Big Ten Basketball: Purdue, Ohio State, Wisconsin rise in latest power rankings

15. Northwestern (4-1)

It is not hyperbole to say we have recently experienced the golden age of Northwestern basketball. The Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA Tournament just three times in its existence and two of those trips have come at the end of the last two seasons. With Boo Buie gone, the Wildcats are expected to take a step back, especially on offense, and have certainly had some early struggles in this new season.

Opening night featured a blowout win over Lehigh, but things have been far less certain ever since that night. The Wildcats lost a tough road game at Dayton a few days later and have had three somewhat close calls against mid-majors ever since. This team needed overtime to defeat Eastern Illinois and were pushed to the limit by Montana State earlier this week, with poor shooting playing a major role in both games.

Nick Martinelli is averaging nearly 25 points a game, but the real news is that the Wildcats have Brooks Barnhizer back on the floor after an injury forced him out of their first few ballgames. While things are trending in a bad direction early for the Wildcats, Barnhizer’s return allows the tides to turn again. This lineup and program will certainly be tested and don’t have the overall talent as the past seasons, but could Martinelli and this crew surprise us down the stretch again?