak of 20+ points from Dec. 6, 2025-Jan. 29, 2026. It was the third-longest streak by a Big Ten player since 1996-97, behind Iowa's Luka Garza (2020, 19) and Purdue's Zach Edey (2024, 16). It was also tied for the eighth-longest streak by a high-major player since 1996-97.
Martinelli has scored in double figures 68 times in his career, including 51 of his last 53 games, and has posted 20+ points 39 times, ranking third at Northwestern since 2004, trailing only John Shurna (2008-12, 45) and Boo Buie (2019-2024, 41).
Martinelli's 19 games with 20+ points this season are the most such games by a Wildcat in a single season since at least 2004.
Martinelli has 10 games with 25+ points this season, which are the most such games in a single season by a Northwestern player since at least 2004.
Martinelli has 20 career games with 25+ points, which is tied with John Shurna (2008-12) for the most such games by a Wildcat in a career since 2004.
Martinelli has 1,609 career points, which ranks eighth in Northwestern program history. He needs 75 points to pass Bryant McIntosh (2014-18).
Martinelli has 581 points this season, which is the eighth-most in Northwestern single-season history. He needs two points to pass 1969-70 Dale Kelley to move into seventh place, five points to pass 1997-98 Evan Eschmeyer to move into sixth place, and nine points to pass 2022-23 Boo Buie to move into fifth place.
Last season, Martinelli set program records in single-season points (676) and field goals made (251).

The Wildcats have continued to share the ball without turning it over, as their 2.01 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks second in the nation and tied for fourth in Division I history. Northwestern is averaging the nation's second-fewest turnovers (8.6) while ranking 31st in the country with 17.2 assists per game. The Wildcats' offense is producing 74.1 points per game, its most since 1993-94 (75.0). Northwestern has scored 75 or more points in 15 games this season, its most in a single season since 1993-94 (16).

The Wildcats' 8.6 turnovers per game are a program record.
Northwestern's 17.2 assists per game rank second in program history, trailing only 1993-94 (17.8).
The Wildcats' +2.7 turnover margin ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 42nd nationally.
Northwestern has 22 games with 10 or fewer turnovers this season, which is the most such games in the nation among high-major teams. The Wildcats have turned the ball over 10 or fewer times in 14 of their last 17 games.
Northwestern is forcing opponents to turn the ball over 11.3 times per game, which ranks seventh in the conference. The Wildcats have forced 15+ turnovers in two consecutive contests, their first time doing so in Big Ten play since Jan. 4-8, 2023.
Northwestern has upped its pace this season, averaging 11.6 fast break points per game — ranking third in the Big Ten.
The Wildcats are averaging 21.2 bench points per game, the seventh-most in the Big Ten.

Junior guard Jayden Reid has averaged 10.1 points and 4.9 assists per game (5th in Big Ten). He is one of seven players in the Big Ten with at least 15 games with 5+ assists. Junior forward Arrinten Page is averaging 10.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game (17th in Big Ten) on 55.1% shooting.

First-year forward Tre Singleton has 24 starts this season, the most by a Northwestern first-year since 2019-20 when Ryan Young tallied 31, and is averaging 7.9 points (12th among Big Ten first-years), 4.8 rebounds (5th), and 1.4 assists (T-11th) per game. His 7.9 points per game are the most by a Wildcat first-year since the 2019-20 season (Boo Buie: 10.3, Ryan Young: 9.0).
First-year guard Jake West has started the last 11 games for the Wildcats. Over his last 12 games, he is averaging 6.4 points and 4.5 assists per game. His 2.9 assists per game on the season rank fourth among Big Ten first-years, and are the most by a Northwestern first-year since Bryant McIntosh averaged 4.7 in 2014-15.
Sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino is averaging career-highs across the board with 6.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 51.8% shooting.

The Wildcats have claimed five consecutive games against the Hoosiers (17-10, 8-8 Big Ten) for the first time since 1913-15. In Tuesday night's tilt, Northwestern will aim for its first six-game winning streak in series history. The Wildcats have also won three consecutive road games against Indiana for the first time in program history and will look to extend that streak. Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins is 10-8 in his career against the Hoosiers and holds a record of 4-5 at Assembly Hall, which ranks as the third most wins by any active Big Ten head coach in the building.

Last time out against Indiana (Jan. 22, 2025), Northwestern registered a 79-70 victory inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats scored 54 points in the second half and went on a 21-4 run to help secure the victory. Ty Berry came off the bench to lead the team with 23 points, draining 7-of-10 three-point attempts. Brooks Barnhizer posted 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, while Martinelli logged 18 points and six rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting. Jalen Leach recorded 15 points and seven assists.

In the month of February, Indiana is 2-3, including losing its last two games. The Hoosiers are led by Lamar Wilkerson, who ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring with 21.1 points per game. Wilkerson knocks down 3.3 three-pointers per game, and Tucker DeVries drains 2.7 per game, which rank second and fourth in the league, respectively. Indiana makes 10.1 threes per game, the fourth-most in the conference and 34th-most nationally.

The Hoosiers shoot 78.3% from the free throw line, ranking second in the Big Ten and 11th nationally.
Indiana's 1.68 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fifth in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally. The Hoosiers average 17.1 assists per game, the 32nd-best mark in the nation. Conor Enright ranks sixth in the nation with a 4.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Indiana averages 79.7 points per game, the seventh-most in the conference. DeVries (13.7 points per game) and Tayton Conerway (10.2) join Wilkerson in averaging double digits.
The Hoosiers have held opponents to 42.2% shooting, the fifth-best mark in the conference.

The Wildcats return home for their final two home games of the season, beginning with hosting Oregon on Saturday, Feb. 28, inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and WGN Radio 720.