The changing environment in college basketball isn’t exactly making life easier at Northwestern. Chris Collins has unquestionably been the greatest thing that’s ever happened to this program, leading the Wildcats to all three of their NCAA Tournament appearances in their history, but even he’s having trouble in this new era.
We are just a few years removed from that recent success, as Northwestern won first round Tourney games in both 2023 and 2024. However, the Wildcats finished just 15-19 and in a tie for 15th place in the Big Ten last season. The Wildcats simply don’t have the resources to keep up with the top dogs in the Big Ten, though we’re not counting out Collins with his track record.
Losing star scorer Nick Martinelli really stings this offseason and he’s far from the only departure. The Wildcats lost a number of players into the transfer portal, leaving this coaching staff to do its best to replenish the talent. There actually is a significant transfer class, though many of them are less experienced or from the mid-major level.
With rigorous academic standards and recent struggles, Northwestern isn’t in the best situation, but we’re far from dismissing this team’s ability to turn things around. After all, nobody exactly expected those recent teams to win NCAA Tournament games. We’ll look closely at the key faces on this roster, both the additions and the few returning players, and we’ll try to understand just what to expect in Evanston.
Projected Starters
Guard – Jake West (Sophomore)
A significant returning piece from last season, West started several games as a freshman for the Wildcats and now has his chance to run the point. The 6-3 guard from Philadelphia averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 assists across solid minutes as a first-year player and showed potential outside the arc. Northwestern needs him to take a significant step forward and become an even feistier shooter and lead guard.
Guard – Angelo Ciaravino (Junior)
The only other notable returner for the Wildcats is Ciaravino, a 6-6 guard from Chicago who’s had decent numbers across his first two seasons. Ciaravino wasn’t exactly the star of the show, but started more than half of the games while averaging 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds. He’s still an efficient weapon with versatility and athleticism and he’s another player Northwestern really needs to develop into a major threat.
Forward – Jack Karasinski (Senior)
After an injury-shortened two-year stint at William & Mary, Karasinski came into his own these last two years with Bellarmine. The Michigan native put up 21.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last season while leading the A-Sun in scoring. Obviously there’s a massive transition from there into the Big Ten, though the Wildcats love his playmaking ability, along with that 41.5% mark from outside the arc.
Forward – Colin Smith (Senior)
Another two-time transfer entering year five of his career, Smith was solid in Vanderbilt’s frontcourt before really coming onto the scene with UC Santa Barbara. This past year saw him with 11.9 points and 4.2 rebounds while hitting 41% of his 3-pointers and becoming an impact player for the Gauchos. We’ll see how his game adjusts at Northwestern though we can’t ignore his defensive value either.
Forward – Luke McEldon (Junior)
A 6-10 forward originally from London, McEldon largely rode the bench at Santa Clara before getting his real opportunity last year with Mount St. Mary’s. McEldon led the MAAC in field goal percentage while averaging 11.7 points and 6.2 rebounds a game for the Mountaineers. He’s an efficient scorer who likely will make his biggest impacts on the defensive end as he too transitions to a much tougher league.
Key Reserves
Guard – LA Pratt (Senior)
After four years in the CAA, Pratt is hoping to make some noise in the Big Ten to finish his college career. He had two years largely as a reserve at Elon before really stepping up with Northeastern. Unfortunately, a foot injury ended his year in the third game after putting up some impressive early figures with the Huskies. If Pratt can step up, he can be a significant scoring threat for the Wildcats and might even be a starter in this backcourt.
Guard – Aleksej Kostic (Sophomore)
A 6-4 guard from Austria, Kostic is actually the only power conference transfer joining the Wildcats, having played for BYU last season. His work with the Cougars didn’t exactly jump off the page, though he did average 4.4 points and 0.9 rebounds in that freshman campaign. If he can establish himself at Northwestern then it’ll be because of his shooting ability.
Forward – Okku Federiko (Junior)
Federiko is a 6-8 forward from Finland who enrolled midseason at South Carolina and didn’t play for the Gamecocks, though he saw plenty of the court at Drake last year. The full-time starter for the Bulldogs, he averaged 8.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while nailing 61% of his inside shots and showing potential outside the arc as well. He’ll certainly contend for a significant and perhaps starting role in this new-look lineup.
Guard – Jayden Hodge (Freshman)
Northwestern’s most significant freshman addition, Hodge is a 6-6 wing and a Top 100 prospect who the Wildcats are hoping can develop into one of their next big stars. He’s a strong and physical player who does a bit of everything on the basketball court. He can power to the rim, rebounds at an impressive rate, and has versatility on the defensive end.
Forward – Ryan Soulis (Junior)
After very limited run at Richmond, Soulis took a step forward in Columbia’s lineup as a sophomore and now hopes to be even better with the Wildcats. That sophomore season saw him contribute 5.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game largely as a starter for the Lions. The 6-10 forward from Greece is still a developing big but showcases great potential in the post.
Center – Symon Ghai (Freshman)
It shouldn’t take long to figure out with Ghai is on this roster as he really stands out with his size. A 7-3 center originally from South Sudan, he has ridiculous length and looks like he can develop into a real menace on the defensive. Much of Ghai’s game is still a work in progress, though he figures to get some looks in this frontcourt depth.
Schedule Outlook
Northwestern eases into things this season with five straight home games, though that does include local rival DePaul coming around on November 13th. A week later, the Wildcats head to South Carolina, facing Virginia Tech and Dayton as part of the Charleston Classic. They’ll be back home, playing Pratt’s former school Northeastern, to finish off the month.
December is significantly more difficult for the Wildcats, starting off with Wisconsin in their first taste of Big Ten play. They head to Salt Lake City on December 5th for a tough bout against BYU before another early conference test at Michigan a week later. After that tough three-game stretch, they do have a few more tune-ups at home, but also face Oklahoma State in Tulsa on December 20th.
Conference play will be another uphill battle for Northwestern, especially with multiple games against Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota. They get tough road tests against Ohio State and Purdue, with that game in West Lafayette kicking off a devastating stretch of four of five on the road to start February. There really aren’t a ton of games that look super winnable here, though they have three straight to end the regular season before the finale at Maryland on March 7th.
Season Outlook
Last year the Wildcats leaned heavily on Martinelli and it’s hard to find a direction replacement for his production on this roster. However, that could mean that Northwestern will be a bit more balanced and not leaning so heavily on one or a few particular players. With all the changes in the offseason, it’s hard to know if this is a good or bad thing, though it’s fair to say there’s a talent gap in Evanston.
There’s not much continuity at all but getting Ciaravino and West back in the backcourt is good news at least. Both have great potential, though they’re also expected to take these monumental jumps after less significant roles last year. Beyond that, the Wildcats could really get a boost if Pratt plys at a high level while Hodge looks like he could be the real deal for the future of this program.
With all new faces in the frontcourt, there could be challenges and significant growing pains this season. Karasinski looks like he could be a notable scorer while some combination of Federiko, McEldon, and Smith will see most of the minutes at the 4 and 5. The staff has done as best a job they can finding pieces in the portal, while you really hope they can develop some of these young players like Ghai as well.
On paper, Northwestern is simply not as talented as many of the Big Ten teams but games are not won or lost on paper. The Wildcats are throwing a bunch of new faces into the mix and seeing what sticks and what works out and it’s too early to even know which starting five or rotations will work best. Collins might not have the best coaching record but he’s a legend in Evanston and if anyone can get the best out of this group it’s him and his staff.
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