Northwestern Senior Superstar Nick Martinelli Earns Massive New Honor
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During his prolific senior season, Northwestern University Wildcats small forward Nick Martinelli has nabbed yet another major accolade.
The 6-foot-7 Glenbrook South product has been named to the Midseason Watch List for the 2026 State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, per a press statement.
Martinelli joins stars like Indiana Hoosiers shooting guard Lamar Wilkerson, Vanderbilt Commodores forward Tyler Nickel and Purdue shooting guard Fletcher Loyer on the 3-Point Championship Watch List.
Although the action will tip off on Friday, April 3 in Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse, it won't be broadcast for the next two days — it will be televised on ESPN at 12:30 p.m. CT that Sunday, April 5.
Nicky for 3 🤌
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) February 14, 2026
Nick Martinelli has been named to the College 3-Point Championship watch list. pic.twitter.com/m5EXkrt0Ds
Martinelli, a 2025 All-BIg Ten selection, has been connecting on 43 percent of his 3.2 long range takes a game. On the year, he's been averaging 22.1 points on .500/.430/.805 shooting splits, 6.4 boards, 1.6 dimes, and 0.6 swipes per bout for the 10-16 Wildcats (2-13 in the Big Ten).
He appears poised to make his second straight All-Big Ten team, and at least has the scoring stats to make an All-American team. Although the fact that Northwestern will likely finish with a sub-.500 record and miss the NCAA Tournament could hurt his chances.
Martinelli's presence on the Wildcats this season wasn't even guaranteed. He declared for the 2025 NBA Draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility. Per Northwestern, Martinelli now numbers among the all-time top 10 leading scorers in school history.
His 1,580 career points are just three points shy of the No. 8-ranked Jim Stack's. He may be hard-pressed to crash the top five. Evan Eschmeyer's 1805 career points will be hard to match. Northwestern has five more guaranteed games on its slate, and will likely qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.
Accounting for Martinelli's current scoring average, he would notch 110 more points across his five remaining bouts, which would give him enough ammo to lap both Bryant McIntosh (No. 7 with 1,683 points) and Michael Thompson (No. 6 with 1,689 points).
His 533 field goal attempts and 251 makes in 2024-25 currently pace the program historically. His 30.4 percent usage percentage this year and his 676 total points in 2024-25 also stand as school records.
Ultimately, when he didn't find enough interest, the swingman opted to return for his senior season, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Will his aptitude as a three-level scorer at the NCAA level translate to the most elite basketball league in the world? Pat Spencer's making a splash in the NBA, so there's that.
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An Evanston native, Alex Kirschenbaum is also a proud Northwestern alum. He has written for Bleacher Nation, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Hoops Rumors, Trailers From Hell, Men's Journal, and Bulls fan sites Blog-A-Bull and Pippen Ain't Easy, among others. Alex knows Zach Collins has given the Bulls some good years, but he'll never forgive the then-Gonzaga center for that very obvious goaltend against the Wildcats during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.