After a 10-3 start, Northwestern has opened the new calendar year with three consecutive losses and its best player, Brooks Barnhizer, in a slump.
When Northwestern (10-6, 1-4 Big Ten) faces Maryland (13-4, 3-3), Thursday in Evanston, Ill., the Wildcats will look to break out of their slide and avoid their first four-game skid since the 2021-22 season.
To be successful, Northwestern will need Barnhizer to return to form. In the past two games, losses a week apart to ranked teams Michigan State and Purdue, Barnhizer committed 10 turnovers and was a combined 6-of-28 from the floor and 1-of-10 from 3-point range.
“When you’re No. 1 on that scouting report, you’re gonna get lots of attention,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said of Barnhizer, who averages 18.0 points per game and leads the Wildcats in rebounds (9.3), assists (4.3), steals (2.4) and blocks (1.3).
After Northwestern’s 78-68 loss Sunday at home to then-No. 16 Michigan State, Collins pointed out that Barnhizer has shot only five free throws during the losing streak.
“We gotta find a way to get Brooks to the free-throw line,” Collins said. “That guy’s the most powerful driver in our conference.”
Northwestern’s versatile frontcourt star Nick Martinelli, who ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring at 19.9 points per game, tallied 27 points against the Spartans.
Meanwhile, the Terrapins also have a score to settle. They’ve lost all three of their Big Ten road games this season and seven of eight dating to last season.
Maryland has won a pair of games at home, toppling then-No. 22 UCLA, 79-61, on Friday. An uninspired performance against the Big Ten’s last-place team Minnesota, followed on Monday.
In the 77-71 victory, the Terrapins were sparked by a season-high performance from freshman Derik Queen, who scored 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
The Golden Gophers led by seven points three minutes into the second half but Queen tallied 18 points the rest of the way. Rodney Rice added 21 points for the Terrapins.
Maryland has been fueled by a defense that forced 21 turnovers against UCLA and 16 versus Minnesota.
“We did a much better job in the second half of just disrupting their offense,” Maryland coach Kevin Willard said after the Minnesota win.
While Maryland leads the series 12-6, Northwestern has won four of the past six meetings.
– Field Level Media
