Late Collapse Costs Northwestern Men's Basketball in Critical Stretch Against Minnesota

Northwestern Men's Basketball Falters With Under 15 Minutes Left vs Minnesota

Northwestern Men's Basketball | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The tension inside Welsh-Ryan Arena on Saturday afternoon felt too hard to look at. Northwestern entered the day desperate for its first Big Ten win, knowing the margin for error was already razor-thin. When the final buzzer sounded on an 84–78 loss to Minnesota, the quiet that followed told the story. The Wildcats are now 8–6 overall and 0–3 in conference play, and this latest defeat carried the weight of a missed opportunity at a pivotal moment in the season.

A Moment That Felt Like a Breakthrough for the Northwestern Men's Basketball

With just under 15 minutes remaining, junior guard Jayden Reid triggered a sequence that lifted the entire building. Reid grabbed a defensive rebound and pushed the pace, throwing a perfectly placed lob to sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino.

FIRED UP 🟣

📺 @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/aomdqG60E8

— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) January 3, 2026

He finished with a powerful two-handed alley-oop. Moments later. Then came up with a steal, leading to a fastbreak where Jordan Clayton’s layup attempt was followed by senior forward Nick Martinelli.

The Wildcats suddenly held a 53–46 lead, their largest advantage of the game. Welsh-Ryan Arena erupted, and for a brief moment, it felt like the turning point Northwestern desperately needed.

That feeling did not last.

FINAL | Minnesota 84, Northwestern 78

— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) January 4, 2026

With under four minutes remaining, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson knocked down a go-ahead three-pointer to give the Golden Gophers a 69–68 lead. From that moment on, the game tilted sharply in the visitors’ favor. Minnesota poured in 24 points over the final 4:39, repeatedly finding answers as Northwestern struggled to get stops.

Northwestern could not capitalize, and Minnesota closed out the win to improve to 9–5 overall and 2–1 in Big Ten play. The loss overshadowed another standout performance from Nick Martinelli. The senior forward finished with a game-high 26 points.

Junior center Arrinten Page also made his return after missing the previous game due to a violation of team standards. Page provided an immediate scoring punch and finished with 19 points.

Defensive Issues Resurface in a Big Way

The first half reflected how evenly matched the teams were early, with neither side leading by more than five. After allowing 62 points in the paint against Ohio State earlier in conference play, Chris Collins sent his team back to the basics.

Minnesota finished with 42 points in the paint, including 14 of its first 19 before the under-8 media timeout in the opening half. On consecutive possessions, Langston Reynolds blew past Jordan Clayton for an uncontested layup. It was followed by Kai Shinholster capitalizing on a wide-open lane with no Wildcat in sight.

The second half was even more damaging. Northwestern allowed 50 points after the break, including three dunks in a two-minute stretch by Grayson Grove as rim protection broke down. Northwestern committed just four turnovers, a hallmark of Chris Collins’ best teams. However, ball security could not make up for defensive breakdowns at the rim.

Over the next five games, Northwestern will face four ranked opponents, traveling to No. 9 Michigan State and No. 24 USC before hosting No. 13 Nebraska and No. 20 Illinois. The challenge begins Thursday in East Lansing against a Michigan State team coming off a loss at Nebraska.

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