Can Northwestern reach the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history?
According to Chris Collins, part of it will depend on the growth of Brooks Barnhizer.
“We really saw at the end of last season — those last 10-12 games — I felt like he emerged and showed that he can become a guy that’s considered for all-league (honors)”, Collins said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast. “I think he can be that good at this level.”
The 6-6 wing averaged 7.6 points and 4.9 rebounds last season as a sophomore, but in games where he logged 25 minutes or more, Barnhizer averaged 11.2 points. He averaged 12.3 points and seven rebounds over the Wildcats’ final eight games of last season.
With Chase Audige no longer in Evanston, Barnhizer is a prime candidate to start alongside Boo Buie (17.3 points, 4.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds) in the Wildcats’ backcourt next season.
Northwestern returns four of its top six scorers — Buie, Barnhizer, Ty Berry, and Matthew Nicholson — from last season’s team that lost to UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It was only the second time in program history that the Wildcats have reached the NCAA Tournament, with the other appearance occurring in 2017.
Northwestern is currently ranked 34th in the ROTHSTEIN 45 and was picked sixth among Big Ten teams in this week’s Big Ten Offseason Breakdown.
