Wildcats lose second overtime game of the week at Minnesota

The heavy workload that head coach Chris Collins and Northwestern place on their star players caught up with them in earnest as they headed to overtime at Minnesota, getting outscored 14-5 in extra time in a 74-65 loss.

The Wildcats rely greatly on their star quartet of guards. Boo Buie, Ty Berry, Ryan Langborg and Brooks Barnhizer, played 40.5 minutes on average against the Gophers, just four days after playing 39.5 minutes on average in an overtime loss at Purdue on Wednesday night. Their heavy legs seemed to catch up with them in the extra session.

Buie, who led with 44 minutes, tied Minnesota's Dawson Garcia with a game-high 20 points. The Wildcats seemed in control the game at several different junctions, up 27-17 with two minutes left in the first, and 54-46 with 5:55 left in the game. But they couldn't put the pesky Gophers away.

Here are our takeaways from the frustrating loss at Minnesota:

Northwestern caught flat-footed: The Wildcats have been an extraordinarily well-conditioned team this season but after an emotionally and physically draining game at Purdue, they just didn't have the juice for another overtime game in the Twin Cities three days later.

Minnesota outscored Northwestern by nine in overtime. The Wildcats finished 13-for-20 at the charity stripe, and all seven of those free-throw misses came from Buie, Barnhizer and Langborg.

While Buie knocked down two clutch shots at the line at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime, he and Barnhzier missed four second-half free throws. Back-to-back misses short of the rim from Langborg with Northwestern down five with 1:27 left in overtime effectively sealed the game.

Buie, Barnhizer and Langborg all shoot 70% or better on the season, Buie an outstanding 85% clip. But the immense workload they've had this week was manifested at the line in the extra period.

It would be a relief if Northwestern could wring more depth out of its roster at this stage of the season, but it appears to be too late for Collins to tinker with his rotations. Freshman Jordan Clayton has played briefly and sporadically in Big Ten play, holding his own on defense but displaying offensive limitations at this early stage of his career, the side of the ball Northwestern needs most.

The good news here is that this result, for now, came under extreme circumstances with back-to-back road games in overtime. It wasn't until their 86th minute between two games in three days that their stamina fell away. It was also the Wildcats' third OT game in their last four.

But, for now, similar to the Mississippi State defeat earlier in the season, the loss to the Gophers should be chalked up as deeply regrettable, but in circumstances that will sparingly arise in the future.

Untenable turnovers: Northwestern opened the game careless with the ball, turning it over 12 times in the first half alone on their way to 17 for the game. With an authoritative 27-17 lead with two minutes left in the first half, the Wildcats turned it over five times to fuel a game-tying 10-0 run from Minnesota.

The way this team wins is by consistently winning the turnover battle. The Wildcats came into the contest averaging just 8.8 per game, fewest in the Big Ten; they doubled that number against the Gophers.

This was one of Northwestern's better defensive performances in conference this season: 61 points in regulation is the fewest they've allowed since 58 in the drubbing of Ohio State. But they needed to be more responsible offensively.

The Wildcats still outscored Minnesota 22-15 in points off turnovers, but the lost possessions and those 15 points swung a game that was very winnable.

Evaluating the future: A loss to Minnesota now at 14-7 (5-5 Big Ten) is a tough pill to swallow, especially just four days after nearly sweeping a season series with No. 2 Purdue.

But the Wildcats continue to match their mark from 2022-23 and have arrived at 15-7 (6-5) through 22 games for the second straight season. They have three days rest then an important but winnable game at Welsh-Ryan Arena against Nebraska, a team that is 1-5 on the road this season.

Following that is a home rematch with Penn State for a Sunday matinee. The Wildcats can get to 17-7 (8-5) in a blink before they head out to Rutgers and a struggling Indiana squad, two more games they could easily capture.

While it still stings to to let a Big Ten road game slip away, this is a Minnesota team that nearly upset Wisconsin and has now won two straight. It shouldn't be a skeleton in the closet, especially in the context of an emotional, heartbreaking loss to Purdue in the same week. This team has proven its ceiling is as high as anyone's in the league and is yet to lose on its home court in league play.

The Wildcats took a step back today but they've proven what they can do before and have all of their goals ahead of them and within their grasp.