2021–22 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team represented Northwestern University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by ninth-year head coach Chris Collins. The Wildcats played their home games at Welsh–Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 15–16, 7–13 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for 10th place. As the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Nebraska in the first round before losing to Iowa in the second round.

2021–22 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	15–16 (7–13 Big Ten)
Head coach	Chris Collins (9th season)
Assistant coaches	Brian James Jon Borovich Talor Battle
Home arena	Welsh–Ryan Arena

2021–22 Big Ten Conference
men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 19 Illinois	15	–	5		.750			23	–	10		.697
No. 14 Wisconsin	15	–	5		.750			25	–	8		.758
No. 10 Purdue	14	–	6		.700			29	–	8		.784
Rutgers	12	–	8		.600			18	–	14		.563
No. 16 Iowa †	12	–	8		.600			26	–	10		.722
Ohio State	12	–	8		.600			20	–	12		.625
Michigan State	11	–	9		.550			23	–	13		.639
Michigan	11	–	9		.550			19	–	15		.559
Indiana	9	–	11		.450			21	–	14		.600
Maryland	7	–	13		.350			15	–	17		.469
Penn State	7	–	13		.350			14	–	17		.452
Northwestern	7	–	13		.350			15	–	16		.484
Nebraska	4	–	16		.200			10	–	22		.313
Minnesota	4	–	16		.200			13	–	17		.433
† Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Wildcats finished the 2020–21 season 9–15, 6–13 to finish in 12th place in Big Ten play. They lost in the first round of the Big Ten tournament to Minnesota.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Miller Kopp	10	F	6'7"	215	Junior	Houston, TX	Transferred to Indiana
Anthony Gaines	11	G	6'4"	210	RS Junior	Kingston, NY	Transferred to Siena
Dom Martinelli	50	G	6'4"	200	Freshman	Glenview, IL	Walk-on; transferred to St. Thomas (MN)
Eric Zalewski	55	G	6'0"	185	RS Junior	Buffalo Grove, IL	Walk-on; didn't return

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous college
Elyjah Williams	21	F	6'7"	220	Graduate Student	Evanston, IL	Fairleigh Dickinson

