Brooks Barnhizer took it coast-to-coast with 5.8 seconds on the clock and the Wildcats down two, but his last-second layup rimmed out. So did Nick Martinelli's tip attempt.

The final sequence was emblematic of a hard-fought night where the Wildcats just couldn't catch the right breaks in a 71-69 loss to Butler in the first round of the Arizona Tip-Off.

Butler looked dominant early and leapt out to a 27-12 lead but ended up holding on for dear life as Northwestern drew within three points at half and stayed within six points the rest of the game. The Wildcats nearly connected on a wild, foul-shot-fueled haymaker in the final minute, where a five-point Butler lead with 22 seconds left was whittled down to two with under six seconds on the clock.

Barnhizer scored a game-high 24 points in a game-high 38 minutes, and center Matt Nicholson chipped in a season-high 14 points on a surreal 8-for-9 night at the line, but otherwise the Wildcat offense was comatose. Martinelli came into the game averaging well over 20 points but was shut down by Butler, scoring just 7 on 3-for-15 shooting from the floor.

Outside of Barnhizer and Nicholson, the team shot just 10-for-42 from the floor. The refs were active, calling 40 total fouls but keeping it even at 20 a piece, and both teams were in the double bonus for the final 3:36. Both center Luke Hunger and guard Ty Berry fouled out.

The Wildcats have had an ambitious non-conference slate early this season but have still picked up a second loss in just seven games, putting their postseason resume on the clock early in the season.

Here are our takeaways from Northwestern's tight loss in Arizona that dropped their record to 5-2.

Northwestern needs more flow, shooting in the half court: The Wildcats' offense seems predicated on isolating Barnhizer or Martinelli in the post and watching them shot fake and switchback their way to the paint before a contested hook or fadeaway. Their outside shooting was anemic.

Berry was 1-for-5 on 3s, Jalen Leach was 1-for-4 with a heavy wrap on his right hand, including an egregiously aggressive airball down five with 35 seconds left that luckily landed in the hands of Nicholson for an and-1. No Northwestern player made multiple shots from long range.

The Wildcats rank in the bottom 20 in the NCAA in 3-point attempts per game, and four of their nine players tonight didn't even attempt one. There's clearly value in Barnhizer and Martinelli's post games, and Martinelli's shocking lack of touch is not likely to last for multiple games. But the Wildcats need to find more scoring on their perimeter because their current model is just not built to score at a high level consistently and win key games.

Wildcats should maintain this center rotation: Hunger took the matter out of head coach Chris Collins' hands by fouling out in just nine minutes of play, but Nicholson's big night in the other 30 minutes should be the path forward.

Hunger has a soft shooting touch on the perimeter, which is unique among the Wildcats' centers, but he hasn't been able to impact games as a rebounder or defender. He too often plays below-the-rim and resorts to going straight up with his arms as opponents still draw contact, rather than elevating and contesting the way that Nicholson can with his overwhelming size and athleticism.

This outlier game from Nicholson should not be the new expectation, especially at the free-throw line, but it's a good example of what he can bring to the table in a way that no other big on the roster can. He's been the team’s best center for the past three seasons when he's been healthy and in shape, and if he can deliver 30 minutes a night, then that's the minimum that Collins should set him at going forward.

Northwestern still searching for their landmark win: After a narrow loss to Butler and a 5-point loss at Dayton, the Wildcats are 9 points away from 7-0 and a strong argument for a ranking. Instead, they find themselves at 5-2 with their marquee win over UIC or Montana State, take your pick. Their postseason outlook remains wide open with the whole Big Ten slate ahead of them and a couple more non-conference opportunities against Power Five programs like Georgia Tech and DePaul to shore up their foundations.

Collins has said that games like this help test his team early in the season, and so far that has been the case. They have gotten high-pressure and late-game opportunities at Dayton and now at a neutral site against Butler. While they have come up short, in just a matter of seven games, they have become swiftly battle-tested and will be no stranger to crunch time when they hit Big Ten play.

However, for those hard lessons learned, they have also eliminated much of their early margin for error and it's critical that they win the rest of their non-conference games, starting tomorrow, when they play in the third-place game of the Tip-Off.