Northwestern Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Wildcats

Projected Starting Lineup

Point Guard: Boo Buie

Fifth-year senior Boo Buie is coming off a fabulous 2022-23 season that saw him post career-highs across the board, with 17.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, and 4.5 apg, while receiving All-Big Ten Second Team honors. Buie has been the heart and soul of this Northwestern team for the past few seasons, and after the success he found last season, the sky’s the limit for Buie in his final year of eligibility. Should Buie take another step forward this season, there’s a strong possibility he could find himself receiving All-Big Ten First Team honors at the end of the season.

Guard: Ty Berry

Much like Boo Buie, Ty Berry is coming off a year that saw him post career highs across the board. Berry averaged 28.3 minutes per game last season, and he amassed a stat line of 8.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 1.1 apg while shooting 34.2% from the field. While he isn’t necessarily the flashiest player on offense, Berry is a stellar defensive player and is among the top defensive players on this Northwestern squad. If Berry can take another step forward on offense, he and Buie could be one of the top backcourt duos in the Big Ten.

Combo Guard/Forward: Ryan Langborg

Fresh off a Sweet 16 appearance, incoming Princeton transfer Ryan Langborg will be an immediate impact player in his senior year. Last season, Langborg averaged 12.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, and 1.6 apg while shooting 42% from the field. He was also a significant contributor to Princeton’s Sweet 16 run, as he led the team in  scoring in the tournament with 18.6 ppg, including a 22 point effort in the team’s round of 32 win over Missouri. If that late-season momentum follows Langborg to Evanston, he will be among the top scorers for this Wildcats team throughout this season.

Forward: Brooks Barnhizer

With the influx of guards on the Wildcats’ roster, it appears likely that Brooks Barnhizer will largely serve as a forward for the team this upcoming season. Last season, Barnhizer managed 7.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, and 1.1 apg, while shooting 41% from the field. Despite not starting in any games last season, he generally played both guard and forward positions and was the team’s sixth man throughout the season. However, with the offseason roster turnover, it appears likely that Barnhizer will be promoted to the starting lineup this year.

Center: Matthew Nicholson

Senior big man Matthew Nicholson looks set to once again serve as the Wildcats’ starting Center after earning a starting position in the first half of last season. In his 21 minutes per game last season, the seven footer averaged 6.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, and 1.2 apg while shooting an extremely impressive 61.4% from the field. Nicholson will provide much-needed size in the starting lineup, and he will likely be the team’s top scoring option in the paint. Overall, Nicholson is also a strong defender in the paint and is a solid shot-blocker (1.2 blocked shots per game last season). Given how important Nicholson was to this team last season, expect the same to be true this year, despite the other lineup changes.