Northwestern Set to Face No. 5 Illinois for Second Time This Season

Wednesday, February 4

Urbana-Champaign, Ill.

8 p.m. CT

Northwestern

#5 Illinois

Northwestern Set to Face No. 5 Illinois for Second Time This Season

2/3/2026 4:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Charlie Spungin, NUSports.com

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern men's basketball hits the road to face its in-state rival, No. 5 Illinois, for the second time this season on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. CT. The game will air on Big Ten Network with Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Jess Settles (analyst) on the call, and it can be heard on ESPN 1000 WMVP and SiriusXM Channel 385 with Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst).

Last time out (Jan. 31), the Wildcats (10-12, 2-9 Big Ten) played their second game in a three-day span and fell to Washington, 76-62. Northwestern had four players score in double figures for the first time in conference play this season. Senior forward Nick Martinelli posted 19 points, and nine rebounds while junior forward Arrinten Page came off the bench and recorded 16 points, eight rebounds and tied a season-high with three blocks. Junior guard Jayden Reid notched 11 points while dishing out five assists, and first-year forward Tre Singleton tallied 10 points. The Wildcats forced the Huskies into 11 turnovers.

This season, Martinelli leads the country in scoring, averaging 23.7 points per game, while converting 54.5% of his field goal attempts (6th in Big Ten). The Glenview, Ill. native is pulling down 6.8 rebounds per game (15th). He is shooting 47.6% from 3-point distance, the 23rd-best mark nationally, per KenPom. In conference play, Martinelli is averaging 24.6 points per game. Martinelli's streak of scoring 20+ points in 12 straight games was narrowly snapped against Washington. 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. This season, Martinelli has 17 games with 20 or more points, which leads the country. Over the last two seasons, Martinelli has scored 1,174 points, which ranks second nationally and is the most by a forward.

Martinelli's 23.7 points per game would rank second in program history, trailing Dale Kelley in 1969-70 (24.3) and Frank Ehmann in 1954-55 (23.9).
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).
Martinelli joins Zach Edey (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 23+ points per game and 6+ rebounds per game.
Martinelli has scored in double-figures 64 times in his career and 20+ points 37 times, which ranks third at Northwestern since 2004, trailing only John Shurna (2008-12, 45) and Boo Buie (2019-2024, 41).
Martinelli has scored 25+ points in nine games this season, tied with himself last season for the most such games in a season by a Wildcat since 2004.
Martinelli has five career 30+ point games, tied for the most among active Big Ten players.
Martinelli has 1,526 career points, which ranks 12th in Northwestern program history. He needs eight points to pass Cedric Neloms (1991-95) to move into 11th place.
Over his last 13 games, Martinelli is averaging 26.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
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 2.10 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks second in the nation and would be the second-highest mark in Division I history. Northwestern is averaging the nation's second-fewest turnovers (8.6), while ranking 20th in the country with 18.0 assists per game. The Wildcats' offense is producing 76.6 points per game, its most since 1989-90 (78.2).

Northwestern's 8.6 turnovers per game and 18.0 assists per game are both program records.
The Wildcats' +2.4 turnover margin ranks fifth in the Big Ten and 58th nationally.
The Wildcats have upped their pace this season, averaging 12.2 fast break points per game — ranking fourth in the Big Ten.
Northwestern is averaging 3.9 blocks per game, tied for the fourth most in program history, trailing 2016-17 (4.9), 2017-18 (4.3), and 2018-19 (4.2).
Northwestern has played seven games decided by five points or fewer, which is the second most in the Big Ten. Over the past four seasons, the Wildcats have played 42 such games, which is also tied for the conference's most and ranks tied for 22nd nationally.

Reid has averaged 10.5 points and 5.3 assists per game (5th in Big Ten). His 5.3 assists per game would rank tied for third in program history, trailing only Bryant McIntosh (6.7) in 2015-16 and Pat Baldwin (5.4) in 1992-93. Page has logged averages of 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.2 blocks on 56.1% shooting.

Singleton has 19 starts this season, the most by a Northwestern first-year since 2019-20 when Ryan Young tallied 31, and is averaging 8.1 points (11th among Big Ten first-years), 5.2 rebounds (3rd), and 1.5 assists (T-8th) per game. His 8.1 points per game are the most by a Wildcat first-year since the 2019-20 season (Boo Buie: 10.3, Ryan Young: 9.0). He has scored 10+ points in three consecutive contests, making him the first Northwestern first-year to do so in Big Ten play since Bryant McIntosh from Jan. 22-31, 2015.
First-year guard Jake West has started the last six games for the Wildcats. Over his last seven games, he is averaging 5.6 points and 4.7 assists per game. His 2.6 assists per game on the season ranks tied for fourth among Big Ten first-years.
Sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino is averaging career-highs across the board with 6.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game on 52.8% shooting.

The Wildcats travel to Urbana-Champaign seeking their first road win over the Fighting Illini (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten) since Jan. 17, 2013 (68-54). The teams have split the last four matchups overall. Northwestern is also looking for its first-ever win against an AP Top 5 team on the road (0-45). Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins has won 17 games in his career against ranked opponents, the most by a Northwestern head coach in program history, and has won a game against an AP top 20 team in six consecutive seasons. Since 2013, when Illinois is ranked, Northwestern is 4-8 against the Fighting Illini.

When the teams faced off earlier this season (Jan. 14), the Wildcats suffered a 79-68 setback to the No. 13 Fighting Illini. Northwestern was within five points with fewer than five minutes left, but failed to take the lead. Coming off the bench, Reid scored a career-high 28 points, with 20 coming in the second half, while Martinelli recorded 20 points.

Illinois has won 11 consecutive games, dating back to Dec. 22, 2025. The Fighting Illini are outscoring opponents by 16.4 points per game, the 11th largest margin in the country. The team drains 11.0 threes per game (15th nationally) and turns the ball over just 9.4 times per game (14th). They also pull down 10.8 more rebounds per game than their opponents (6th), while blocking 4.9 shots per game (23rd). Keaton Wagler leads Illinois, averaging 18.1 points (10th in Big Ten), 5.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.

The Fighting Illini average 84.6 points per game (2nd in Big Ten, 32nd nationally) and hold opponents to 68.2 points per game. (4th in Big Ten, 49th nationally).
Illinois forces opponents to shoot 40.6% from the floor, which is the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten.
Wagler is shooting 43.8% from beyond the arc (1st in Big Ten), converting 2.6 threes per game (7th).
Andrej Stojakovic (13.3 points per game), David Mirkovic (12.4), and Tomislav Ivisic (10.1) are all averaging in double figures.
Mirkovic is averaging 8.2 rebounds per game, the fifth-best mark in the conference.
Zvonimir Ivisic ranks third in the Big Ten with 2.3 blocks per game.

Northwestern will continue its road trip when it plays Iowa for the first time this season on Sunday, Feb. 8, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT on FS1 and WGN Radio 720.