Recruiting classes

2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Casey Simmons #21 SF	Milton, MA	Milton Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jun 27, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 82
Julian Roper #35 SG	Orchard Lake, MI	Saint Mary's Preparatory School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	May 4, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 80
Brooks Barnhizer #52 SF	Lafayette, IN	Lafayette Jefferson High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jun 21, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 75
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Northwestern Commits". Rivals.com. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Rowan Brumbaugh #18 PG	Northfield, MA	Northfield-Mt. Hermon School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Aug 30, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Northwestern Commits". Rivals.com. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2021–22 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Boo Buie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Gould Academy Albany, New York G 1 Chase Audige 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr William & Mary Coram, New York G 2 Ryan Greer 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Northfield Mount Hermon Atlanta, Georgia G 3 Ty Berry 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Sunrise Christian Academy Newton, Kansas G 5 Julian Roper II 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr St. Mary's Prep Detroit, Michigan G 13 Brooks Barnhizer 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Jefferson High School Lafayette, Indiana G 14 Casey Simmons 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Milton Academy Milton, Massachusetts C 15 Ryan Young 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Jr Bethlehem Catholic High School Stewartsville, New Jersey F 21 Elyjah Williams 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) GS Fairleigh Dickinson Evanston, Illinois F 22 Pete Nance 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Revere High School Akron, Ohio F 31 Robbie Beran 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Collegiate School Richmond, Virginia C 34 Matthew Nicholson 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) So Clarkston High School Clarkston, Michigan G 53 Roy Dixon III (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Greater Atlanta Christian Atlanta, Georgia G 54 Dylan Sandhu (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 160 lb (73 kg) RS Jr Detroit Country Day Northville, Michigan	Head coach Chris Collins (Duke) Assistant coach(es) Brian James (Illinois State) Jon Borovich (Central Michigan) Talor Battle (Penn State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 4, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+		Lindenwood	W 85–40	0–0	17 – Berry	10 – Williams	40 – Buie	Welsh–Ryan Arena (2,563) Evanston, IL
Regular season
November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+		Eastern Illinois	W 80–56	1–0	17 – Buie	7 – Young	6 – Buie	Welsh–Ryan Arena (2,753) Evanston, IL
November 12, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+		High Point	W 95–60	2–0	22 – Nance	10 – Nance	7 – Buie	Welsh–Ryan Arena (3,074) Evanston, IL
November 16, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+		New Orleans	W 83–67	3–0	18 – Nance	8 – Nance	9 – Buie	Welsh–Ryan Arena (2,593) Evanston, IL
November 18, 2021* 8:00 p.m., BTN		Fairleigh Dickinson	W 82–46	4–0	20 – Young	11 – Nance	5 – Buie	Welsh–Ryan Arena (2,854) Evanston, IL
November 22, 2021* 8:30 p.m., ESPN+		vs. Providence Legends Classic semifinals	L 72–77	4–1	23 – Buie	5 – Nance	5 – Nance	Prudential Center (3,719) Newark, NJ
November 23, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPN2		vs. Georgia Legends Classic	W 78–62	5–1	22 – Buie	9 – Nance	6 – Buie	Prudential Center (0) Newark, NJ
November 30, 2021* 8:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Wake Forest ACC–Big Ten Challenge	L 73–77 OT	5–2	15 – Nance	7 – Nance	7 – Buie	LJVM Coliseum (3,711) Winston-Salem, NC
December 5, 2021 11:00 a.m., BTN		at Maryland	W 67–61	6–2 (1–0)	17 – Nance	10 – Nance	4 – Buie	Xfinity Center (13,958) College Park, MD
December 12, 2021* 3:00 p.m., ESPNU		NJIT	W 70–52	7–2	13 – Young	9 – Young	7 – Buie	Welsh–Ryan Arena (3,392) Evanston, IL
December 18, 2021* 2:00 p.m., BTN		DePaul	Canceled due to COVID issues at DePaul					Welsh–Ryan Arena  Evanston, IL
December 20, 2021* 6:00 p.m., BTN+		Illinois–Springfield	W 90–50	8–2	15 – Nance	8 – Tied	5 – Greer	Welsh–Ryan Arena (2,996) Evanston, IL
December 30, 2021* 4:00 p.m., BTN		Prairie View A&M	Canceled due to COVID issues at Prairie View A&M					Welsh–Ryan Arena  Evanston, IL
January 2, 2022 1:00 p.m., BTN		No. 10 Michigan State	L 67–73	8–3 (1–1)	13 – Nance	8 – Young	4 – Buie	Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,716) Evanston, IL
January 5, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN		Penn State	L 70–74	8–4 (1–2)	22 – Buie	7 – Audige	8 – Buie	Welsh–Ryan Arena (2,764) Evanston, IL
January 9, 2022 4:30 p.m., BTN		at No. 13 Ohio State	L 87–95	8–5 (1–3)	23 – Berry	6 – Tied	8 – Buie	Value City Arena (10,620) Columbus, OH
January 12, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN		Maryland	L 87–94 2OT	8–6 (1–4)	28 – Nance	14 – Nance	4 – Tied	Welsh–Ryan Arena (2,886) Evanston, IL
January 15, 2022 11:00 a.m., BTN		at No. 10 Michigan State	W 64–62	9–6 (2–4)	18 – Young	8 – Young	4 – Buie	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
January 18, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN		No. 8 Wisconsin	L 76–82	9–7 (2–5)	23 – Audige	6 – Tied	5 – Tied	Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,251) Evanston, IL
January 23, 2022 12:00 p.m., BTN		at No. 4 Purdue	L 60–80	9–8 (2–6)	17 – Buie	4 – Tied	3 – Buie	Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN
January 26, 2022 5:30 p.m., BTN		at Michigan	L 70–72	9–9 (2–7)	14 – Nance	6 – Nance	4 – Nance	Crisler Center (11,240) Ann Arbor, MI
January 29, 2022 3:30 p.m., BTN		No. 24 Illinois Rivalry	L 56–59	9–10 (2–8)	21 – Nance	5 – Tied	3 – Tied	Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL
February 1, 2022 6:00 p.m., BTN		Rutgers	W 79–78 OT	10–10 (3–8)	18 – Buie	7 – Audige	5 – Roper II	Welsh–Ryan Arena (3,079) Evanston, IL
February 5, 2022 12:00 p.m., BTN		at Nebraska	W 87–63	11–10 (4–8)	27 – Buie	6 – Tied	4 – Greer	Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,609) Lincoln, NE
February 8, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN		Indiana	W 59–51	12–10 (5–8)	18 – Buie	11 – Nance	3 – Greer	Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL
February 13, 2022 1:00 p.m., BTN		at No. 13 Illinois Rivalry	L 66–73	12–11 (5–9)	16 – Berry	7 – Audige	3 – Audige	State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL
February 16, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN		No. 5 Purdue	L 64–70	12–12 (5–10)	13 – Beran	6 – Beran	4 – Greer	Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL
February 19, 2022 3:00 p.m., BTN		at Minnesota	L 60–77	12–13 (5–11)	18 – Nance	5 – Roper II	3 – Audige	Williams Arena (10,570) Minneapolis, MN
February 22, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN		Nebraska	W 77–65	13–13 (6–11)	20 – Nance	5 – Nance	5 – Nance	Welsh–Ryan Arena (3,487) Evanston, IL
February 25, 2022 6:00 p.m., FS1		at Penn State	L 60–67	13–14 (6–12)	12 – Nance	6 – Young	7 – Buie	Bryce Jordan Center (10,280) University Park, PA
February 28, 2022 8:00 p.m., BTN		at No. 24 Iowa	L 61–82	13–15 (6–13)	19 – Berry	8 – Nance	3 – Audige	Carver–Hawkeye Arena (13,231) Iowa City, IA
March 6, 2022 6:30 p.m., BTN		Minnesota	W 75–62	14–15 (7–13)	19 – Nance	13 – Nance	8 – Buie	Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,551) Evanston, IL
Big Ten tournament
March 9, 2022 5:00 p.m., BTN	(12)	vs. (13) Nebraska First Round	W 71–69	15–15	16 – Buie	8 – Nance	8 – Nance	Gainbridge Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
March 10, 2022 1:00 p.m., BTN	(12)	vs. (5) No. 24 Iowa Second Round	L 76–112	15–16	14 – Young	2 – Tied	4 – Greer	Gainbridge Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Source

Rankings

See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: — = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final
AP	—	—	—	—																	Not released
Coaches	—	—^	—	—

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.