BROOKLYN-A legendary season came to an unceremonious halt as Northwestern ran into the bracket's top team, UConn, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and lost 75-58.
The Huskies, the defending national champions, shut down the Wildcats' star backcourt at the Barclays Center. Boo Buie, Brooks Barnhizer and Ryan Langborg combined for 40 points, just two days after scoring 63 to beat FAU.
"This was a really special team to coach," Collins said. "Everything that was thrown at them, the injuries, the curveballs, the adversity.
"It wasn't our night tonight, but every team except for one is going to feel like us in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately that night was tonight and we ran into a team that outplayed us, a better team."
UConn was led by Bob Cousy Award finalist Tristen Newton with 20 points and 10 assists, and 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan nearly recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks.
Here are our takeaways from the last game of Northwestern's 2023-24 season:
Buie, Langborg and Barnhizer leave game, season as legends: Buie checked out of the game with 1:24 left to a cheers of "Thank you, Boo!" from the Northwestern faithful who traveled to Brooklyn. He shared a long hug with Collins, who told him he loved him, he'd be family forever and this was something they built together.
"We were just talking about our relationship, how we got the program here back-to-back," Buie said. "We talked about building it, what we were able to do. It was because of each other."
It's all but assured that Buie's No. 0 will join Billy McKinney's 30 in the rafters of Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"He's the GOAT in my opinion for our program. He is," an emotional Collins said. "Not only the records but his legacy as a winner, the credibility he gave our program...there's a friendship there that will be really long-lasting."
Emotions ran high across the team, and across the press conference. It was touching to hear the depth of feeling that Langborg has for Northwestern, a "home away from home," he called it, after only one season in the purple and white.
"Obviously not the way we wanted to end it off, but these guys next to me and the rest of the team, beyond grateful for the opportunity they gave me to come in here and contribute," Langborg said. "I feel like what we did this year is really special on the court, but off the court, we are brothers for life. I want to thank Northwestern for everything."
Langborg was a phenomenal addition to this season's squad. He provided invaluable shooting and spacing, stepping his game up over and over as adversity and injuries piled up around him.
His 27 points against FAU two days ago project to remain Northwestern's single-game NCAA Tournament record for years to come.
Then it was on to Barnhizer who, even as a junior, was so deeply entrenched in this team's success next to Buie and Langborg in their final seasons.
Barnhizer came alive in the second half, scoring all 18 of his team-leading points in the last frame of the season.
"Brooks went from being a good player to a great player," Collins said. "That's really fun for a coach to watch."
To see the monument of Barnhizer's progression, just look at last year's tournament, when he played 31 minutes, and had seven points and 5.5 rebounds per game, with 26.3% shooting from the field. This season, those numbers were 40 minutes, 15.5 points and eight rebounds per game, and 46.2% shooting from the field.
It's too early to make predictions for next season, but for now, the Wildcats project to be in good hands with Barnhizer at the helm in 2024.
UConn's defense was unparalleled: The Wildcats have played some fearsome opponents this season, like Purdue, another 1 seed, and Illinois, a 3 seed in the Sweet 16. But no one disrupted their offense to the extent that UConn did.
With Stephon Castle at the point of attack, Northwestern's backcourt had nowhere to go. The drives, kicks and reads by Buie that serve as the engine that drives the Wildcats were cut off at the source.
Buie had just nine points in his final game in purple, shooting 2-for-15 from the floor, and unable to create separation. He and Barnhizer combined to go 0-for-14 from the field with just two points in the first half.
When the Wildcats did break through the first level, they faced Clingan, possibly the most fearsome rim protector they've played, even in a season that included Purdue's Zach Edey.
The Wildcats won the second half, 40-35, but all game pressure was eliminated by that stage. Despite a late 8-0 run and a flurry of buckets from Barnhizer and Langborg, the Wildcats never drew closer than 16.
It's traditional for a coach to pay respects, even in a big win like UConn's, but Husky head coach Dan Hurley lauded Collins.
"You're not going to win the game by 35 or 30 versus Northwestern with Chris and his culture and his staff, they're one of the best," he said. "I think they have lost one game by double figures this year. So you're talking about a team that's ultra competitive...
"I think it had more to do more with the heart of the Northwestern program and pride and them refusing to have the score be disrespectful to their program."
After the press conference, Hurley spent a minute or so to shake Collins, Buie and Langborg's hands and chat with them about the game. For one of the most intense and competitive coaches in the game, the respect was evident.
"[Tonight] doesn't diminish at all what this team has meant, not only to me but to our program," Collins said. "It just made me in awe of these guys even more. Look what they've done for our program. The fact that we're playing in these games now...I'm just really sad that there's no more games with this group."
Northwestern should hold their heads high: The Wildcats couldn't pull off the upset, but, true to form, they kept fighting to the very end. In a game where Clingan dominated the paint and Northwestern couldn't match the Huskies' scoring fervor, the absence of Ty Berry and Matt Nicholson was at its most apparent.
"Those two guys they lost [to injury], if they weren't, we're not playing them today," Hurley said. "They're a five or six seed."
"I really believed when we had all our guys we were a second-weekend team, maybe more," Collins said. "But that's not the hand we were dealt and there's no excuses."
The effort this team expended to get to this point was impressive. Buie and Barnhizer rank 11th and 13th in the NCAA in minutes per game played. The only duo on an NCAA Tournament team that plays more minutes per game is Creighton's Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman, who rank 7th and 14th, respectively.
"They emptied the tank. They maxed it out," Collins said. "You watched it out there. This team we maxed every ounce out of what we had, and I'm really proud of this group. This team will hold a special place in my heart forever."
It's hard to contextualize on the night of a 17-point, season-ending loss, but it's important to reflect on the season as a whole. This is the team that beat No. 1 Purdue, at home, for the second straight season. They have the third-most Big Ten wins in a two-year span, behind only Purdue and Illinois. And if you want to play tiebreaker, they have a 4-3 record against the Boilermakers and Illini in that stretch.
They made the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season for the first time in program history. They won an NCAA Tournament game for the second straight season for the first time in program history and are one of just two teams who are undefeated in first-round play after playing three or more games.
They'll hold a special place in Collins' heart forever; and in the hearts of all Northwestern fans, too.
