Northwestern Men's Basketball Receives Positive Grade for 2024-25 Season

The 'Cats had an up-and-down year, but the national media is recognizing the circumstances.

Jan 16, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) celebrates his game winning basket against the Maryland Terrapins during overtime at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Northwestern had an interesting season in 2024-25, to say the least. At times, it looked like a team capable of making the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season. At other times, it looked like a team without a true offensive identity that wasn't quite good enough to compete with the best teams in the B1G.

Ultimately, injuries to Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach were too much to overcome, and the 'Cats failed to reach the tournament. But head coach Chris Collins had his players competing until the very end, and they hung around the bubble for longer than they probably should have.

For his efforts, Collins was rewarded with a contract extension through 2030. Northwestern may have failed to reach its ultimate goal, but there's certainly an argument that this was Collins' most impressive performance on the bench.

Today, ESPN reporter Myron Medcalf published an article grading Big Ten teams for their performance last season. He gave the Wildcats a "B" grade alongside Oregon, Purdue and UCLA.

Part of Medcalf's grade has to do with expectations. As he points out, Northwestern finished in a tie for No. 12 in the conference, and many preseason polls projected a worse finish. Internal expectations may have shifted to a tournament berth, but they were not equivalent to external predections.

But Medcalf does mention the two key injuries, highlighting them as a reason the season didn't go as well as the 'Cats were hoping. Barnhizer and Leach were both unquestioned starters when they went down. The former was the heart and soul of the team while the latter was the starting point guard. Those are difficult losses to overcome.

Northwestern will look to get back into the NCAA Tournament field in 2025-26, but this grade is further evidence that this past season wasn't a failure.