Northwestern basketball got two pieces of news in the span of around 13 hours over the weekend. One was expected. One was not.

But neither was good for the Wildcats. And neither was surprising for a program that seems to be in a free fall.

On Friday night came the unexpected news that Casey Simmons, a rising talent for the Wildcats who just finished his freshman season, had entered the transfer portal.

Then, on Saturday at about noon, came the announcement that everyone anticipated: star Pete Nance was transferring to North Carolina for his fifth and final season.

Taken together, they were just the latest negative developments for a program that has produced a steady stream of bad news for months.

Last December, four-star point guard Rowan Brumbaugh, the crown jewel of the Wildcats’ 2022 class, decommitted.

Then, Northwestern, a veteran team that was supposed to be the program’s best since its lone NCAA Tournament team in 2017, finished under .500 and won just seven of 20 Big Ten games.

The end of the season brought more of the same.

NU athletic director Dr. Derrick Gragg announced that embattled head coach Chris Collins would return for a 10th season, despite posting five straight losing seasons, with the caveat that “necessary changes” would be made.

Ryan Young, the presumed starting center, decided to transfer to Duke for his final college season.

Nance, who withdrew his name from the NBA Draft and could have theoretically returned to Northwestern, opted instead to become a Tar Heel, depriving the Wildcats of their best player.

The most lasting loss, however, is Simmons, a player who has three years of eligibility remaining. He showed some promise during his freshman season and figured to be the type of player the Wildcats could build around.

Despite modest averages of 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game, Simmons showed explosive athleticism and the potential to be a dominant defensive player. He started seven games, second only to Julian Roper among freshman.

Now, he’s gone.

There were some bits of good news in there, as well. The Wildcats last fall signed Luke Hunger, a three-star, 6-foot-10 Canadian with an impressive skills set. This spring they added Tydus Verhoeven, a transfer big from UTEP who could be a solid role player.

But, in totality, the program has produced more questions than answers going into next season. The Wildcats are in limbo.

Collins’ situation is tenuous at best. Gragg retained the coach but didn’t do him in any favors in recruiting by issuing a press release that read more like a warning shot than a vote of confidence.

“At the conclusion of a challenging season, I share in the disappointment felt by our staff and avid fans. I have tasked Coach Collins with making necessary changes to build towards success in the 2022-23 campaign,” it stated.

The message was clear: win next season, or else. Current players, and potential recruits and transfer targets no doubt feel the same way. For potential transfers with one year of eligibility left, it may not matter; for everyone else, it can be a dealbreaker.

It’s telling that the two players transferring out of Evanston are going to North Carolina and Duke, programs that appeared in the Final Four last season. The one coming in is from a mid-major.

Gragg sticking with Collins, in our opinion, had more to do with finances than basketball. A new AD didn’t want to ask for millions to buy out the remainder of Collins’ contract when the school is already in the midst of a major fundraising drive to remodel Ryan Field. In the last four years, Northwestern has built the Walter Athletic Center ($270 million) and rehabbed Welsh-Ryan Arena ($110 million), and now will be spending even more to redo the Wildcats’ aging football home.

That’s a lot of money, and an athletics boss still building relationships with donors probably didn’t want to put his hand out again for the necessary funds to fire a coach.

At the same time, showing improvement this upcoming season could be a tall task for next season's Wildcats. Nance and Young together averaged nearly 24 points and 11 rebounds per game, and the front line looks very thin going into the season. In the always rugged Big Ten, a record better than last year’s seems like a longshot for a team that will have considerably less experience and depth.

So if NU performs as expected and Gragg sticks to his guns, Collins’ reprieve may last just a year. The athletic director may wind up in the same spot, facing the same decision, next March, with a reduced buyout.

The problem is, everyone else knows that, too. Including the type of transfers and recruits who could be impact players and help change the trajectory of the program.

In short, it’s a tough time – and a tough sell – for Collins and the Cats.