Northwestern Men's Basketball to Play Big East Team for Second Straight Year
In this story:
Earlier in the spring, Northwestern was announced as a team competing in the 2025 Greenbrier Tip-Off in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. South Carolina, Virginia and Butler will play at the event alongside the 'Cats.
Today, Northwestern announced on X that it would take on Butler at the Indy Classic on December 20. This sparked confusion since the Bulldogs are also part of the field at the Greenbrier Tip-Off. It seemed to suggest the two teams could end up playing twice.
Headed to Indy ➡️
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) May 13, 2025
We’ll take on Butler in the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Dec. 20. pic.twitter.com/pocWiOCaZ8
But that will not happen. According to Wildcat Report's Matthew Shelton, his source says the Greenbrier Tip-Off will not operate like a traditional tournament. Instead, the 'Cats will be scheduled to play Virginia and South Carolina, avoiding Butler for the time being.
I've heard from a source that this will not be a traditional tournament format and NU's opponents will be UVA and South Carolina.
— Matthew Shelton (@M_Shelton33) May 13, 2025
NU's Indy Classic matchup with Butler in Dec. will be their lone matchup with the Bulldogs. https://t.co/AutKDOeh43
Then, at the Indy Classic, the 'Cats and the Bulldogs will play for the second straight season after a hotly contested matchup in 2024. Butler won that game at the Arizona Tip-Off by a score of 71-69 after Brooks Barnhizer's buzzer-beater swirled in-and-out. It was the first of a slew of crushing losses for Northwestern last season.
But now, a new-look 'Cats team will get the opportunity to exact its revenge. After losing a significant chunk of the previous core, Northwestern added three players in the transfer portal and has five incoming freshmen next year.
Butler is coached by Thad Matta who is in his second stint with his alma mater. The program finished 15-20 overall last season and just 6-14 in conference play. Things really started to go downhill for the Bulldogs after their win over Northwestern.
Read More Northwestern Wildcats Coverage
Ryan Cole is a writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI covering every team on campus. He’s currently a junior at NU where he’s studying journalism and previously wrote and edited for Inside NU. He also studies business with an eye towards eventually helping develop business models to revive local news. In his free time, Cole enjoys watching sports, playing sports, reading the news and singing.