Wildcats Daily

Northwestern Wildcats Spoil USC Star Alijah Arenas' College Debut in Shocker

Gilbert Arenas' son made his college debut for the Trojans after an injury layoff. But Nick Martinelli and co. had other plans.
Alex Kirschenbaum|
Jan 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Alijah Arenas (0) dribbles the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats in the second half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jan 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Alijah Arenas (0) dribbles the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats in the second half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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On Wednesday, the Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team may have saved its 2025-26 season — or at least staved off total obsolescence for another night by defeating USC 74-68.

During their first of two L.A. road tilts, the 'Cats ended a five-game losing skid with a surprising victory against Eric Musselman's starrier USC Trojans.

The biggest name was, of course, was freshman shooting guard Alijah Arenas — son of former three-time All-Star NBA point guard Gilbert Arenas.

The 6-foot-7 Chatsworth Charter High School product, a five-star recruit who reclassified to head to college a year early, had a rough 2025. In April, Arenas suffered a medically induced coma after a severe car accident. In July, he underwent meniscus surgery, delaying his NCAA debut.

Against Northwestern, Arenas suited up for the Trojans at last. But Nick Martinelli and co. had other plans.

And his dad wasn't the only big name in attendance. Northwestern legend Boo Bouie, 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul, Duke legend-turned-Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick, and USC great-turned-NBA journeyman Nick Young all took in the action, too.

Despite its recent losing streak, Northwestern has been able to at least keep things close in the first halves of games. Ahead of an eventual blowout loss to Nebraska over the weekend, the Wildcats were only trailing by single digits heading into the break.

Northwestern's offense has often felt fairly one-sided, as only senior standout Nick Martinelli seems capable of scoring with much consistency this season.

Recapping the Wildcats' Unexpected Triumph

This time, however, a fairly balanced attack propelled the 'Cats to an actual three-point advantage at halftime. Martinelli had contributed just five points.

The 6-foot-7 Glenbrook South product stepped things up in the second half, pouring in an additional 17 points from all over the hardwood.

Northwestern got into foul trouble midway through the second half, with the Trojans already getting to the line frequently. USC managed to keep things close down the stretch.

But the Wildcats got a lucky break.

Chad Baker-Mazara, the Trojans' leading scorer, fouled out with 9:26 remaining in regulation. He had notched 14 points in 13 minutes of action. He was attempting to intercept what new Northwestern starting guard Jake West claimed was a shot attempt but was clearly a pass. Still, West sold it and earned some takes at the charity stripe.

USC chipped away at Northwestern's edge with some scrappy play.

The Trojans eventually supplanting the Wildcats to recover a tenuous lead — temporarily.

Martinelli, though, could not be stopped by mere mortals.

A bonkers Max Green outlet pass to a clearly fatigued-but-still confident Martinelli to put Northwestern up 67-63 with 2:14 left in regulation.

Despite the best efforts of Arenas and senior forward Ezra Ausar in the contest's closing seconds, the Wildcats managed to wrap up the game by icing some free throws.

Arenas, who instantly earned a start for Eric Musselman, chipped in eight points on an inefficient 3-of-15 shooting from the floor and 2-of-6 shooting from the charity stripe, grabbed two boards and dished out a pair of dimes.

Beyond Martinelli's 22-point outburst (he also notched five assists and five rebounds), Tyler Kropp and West each scored 11 points apiece.

Chris Collins continues to tinker with his lineups, with the 2025-26 season increasingly on the brink. He demoted transfer center Arrinten Page to a bench role.

Green, a 6-foot-6 sophomore transfer out of Holy Cross, was elevated to a starting gig, as Collins prioritized shotmakers over size. Green joined the 6-foot-8 Tre Singleton and the 6-foot-9 Kropp in Collins' reconfigured starting frontcourt.

The victory, Northwestern's first Big Ten success story all season, moved the Wildcats to a 9-10 record on the year. Next up is a Saturday clash against the 13-6 UCLA Bruins.

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Alex Kirschenbaum
ALEX KIRSCHENBAUM

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.

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