Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball

Northwestern Wildcats
men's basketball
Northwestern Wildcats; men's basketball
	2024–25 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team
University	Northwestern University
All-time record	1092–1521–1 (.418)
Head coach	Chris Collins (12th season)
Conference	Big Ten
Location	Evanston, Illinois
Arena	Welsh-Ryan Arena ; (capacity: 7,500)
Nickname	Wildcats
Student section	Wildside
Colors	Purple and white;
Uniforms
Home	Away ;
Pre-tournament Premo-Porretta champions
	1931
Pre-tournament Helms champions
	1931
NCAA tournament round of 32
	2017, 2023, 2024
NCAA tournament appearances
	2017, 2023, 2024
Conference regular season champions
	1931, 1933

The Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team representing Northwestern University in the Big Ten Conference. Men's basketball was introduced at Northwestern in 1901.^[2] Since 2013, the team has been coached by Chris Collins. The Wildcats have advanced to the NCAA tournament three times, in 2017, 2023, and 2024 after being the only longstanding member of a Power Five conference to have never made the tournament.^[3] The Wildcats have won two Big Ten conference championships (1931 and 1933).

History

Northwestern began their inaugural season of intercollegiate play in 1904–1905, losing their first game to University of Chicago 19–34. They went 2–2 their first season, losing to University of Chicago twice, and defeating Beloit and Iowa.^[4]^[5]

Although Northwestern had great success in the early part of the 20th century, it has spent most of the time since World War II in the bottom half of the Big Ten. The Wildcats were retroactively selected as the 1930–31 national champion by both the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll,^[6] and have won only one other conference title, in 1933. It has only finished above fourth place twice since World War II, and did not have a winning record in conference play from 1968 until 2017. During that time, only the 2003–04 team even managed a .500 conference record. On March 1, 2017, the Wildcats won their 10th conference game (a 67–65 win over Michigan) to clinch their first winning Big Ten record in almost half a century. That season also saw the Wildcats make their first NCAA Tournament in school history, winning their first NCAA tournament game 68–66 against Vanderbilt.^[7] The Wildcats have also appeared in the National Invitation Tournament seven times (1983, 1994, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012).

The first NCAA tournament championship was held at Northwestern in March 1939.^[8]^[9] Until making their first NCAA tournament in 2017, Northwestern had been one of five original NCAA Division I schools and the only school from a power conference to have never played an NCAA Tournament game.^[10]^[11]^[12] Northwestern won their first Tournament game, defeating Vanderbilt 68–66.^[13] The Wildcats lost in the Second Round to No. 1-seeded Gonzaga.^[14]

In 1998, two former players were charged and convicted for sports bribery, having been paid to shave points in games against three other Big Ten schools during the 1995 season.^[15]^[16]^[17]

The 2022–23 team finished in a tie for second place in the Big Ten regular season, which is their best finish in the conference since the 1958–59 season.

Coaching history

Coach	Years	Record	Conference Record	Conference Titles
Tom Holland	1904–1905	2–2	0–0
Louis Gillesby	1906–1910	4–28	1–13
Stuart Templeton	1910–1911	3–15	1–12
Charles Hammett	1911–1912	4–9	0–8
Dennis Grady	1912–1914	25–10	13–7
Fred Murphy	1914–1917	28–24	16–18
Norman Elliott	1917–1918, 1919–1920	10–11	7–9
Tom Robinson	1918–1919	6–6	6–4
Ray Elder	1920–1921	2–12	1–11
Dana Evans	1921–1922	7–11	3–9
Maury Kent	1922–1927	19–62	11–49
Arthur Lonborg	1927–1950	236–203–1	138–141	2
Harold Olsen	1950–1952	19–25	11–17
Waldo Fisher	1952–1957	35–75	21–53
William Rohr	1957–1963	66–70	39–45
Larry Glass	1963–1969	61–71	33–45
Brad Snyder	1969–1973	30–71	16–46
Tex Winter	1973–1978	42–89	25–61
Rich Falk	1978–1986	77–144	32–112
Bill Foster	1986–1993	54–141	13–113
Ricky Byrdsong	1993–1997	34–78	10–62
Kevin O’Neill	1997–2000	30–56	19–39
Bill Carmody	2000–2013	192–210	70–150
Chris Collins	2013–present	162–163	67–121
Totals		1148-1586-1	519-1083	2

