“Nick is a warrior:” Northwestern upsets No. 19 Illinois behind Nick Martinelli’s standout performance

Nick Martinelli remembers his first big game against Pittsburgh in the 2022-23 season. The stands were empty and the energy was low.

“I could hear my mother screaming,” Martinelli said. “I can see that our fans are proud to cheer on our team.”

The students were in full force in Northwestern’s 70-66 upset win over No. 19 Illinois (6-2, 0-1 Big Ten) – although there was still a large contingent of Illinois fans in attendance at Welsh-Ryan Arena . Coach Chris Collins said the fans came through in the second half when Northwestern (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) needed a boost. And Martinelli, in particular, definitely needed a boost of energy after a difficult first half in which he scored four points on 2-for-9 shooting.

At halftime, Collins had no message for Martinelli. He neither insulted nor mocked his star player. Instead, he said, “Don’t judge yourself by missed shots.” It’s good that Martinelli followed that advice, because his aggressiveness in the second half was one of the main reasons the Wildcats were able to steal a game from the Illini. This ethos stems from the way Collins, a 1992 McDonald’s All-American, thought about the game as a player. Collins described himself as a “gunslinger.”

“You can’t let misses dictate your game as long as you play right, as long as you fight, especially if you’re a guy like Nick or (guard Brooks Barnhizer),” Collins said. “They will take a lot of shots and there will be times when they miss, but we need them to stay aggressive.”

Martinelli finished the game with 27 points and six rebounds in 42 minutes. His development into an influential player coincided with Northwestern’s rise as a program. After two NCAA Tournament appearances in the last two years, the Wildcats are emerging as a team known for their resilience. And no player embodies that resilience better than Martinelli.

After halftime, something clicked for Martinelli. The rim had no lid. His flip shots started falling through the net. Martinelli played for his team in the second half, scoring with some timely cuts to the basket and post-ups. He felt good after scoring 16 points in the second half, and that trend continued into overtime. Heck, he opened the scoring in overtime with a left-handed flip shot in the lane over talented Illinois freshman Kasparas Jakuconis.

The Wildcats regularly attacked this match in overtime, Jakuconis, a 6-5 guard, passing to 6-7 Nick Martinelli, and the junior delivered time and time again. Fifth-year guard Jalen Leach and Barnhizer took Northwestern into overtime, but Martinelli tied it.

If Illinois continues to swap its undersized guards for Martinelli, Collins said his plan would be to continue looking for that matchup.

“I was just a little bigger than the guy guarding me,” Martinelli said. “We maintained a good working distance. It helps when you have Jalen (guard Ty Berry) and Brooks on the perimeter. They are great shooters. If I spit one out, they’ll make it.”

It’s almost unimaginable to imagine Martinelli pulling off hard flip shots on any other program. But Martinelli committed to Elon during his junior year at Glenbrook South. But when Jon Scheyer became the next Duke coach after Mike Krzyzewski resigned, he plucked Mike Schrage from Elon and made Schrage a special assistant.

Scheyer – a graduate of Glenbrook North – was, in a roundabout way, involved in Martinelli landing at Northwestern. Collins missed landing Martinelli once and wouldn’t do it again.

“As soon as I saw he was available, I didn’t want that kid in our program anymore,” Collins said. I just love his mentality. I’m glad it all happened because he turned out to be a great player.”