EVANSTON-Northwestern dominated DePaul, 84-64, for their third straight win in the series. Forward Nick Martinelli led all scorers with 23 points but it was Brooks Barnhizer who hoisted the Fisher-McGrath Trophy as the rivalry game's MVP. He played a dominant game with 21 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks, and drew even with Martinelli, his roommate, who won the award last season.
"The first thing I did when I got the plaque: I went over to Nick and told him it's you and me," Barnhizer said. "Nick and I have such a great connection and good things happen when you play the game the right way."
The Wildcats set the tone quickly, hitting their first nine field goals and taking a 20-2 lead that they never relinquished. Between this game and the wire-to-wire win over Georgia Tech, the Wildcats have led or tied 78:33 of 80 possible minutes. Barnhizer's steal and block counts are indicative of the defensive dominance that Northwestern displayed, turning DePaul over 18 times and scoring 25 points off them.
Collins and the Wildcats have dominated the series, winning seven of the last eight. DePaul knocked them off in 2019 but they have since rallied with three straight wins by double-digit margins.
The Wildcats move to 9-3 (1-1 Big Ten) on the season and plan to pick up their landmark 10th win vs. Northeastern on Dec. 27 before the calendar turns over to 2025 and Big Ten play.
Here are our takeaways from the Wildcats' latest exorcism of the Blue Demons:
Barnhizer dominates with NBA caliber performance: DePaul head coach Chris Holtmann gave a sincere endorsement of Barnhizer as an All-Big Ten player for the second straight season and put the cherry on top with a next-level recommendation.
"I think Brooks is going to have a chance to play in the NBA," he said. "I think he's that caliber of player."
Barnhizer was thrilled to hear the compliment from Holtmann who has seen his full progression the past three years coaching Ohio State and now at DePaul.
"It's a testament to the work and journey I've been on," Barnhizer said on Holtmann's compliment. "It means a lot coming from Coach Holtmann. I have a ton of respect for him and we've battled.
"One of the games I figured out I could be a good player was Ohio State my sophomore year."
Barnhizer had a then-career high 19 points, four rebounds and three assists vs. Holtmann's Buckeyes early in 2022. It was his first double-digit performance in the Big Ten and just a taste of the excellence to come.
Collins concurred with Holtmann, rattling off a laundry list of Barnhizer's skills this season.
"He can handle, he can initiate the offense, run pick-and-roll," Collins said on his star guard. "He can play out the post and isolation. He's shooting better, getting healthier. He brings the other stuff: rebounding, intangibles, defense."
"Who wouldn't want him on their team?"
Barnhizer went through the pre-draft process after last season and worked out for a few teams but withdrew his name to return for his senior season. He has largely flown under the radar as a pro prospect this season but rattling off five double-doubles in a row, the first Big Ten player to do so since Evan Turner, will start to give his stock some mobility.
It's still a longshot for Barnhizer to hear his name called on draft day with just 60 spots available in an increasingly competitive league but games like today show that Barnhizer has real potential to follow in Boo Buie and Chase Audige's footsteps as an undrafted free agent to earn a G League or two-way contract.
However you want to slice it, or whatever continent it may be, Barnhizer has put on a showcase through his first eight games of why he deserves to play at the next level.
Production from bench and Nicholson was critical: Northwestern's Big Three of Barnhizer, Martinelli and guard Jalen Leach did their typical damage, accounting for 57 points. But what gave the Wildcats their extra kick was 14 points, including five dunks, from starting center Matt Nicholson and eight points off the bench from Justin Mullins, who critically hit both threes.
Teams have left Mullins open on the perimeter to throw the kitchen sink at Barnhizer and Martinelli in the paint so if he can knock down threes with regularity, it'll be an incredibly valuable boost to the offense's spacing and potential.
The Wildcats got the best version of their mercurial big man who bounced back from three straight games with four or fewer points with a dominant performance. He snagged three steals and controlled the paint on both ends of the floor, finishing a +17 in 25 minutes.
Barnhizer lauded the big man's ferocity and energy.
"You saw at Illinois, he cut his arm and was holding it up," Barnhizer said. "That's what our program is built off of and we love that.”
Northwestern has been in desperate need of production off the bench and from the center position, and if the duo of Nicholson and Mullins can deliver these kinds of performances with regularity, the Wildcats will be a force to be reckoned with.
Northwestern leaned on their experience: "I wanted to try and do it without my glasses, but I couldn't read the stat sheet," Collins said setting up for his postgame press conference with a smile.
The 12th-year head coach's gray hair and reading glasses symbolize the sage wisdom this team is starting to embody, the relationships it relies on.
"This is why continuity is so important," he said, reflecting on the win. "This is my fourth year with Brooks, fifth with Matt, fifth with Ty [Berry].
"We've been in a lot of wars together, seen highs and lows and gotten to the other side. It's really fun as a coach to be part of their journeys."
Northwestern's starting lineup represents 18 seasons in purple and white, with just Leach, the grad transfer, as the only newcomer. DePaul's lineup? Five. All five players are transfers in their first season with the Blue Demons. Collins took a beat to share the message he's giving to his current young players, specifically Angelo Ciaravino and KJ Windham, who played sparingly.
"Brooks Barnhizer only played 11 games as a freshman," Collins said. "A lot of guys after that would run [to the portal], try to find it somewhere else...that's not always the answer. Let's keep working, let's keep getting better."
The Wildcats have a cohesion and chemistry that's hard to assemble and can't be taught, the result of hundreds of games on roster together. Martinelli talked about passing the torch forward after his patience paid off suddenly as a freshman due to injuries elsewhere on roster, and again when he needed to step up late in 2023-24 as a key contributor with Buie and Barnhizer.
"As much as they try not to listen to me, I try to instill things I wish I was told when I was going through that..." Martinelli said about his mentorship role. "I try my best to keep on them."
Collins has emphasized this stretch when Northwestern is off school with weeks between games as an opportunity to bring the young guard tandem up to speed. They have one more opportunity next week vs. Northeastern on Dec. 29 to get some run before Big Ten play.
After combining for fewer than two minutes in a 20-point win over DePaul, it's unlikely that Ciaravino and Windham will be in the Big Ten rotation. But Collins and Martinelli have made it clear they're working to keep the next generation engaged and the development pipeline flowing.
State of the rivalry is strong: Welsh-Ryan Arena hosted 5,752 fans within its 7,039-seat capacity, a very impressive showing with students home for the holidays and a rivalry that can be far from fervent some seasons.
The Wildcats have firm control of the series lately but both Collins and Holtmann endorsed the game and have renewed the series.
"I love where Chicago basketball is right now..." Collins said. "In my 12-13 years, this is probably the best collectively that you can say Northwestern, DePaul, Loyola and UIC are doing...Chris is going to get better, I hate it."
Holtmann echoed the sentiment.
"We need to get better [to compete with them] and trust me, we will...because I don't think [Chris] is going to have bad teams moving forward," Holtmann said. "He's a fantastic coach...we're going to renew the series and play every year."
Collins has hemmed and hawed about a Chicago-area tournament but, at the very least, Chicago's two Power Five programs will clash for the foreseeable future.