Sources:^[18]

Postseason

NCAA Division I tournament results

The Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA tournament three times. Their record is 3–3.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
2017	No. 8	First Round Second Round	No. 9 Vanderbilt No. 1 Gonzaga	W 68–66 L 73–79
2023	No. 7	First Round Second Round	No. 10 Boise State No. 2 UCLA	W 75–67 L 63–68
2024	No. 9	First Round Second Round	No. 8 Florida Atlantic No. 1 UConn	W 77–65 ^OT L 58–75

NIT results

The Wildcats have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) seven times. Their combined record is 5–7.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1983	First Round Second Round	Notre Dame DePaul	W 71–57 L 63–65
1994	First Round Second Round	DePaul Xavier	W 69–68 L 79–83
1999	First Round	DePaul	L 64–69
2009	First Round	Tulsa	L 59–68
2010	First Round	Rhode Island	L 64–76
2011	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Milwaukee Boston College Washington State	W 70–61 W 85–67 L 66–69 ^OT
2012	First Round Second Round	Akron Washington	W 76–74 L 55–76

Notable players

All-time statistical leaders

Career leaders

Points Scored: Boo Buie (2050, 2019–2023)
Assists: Bryant McIntosh (541, 2014–2018)
Rebounds: Evan Eschmeyer (995, 1995–1999)
Steals: Pat Baldwin (272, 1990–1994)
Blocks: Alexandru Olah (169, 2013–2016)

Single-season Leaders

Points Scored: John Shurna (661, 2012)
Assists: Bryant McIntosh (213, 2016)
Rebounds: Jim Pitts (321, 1966)
Steals: Pat Baldwin (90, 1991)
Blocks: Jim Pitts (123, 1966)

Single-game leaders

Points Scored: Rich Falk (49, 1964)
Assists: Bryant McIntosh (16, 2018)
Rebounds: Jim Pitts (29, 1965)
Steals: Nate Carter (9, 2011)
Blocks: Jim Pitts (10, 1966)

Source for all statistical leaders:^[19]

All-Americans

Player	Year(s)	Team(s)
Joe Reiff	1931	Consensus First Team – Helms (1st), College Humor (1st)
	1932	College Humor (3rd)
	1933	Consensus First Team – Helms (1st), College Humor (1st)
Otto Graham	1943	Consensus Second Team – Converse (3rd), Sporting News (1st)
Otto Graham	1944	Consensus First Team – Helms (1st), Converse (2nd), Pic (1st), Sporting News (1st)
Max Morris	1945	Consensus Second Team – Helms (1st), Converse (3rd), Argosy (3rd), Sporting News (3rd)
Max Morris	1946	Consensus First Team – Helms (1st), Converse (1st), True (2nd), Sporting News (1st)
Ray Ragelis	1951	Look (3rd)
Frank Ehmann	1955	Look (1st)
Joe Ruklick	1959	AP (3rd), NABC (3rd)
Jim Burns	1967	AP (3rd), NABC (3rd)
Evan Eschmeyer	1999	Consensus Second Team – AP (2nd), USBWA (2nd), NABC (2nd), Sporting News (2nd)

Source:^[20]

