The NCAA Tournament triumph of 2017 feels increasingly far away for Northwestern Basketball. Last season was another difficult one, although it was actually the program’s best season in several years.
The Wildcats went 9-15 overall and 6-13 in Big Ten play in 2020-21. It was the second straight year with less than 10 wins and fourth straight under .500, though the 12th place finish in the conference was its best since 2017-18.
That record can be good or bad, depending on how one perceives it. On the one hand, it was an improvement over recent years. On another, however, the team started Big Ten play 3-0, meaning they dropped 13 of their last 16 in conference play, along with their Big Ten Tournament game; a 13-game losing streak marred the whole campaign.
Miller Kopp was one of the team’s best players last year, averaging 11.3 points per game. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, he traded purple for rival red and transferred to play for the Indiana Hoosiers.
Chris Collins’ team still has a solid core without Kopp. Pete Nance is back, as are Boo Buie and Chase Audige. There’s enough on the roster for the Wildcats to sneak even closer towards the next-best tier in the conference.
Nevertheless, Collins will need a miracle to make his second NCAA Tournament in his ninth season with the Wildcats. Collins took Northwestern to its one NCAA Tournament and is 16 games under .500 for his career, the best mark for a Northwestern coach since Larry Glass’ tenure from 1963-1969. But patience may begin to wear thin if Collins can’t get back to the Big Dance.
Here’s what the starting lineup could look like for Northwestern this season.