Northwestern prepares for rivalry game vs. struggling DePaul

Field Level Media|published: Fri 20th December, 21:17 2024

DePaul head coach Chris Holtmann gestures during a Big 12-Big East Battle basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in United Supermarkets Arena.

Northwestern senior guard Brooks Barnhizer enters Saturday's visit from DePaul in Evanston, Ill., on a four-game double-double streak.

He's quick to point out that the scoring part of the equation doesn't always come easily. If that's the case, Barnhizer channels tutelage from coach Chris Collins, maintaining commitment to the other side of the floor to kickstart his offense.

"Coach does a really good job just relaying to us that we're all super confident basketball players and we all put the work in, so if we miss a couple shots, we've got to stick to our identity and play defense," Barnhizer said.

DePaul (8-3) hopes to encounter less resistance against Northwestern (8-3) than during Tuesday's 89-61 loss at St. John's.

The Blue Demons couldn't get comfortable from the perimeter, where they attempted a season-low 20 shots, nor from anywhere else. DePaul shot just 39.2 percent overall. Reserve Layden Blocker led the way with 17 points and Conor Enright chipped in 12.

St. John's coach Rick Pitino, however, cautions any scouting report that underestimates the Blue Demons' touch.

"Our staff was sick over this game," he said. "We were preparing as if it was the last game of the season and we had to win it, because of the way they shoot the ball."

Northwestern boasts a stranglehold on the recent rivalry with DePaul, winning six of the past seven games. Collins improved to 6-2 against the Blue Demons last season, with Nick Martinelli delivering a game-best 16 points off the bench in a 56-46 road victory. DePaul leads the all-time series 21-16.

Martinelli, Northwestern's top scorer at 20.4 points per game -- a touch ahead of Barnhizer (19.7) -- had 16 points in Sunday's neutral-court victory against Georgia Tech. He has scored in double figures in four straight games.

"We just find a way offensively to figure it out, you know," Collins said. "We have a unique team. We have good players. And I'm still in the process of figuring out how to best utilize them."

--Field Level Media

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