References

^ "Northwestern University's Guide to Using Marks, Colors, Trademarks, and Logos" (PDF). September 21, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
^ "Northwestern University History 1900–1949". Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
^ Martin, Jill. "At long last, Northwestern reaches NCAAs". CNN. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
^ "Northwestern basketball: a history – LIBRARIES | Blog". sites.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
^ "Men's Basketball 2023-24 Media Guide - Northwestern Athletics" (PDF). NU Athletics. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
^ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. p. 541. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
^ "Vanderbilt vs. Northwestern - Game Summary - March 16, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
^ "Eugene Register-Guard - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
^ "Youngstown Vindicator - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
^ "NCAA tournament's un-Fab Five are 0-for-75". espn.com.
^ "Longest droughts: schools that have never made the NCAA tournament". thesportsarsenal.com. 20 February 2010.
^ Feinstein, John (15 February 2016). "When it comes to NCAA tournament, Northwestern hasn't had a shot" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
^ "Scene from Northwestern's first-ever NCAA tourney win". SI.com. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
^ "2017 March Madness: NCAA admits huge missed call in Gonzaga-Northwestern". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
^ "Sentences Issued in Gambling Case". The New York Times. November 25, 1998. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
^ Belluck, Pam (March 27, 1998). "Ex-Northwestern Players Charged in Point-Shaving". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
^ Berkow, Ira (April 20, 1998). "Caught in Gambling's Grip; A Promising Career Unravels at Northwestern". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
^ "Northwestern Wildcats Men's Basketball School History".
^ "Individual Records" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
^ "Individual Records" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-24. Retrieved 2008-06-18.

External links

[1] "Northwestern University's Guide to Using Marks, Colors, Trademarks, and Logos" (PDF). September 21, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.

[nu-2] "Northwestern University History 1900–1949". Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2008-06-18.

[3] Martin, Jill. "At long last, Northwestern reaches NCAAs". CNN. Retrieved 2018-02-20.

[4] "Northwestern basketball: a history – LIBRARIES | Blog". sites.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-13.

[5] "Men's Basketball 2023-24 Media Guide - Northwestern Athletics" (PDF). NU Athletics. Retrieved June 13, 2024.

[6] ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. p. 541. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.

[7] "Vanderbilt vs. Northwestern - Game Summary - March 16, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com.

[8] "Eugene Register-Guard - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.

[9] "Youngstown Vindicator - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.

[10] "NCAA tournament's un-Fab Five are 0-for-75". espn.com.

[11] "Longest droughts: schools that have never made the NCAA tournament". thesportsarsenal.com. 20 February 2010.

[12] Feinstein, John (15 February 2016). "When it comes to NCAA tournament, Northwestern hasn't had a shot" – via www.washingtonpost.com.

[13] "Scene from Northwestern's first-ever NCAA tourney win". SI.com. Retrieved 2018-02-20.

[14] "2017 March Madness: NCAA admits huge missed call in Gonzaga-Northwestern". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2018-02-20.

[15] "Sentences Issued in Gambling Case". The New York Times. November 25, 1998. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2008.

[16] Belluck, Pam (March 27, 1998). "Ex-Northwestern Players Charged in Point-Shaving". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2008.

[17] Berkow, Ira (April 20, 1998). "Caught in Gambling's Grip; A Promising Career Unravels at Northwestern". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2008.

[SR_CBB-18] "Northwestern Wildcats Men's Basketball School History".

[cstv2-19] "Individual Records" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2008-06-18.

[cstv3-20] "Individual Records" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-24. Retrieved 2008-06-18.

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v t e Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball
Venues	Old Patten Gymnasium (1910–1940) Patten Gymnasium (1940–1952) Welsh–Ryan Arena (1952–present) Allstate Arena (2017–2018)
Rivalries	Illinois
Culture & lore	"Go U Northwestern" Willie the Wildcat
People	Head coaches NBA draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Helms and Premo-Porretta national championship in bold

v t e Big Ten Conference men's basketball
Teams	Illinois Fighting Illini Indiana Hoosiers Iowa Hawkeyes Maryland Terrapins Michigan Wolverines Michigan State Spartans Minnesota Golden Gophers Nebraska Cornhuskers Northwestern Wildcats Ohio State Buckeyes Oregon Ducks Penn State Nittany Lions Purdue Boilermakers Rutgers Scarlet Knights UCLA Bruins USC Trojans Washington Huskies Wisconsin Badgers
Championships & awards	Regular season champions Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament Coach of the Year Player of the Year Freshman of the Year Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball (defunct)
Conference challenges	ACC–Big Ten Challenge (1999–2022) Gavitt Tipoff Games (2015–2023)
Seasons	1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25