Welcome to “Big Ten offseason at a glance,” a team-by-team look at the conference at the start of the summer. We’ll examine roster movement for each Big Ten roster and give an early outlook for each Big Ten program for the 2026-27 season.
Up next: Northwestern (15-19 overall in 2025-26, 5-15 in Big Ten play)
Previously: Penn State, Rutgers, Minnesota
After back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024, Northwestern has taken a step back over the last two seasons under Chris Collins.
The Wildcats finished 15-19 overall and 5-15 in Big Ten play last season, landing near the bottom of the conference standings. Northwestern did make things interesting in March, putting together a mini run at the Big Ten tournament in nearby Chicago. The Wildcats beat Penn State in the opening round, knocked off Indiana for the second time during the 2025-26 season and then fell to eventual Big Ten tournament champion Purdue.
Collins, who is entering his 14th season in Evanston, has already accomplished things no Northwestern coach has done before. He led the program to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 2017 and then guided the Wildcats to back-to-back tournament trips in 2023 and 2024.
But after last season’s struggles and a significant roster overhaul, Northwestern enters the 2026-27 season with plenty of questions.
Northwestern roster movement
Players returning with eligibility: Jake West, Angelo Ciaravino
Players departing due to exhausted eligibility: Nick Martinelli, Justin Mullins, Gus Hurlburt
Players who departed via transfer portal: Arrinten Page (to Providence), Cade Bennerman (to North Carolina), Jayden Reid (to Memphis), Jordan Clayton (to UMass), KJ Windham (to James Madison), Max Green (to Charleston), Tre Singleton (to Iowa State), Tyler Kropp (to Washington State)
Players arriving via transfer portal: Jack Karasinski (from Bellarmine), Luke McEldon (from Mount St. Mary’s), Colin Smith (from UC Santa Barbara), LA Pratt (from Northeastern), Okku Federiko (from Drake), Aleksej Kostic (from BYU), Ryan Soulis (from Columbia), Dylan Williams (from Penn)
Players arriving from high school/overseas: Jayden Hodge, Symon Ghai
Like many teams across college basketball, Northwestern’s roster looks almost completely different from a season ago.
The Wildcats lost eight players to the transfer portal and must replace Nick Martinelli, who was the heart and soul of last season’s team. Martinelli led the Big Ten in scoring for the second straight season and leaves Evanston as one of the best players in program history. He averaged 23 points per game last season, earned All-Big Ten honors again and set Northwestern’s single-season scoring record for the second consecutive year.
That is a massive loss for a program that already struggled to consistently win in the Big Ten.
What to like about Northwestern
Northwestern’s transfer class is large, experienced and offers Collins several options to rebuild the rotation.
The Wildcats added scoring and shooting on the wing with Jack Karasinski, LA Pratt, Colin Smith and Dylan Williams. They also brought in size with Okku Federiko and Luke McEldon, along with another experienced piece in Ryan Soulis from Columbia.
Karasinski should be one of the more important additions after averaging double figures at Bellarmine. Pratt also gives Northwestern another veteran guard who can help replace some of the perimeter production lost from last year’s team.
The Wildcats are also bringing in Aleksej Kostic from BYU, who should give Collins another backcourt option, and freshmen Jayden Hodge and Symon Ghai add some long-term pieces to the roster.
Rising sophomore Jake West must lead the Wildcats at the point guard position, following his heater to end last season. The Philadelphia native turned in double figures in three of the final six games.
For a team that lost a lot, Northwestern at least attacked the portal with volume. Collins will have plenty of new pieces to work with, and after last season’s 5-15 Big Ten finish, a reset might not be the worst thing.
What to question with Northwestern
The biggest question is simple: who replaces Martinelli?
Northwestern lost its clear go-to scorer, late-game option and emotional leader. Martinelli was not just a productive player, but the identity of the team. When Northwestern needed a bucket, the offense usually ran through him.
The Wildcats also lost significant depth to the portal, including Jayden Reid, Tre Singleton, Arrinten Page and Cade Bennerman. That leaves Collins with a roster full of newcomers who will have to adjust quickly to Big Ten play.
The biggest issue is that there is no proven high-major star on this roster. Northwestern added several productive players from smaller programs, but the jump into the Big Ten is significant. If the portal additions are solid but not difference-makers, Northwestern could struggle to move up in the league standings.
Collins has earned patience because of what he has done for the program, but the momentum from the 2023 and 2024 NCAA tournament teams has faded. After missing the tournament in back-to-back seasons, Northwestern needs to show that last year was not the beginning of another extended slide.
Northwestern’s outlook for the 2026-27 season
Here’s the Northwestern Big Ten schedule for next season:
Home: Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
Away: Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Washington
Home/Away: Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota
Northwestern’s 2026-27 outlook depends on how quickly its rebuilt roster comes together.
The Wildcats have some intriguing portal additions, but they are losing the best player from last season’s team and most of their rotation. In a Big Ten that should again be deep, that makes it hard to project a major jump.
Collins has proven he can win at Northwestern and the program’s recent NCAA tournament success should not be ignored. Though this roster does not have the same level of proven Big Ten production that his best teams had.
Northwestern should be competitive on certain nights, especially at home, but the Wildcats look more likely to battle in the bottom half of the Big Ten than push toward the NCAA tournament picture.
Unless one or two of the transfers pop immediately, Northwestern could be headed for another difficult league season. Bart Torvik’s projections have NU finishing 15th out of the 18-team league.
See More: Commentary, 2026-27 Big Ten preview, Northwestern Wildcats