Northwestern's season, Martinelli's career, come to a close with 81-68 loss to Purdue
CHICAGO – Northwestern’s magic ran out in an unceremonious 81-68 loss to 7th-seeded Purdue in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday night at the United Center.
Star forward Nick Martinelli put up 25 points and guard Jayden Reid had 19 points and nine assists in support, but the Boilermakers smothered the rest of the roster playing its third game in three days. Northwestern fell behind 45-21 in the first half and while they whittled the lead down throughout the second period, they never seriously threatened in Martinelli’s last game with the Wildcats.
“They did what they were supposed to do with us playing our third game in three days [and an] emotional game last night. They came out with great energy and their pop early knocked us back…” head coach Chris Collins said. “I was super proud of our fight the whole way, led by this guy [Martinelli]. So proud of everything he’s meant for our program.”
The Wildcats had no players taller than 6-foot-9 in their rotation with center Arrinten Page still sidelined with an illness, and got bullied on the boards, 35-23 by Purdue, which boasts one of the biggest front lines in the country. Their two starting bigs, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff, combined for 38 points and 16 rebounds.
Freshman forward Tre Singleton, who played with an injured shooting hand from the matchup with Indiana the night before, did the best he could at center with two points, five rebounds and four fouls in 18 minutes.
“He couldn’t even shoot, he was out there battling with one hand,” Collins said. “We really appreciate him just trying to give what he could today. It was tough, we were a little bit undermanned.”
Here are our takeaways from the 2025-26 season finale, which ended Northwestern’s first conference tournament with multiple wins since 2017.
Martinelli’s efforts will outlast disappointing season record
When it comes to a connection with a star player, this did not feel like a 15-19 season for Martinelli, who chose to run it back and finish his career in his home-state school despite a rebuilding roster.
“I don’t condemn anyone for looking at other schools, the thoughts are going to pass through your mind. … For me, I found my place,” Martinelli said. “This is my home. I have so much love, and it’s reciprocated because I stayed. It’s been a blessing and an honor.”
Martinelli played 120 games in his four seasons; 3,505 minutes, totaling nearly 2.5 days of his life suiting up for the Wildcats. After a disappointing regular season finale, when he missed a late free throw and a potential game-winning 3-point attempt, he put on a showcase in the Big Ten Tournament.
He averaged 25.7 points per game with just six minutes of rest combined across the trio of games, willing the Wildcats to end on a high note.
“He has a standard of excellence in everything he does,” Collins said. “I just couldn’t be more proud.”
Roster construction came back to haunt the Wildcats
Minnesota, Penn State and Indiana all lack formidable talents at center, so Northwestern could go small without Page and still compete, and even control games. No such luck against Purdue. Northwestern’s roster had many issues, but none were as prevalent as the search for consistent play in the paint.
Even when Page was healthy, he was mercurial, flashing NBA-caliber talent at one moment, looking unplayable the next. It feels fitting that his season ends with ambiguity, ultimately sidelined for the final four games of the season. Collins didn’t specify Page’s illness when asked postgame, only saying that he was “medically ruled out” of the game.
If Page is back next season, it’s just as hard now to project which version of him they will get as it was last fall.
If Page looks elsewhere in the portal, there are another couple of question marks coming down the pipe to replace him: 7-foot-2, four-star freshman center Symon Ghai, and 7-footer Cade Bennerman, who didn’t play and redshirted this season. Will Collins bet on two unknowns with Singleton as the small-ball safety valve? Or will he try to find an experienced hand to steady the ship and let Singleton and Tyler Kropp fill their more natural forward roles?
Page’s acquisition proved how hard it can be to make a reliable addition at the biggest position. They have young cornerstones in Jake West, Angelo Ciaravino and Singleton, plus the possibility of retaining Jayden Reid, another up-and-down transfer.
This game was under unusual circumstances, but it also provided a blueprint for what Northwestern needs to add to compete again with the conference’s elite. They sorely need reinforcements at center.
Collins looks to the future with ‘huge offseason’ on the horizon
Collins was blunt in his assessment of what is at stake after Northwestern’s record has declined in back-to-back seasons.
“This is going to be a huge offseason from top to bottom, we have really got to examine,” he said.
When he said top to bottom, he meant it, going all the way up to the big vacancy still hovering over the university.
“I’m anxious and excited to get a new [university] president, to get together and everybody hopefully have a commitment to saying, ‘We want to do this’,” Collins said.
Football has seen their coaching staff explode up to 24, including the head coach, and including a landmark hire at offensive coordinator in Chip Kelly. Collins has made his intentions clear that he’s not happy with the late-season uptick and a 15-19 record; he wants to see significant investments in his program’s future, too.
“I’m really anxious to be able to get with administration and get with my staff. We have to be better,” he said. “That’s not a knock on our players, but we didn’t have enough. We weren’t equipped with what we needed. … And I’m [also] talking about myself. I’ve got to be better with roster construction and making sure we have got the right kind of guys that are going to be good players here.”
However Collins and his staff slice up the blame, the clock starts on now on replacing Martinelli and his monumental impact. He leaves behind a sterling legacy, headlined by two NCAA Tournament runs and two conference scoring titles, and a competitive and cultural crevasse for the next generation to fill. He is also the last of their NCAA Tournament contributors from the special 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns.
For better or for worse, a new chapter of Northwestern basketball starts next season.
