Spartans Have to Be Ready for These 3 Northwestern Players

Gone are the days where Northwestern's Boo Buie will torture Michigan State fans every time the Wildcats and the Spartans face off.

MSU basketball is readying for the middle game of its three-game homestand against Northwestern on Thursday (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN). The 12th-ranked Spartans dominated USC on Monday, 80-51, and also host Indiana next Tuesday (8 p.m. ET, Peacock).

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. smirks after a score against USC during the first half on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Thursday's game should be the easiest of the three, at least on paper. Northwestern will enter the Breslin Center with an 8-6 overall record, a 0-3 mark in Big Ten play, and a 0-3 record during Quad 1 games.

The games still get played for a reason, though. These three players on the Wildcats, coached by Chris Collins, are the ones to know:

Nick Martinelli

Nobody in the Big Ten scores more than Nick Martinelli. He led the conference in scoring last year, and he's doing it again so far this year. The senior forward is currently averaging 23.0 points per game thus far, along with 6.5 rebounds.

Martinelli usually runs the four, which, if MSU were to guard him straight-up, would likely put him on Jaxon Kohler. It definitely seems possible for Michigan State to try and match Martinelli's scoring ability with some more defensive athleticism there by putting Coen Carr on him, though.

Martinelli is one of those players who has been rewarded for sticking it out with one school. He began as a bench player, not even appearing in every game, especially at the very start, and averaging 2.6 points per game. He's improved every single year and certainly will leave a positive legacy for Northwestern basketball.

Arrinten Page

Arrinten Page is the best newcomer the Wildcats have. He spent his true freshman year at USC and then spent last season at Cincinnati before transferring again to Evanston.

Page, standing at 6-foot-11 and 245 pounds, is usually at the five. He's averaging 15.0 points and 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game thus far. Page has also made about 58% of his shots from the field.

Jayden Reid

The name sounds the same as the former Michigan State wide receiver, but is not quite spelled the same. Standing at just 5-foot-10, Jayden Reid serves as Northwestern's point guard. He transferred to the Wildcats after beginning his career at South Florida.

To this point, Reid has averaged 11.6 points and 5.4 assists per game. He is not the most efficient scorer of all, shooting about 40% from the field and 28% from three.

Nov 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Chris Collins directs his team against Oklahoma State Cowboys during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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