Northwestern looks to rebound against visiting Illinois-Chicago

Northwestern coach Chris Collins kept his comments brief Monday afternoon when asked if guard Brooks Barnhizer would play Tuesday night against Illinois-Chicago in Evanston, Ill.

"He's close," Collins said of the player's status.

Northwestern (1-1) was without Barnhizer for its first two games, including Saturday night's 71-66 road loss to Dayton. The Wildcats led by as many as 13 in the first half before the Flyers came back, outscoring Northwestern 47-34 in the second half.

Junior Nick Martinelli recorded career highs with 32 points and 14 boards. He made 12 of 16 field-goal attempts, including all three from beyond the arc. Martinelli was selected the Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday after becoming the first player in the conference since at least 1996-97 to post 25-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in the first two games of a season.

Barnhizer is out with a lower-body injury but took part in warm-ups ahead of the Flyers game. Barnhizer averaged 14.6 points and 7.5 rebounds last season.

Northwestern is attempting to win its fourth straight game against UIC. Collins is 3-0 against the Flames, each win by double digits. The teams last met in December 2022, with the Wildcats pulling away 92-54. The Wildcats lead the series 6-4.

Freshman guard Angelo Ciaravino is slowly getting used to playing at the collegiate level through two games. Even in a losing effort, Ciaravino said it is a building block for future success.

"It's very surreal stepping out there and seeing all those people, but at the end of the day, it's us vs. them, and it's about focusing on what's on the court and drowning everything else out," said Ciaravino, who scored 12 points in 21 minutes against Dayton.

The Flames (2-0) have rolled through their nonconference schedule thus far. In their victories against St. Francis (Ill.) and Yale, they scored 91 points in each game, with five scorers reaching double figures against the Bulldogs on Friday night.

Tyem Freeman led the way in the 91-79 home victory with 19 points off the bench, while Jordan Mason added 16 in a reserve role. Sasa Ciani posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, Jayon Jackson scored 13 and Ahmad Henderson II contributed 11 points and a game-high seven assists.

UIC's last win against a power-conference opponent came at Northwestern's expense, 50-44 in 2012.

The game against the Flames is the first of four home games at Welsh-Ryan Arena before the Wildcats travel to Tempe, Ariz., to take on Butler in the Arizona Tip-off on Thanksgiving Day.

The Flames host Saint Mary's (Minn.) on Saturday.

--Field Level Media