MINNEAPOLIS-Brooks Barnhizer and Ryan Langborg are going to be spending a lot of time together this season.

Barnhizer, a junior, and Langborg, a grad transfer, will be side-by-side on the court in the four-guard lineups that head coach Chris Collins expect to be a team staple this season. And, after some quick planning on Langborg's visit to Evanston, they're also roommates off of it.

The two players are very different -- Barnhizer a versatile athlete from Lafayette, Ind., and Langborg a three-point marksman from San Diego by way of Princteon. But together they hope to replace the hole left by the departure of star guard Chase Audige.

There are high expectations for Barnhizer after he established himself as a two-way force in the home stretch of Northwestern's 2022-23 campaign. After a tough freshman season and a rocky start to his sophomore year, Barnhizer finished the last eight games as Northwestern's third-most important player, in tandem with their all-conference backcourt of Boo Buie and Audige.

Barnhizer averaged 12 points and 33 minutes in that final stretch. He was key in Northwestern's swarming and switching style of defense, and provided shot creation when Audige went cold.

Now that Audige is on to pro ball, it's Barnhizer's responsibility to deliver at that level all the time. Head coach Chris Collins said that is exactly what he and Barnhizer have been working towards since he came to campus.

"It's like any young player that grows into their role," he said at Big Ten Media Days. "Now is the time to take that jump. It's what he expects of himself and, if you ask him, it's a big reason why he decided to come to Northwestern.

"He's going to have the opportunity to develop into a key guy, night in and night out. There's no question that with Chase not being around, we're going to lose his shotmaking and playmaking. We need Brooks to take on even more, and I know he's looking forward to that."

Barnhized says Collins was spot-on.

"I feel like that [opportunity] is a big reason I came here," Barnhizer said. "Last year, when teams were really trying to take the ball out of Boo and Chase's hands, I had the opportunity to create like that.

"Now, it'll be asked of me to do it every game. I feel like I'm just getting started with what I can end up being."

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Barnhizer flashed an arsenal of ways to put points on the board last season. One of the ways Collins highlighted was his ability to score with his back to the basket.

At 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds last season, Barnhizer often used his size to bully smaller guards to score around the rim, or shoot over the top of them.

"I think that makes Brooks unique is his size and strength. He actually, last year, became our best low-post scoring threat," Collins said. "Matt [Nicholson] and Tydus [Verhoeven] were more rim-rolling big guys. Brooks became a guy we could throw the ball in the post to...

"I'm looking forward to seeing him creatively. [I'm looking forward to] how I can move him around and put him in scoring areas that are good for him and our team."

Replacing Audige's scoring won't fall solely on Barnhizer's shoulders. That's where Langborg comes in.

When Barnhizer, Buie and Ty Berry spoke at Media Days, they said a key to their success is their years of built-up chemistry together.

Barnhizer and Langborg don't have three years to build that type of relationship, but they are accelerating the process by living together on campus.

"It's awesome," Langborg said. "He's a little messy sometimes, but he's a great dude. We've gotten really close and it's been awesome."

So Langborg will help out with the dishes, and Barnhizer will help out on defense. Langborg's career 36.3% clip from three will, in turn, clear space for Barnhizer to work face-up or in the post.

"Our team is loud on the floor, which is something I haven't always had, and that makes it easy to adjust," Langborg said. "I'm learning a lot of new stuff. They're making my transition easy and we're scoring a lot of buckets together. It's been fun."

Together, they'll work to get the Wildcats back to the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history.

Or, if Langborg has his way, he and his roommate will help lead the team to a different first.

"We want to make Northwestern's first Sweet Sixteen," he said.