During my sophomore year at Northwestern, some of my friends organized a mocktail-making competition. Not super interested but still wanting to get involved, I hurriedly threw together a concoction of ingredients with zero expectation of “winning” the contest, which resulted in a questionably-tasting cup of sparkling water mixed with matcha powder. Needless to say, said drink was not well-received by the crowd.
The sparkling matcha water was the first analogy that came to mind after seeing Tyler Kropp, Jake West and Max Green alongside Nick Martinelli and Tre Singleton in Northwestern’s starting lineup Wednesday night. It’s clear in hindsight that head coach Chris Collins knew what he was doing, given that said lineup gave Northwestern a 74-68 win over USC, NU’s first Big Ten win of the 2025-26 season. But throwing together a group consisting of three true freshmen, two players making their first career start and just two players (Martinelli and Singleton) averaging 20+ minutes per game felt like mere experimentation at rock bottom with nothing to lose.
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Northwestern was 0-7 in Big Ten play before Wednesday, coming off its largest loss of the season to Nebraska just four days ago. It was tipping off late-night in Los Angeles against a USC team that has seen better days than the Wildcats, boasting three conference wins and near-upset over No. 4 Purdue. If there was a time to throw together a seemingly “random” lineup, it was then.
“We started three true freshmen in that game, which is pretty unheard of when [Chad] Baker-Mazar is 26 and guys are 24 and 25,” Collins said. “So for them to come in here and have that kind of resolve and toughness on the heels of what happened to us, it was just fun to watch as a coach.”
At first, that lineup seemed to be another failed experiment — sparkling matcha-style. USC led 20-13 with 10:15 to go in the first half, and at that point, NU held the advantage for a little over a minute in the game. Martinelli, who did the heavy lifting in every prior NU game, had just two points on a poor 1-for-5 shooting clip.
But in the subsequent sequences, Northwestern proved why it had the right people on the floor. First came a 6-0 run propelled by twos from Kropp and West, which turned a 20-13 deficit into 20-19. The defining play of the first half came just over two minutes later, when Jayden Reid picked off USC’s Jacob Cofie and dished to West, who flew up to slam the ball home.
West’s score put Northwestern up for the first time since early in the half. But more importantly, the sight of NU’s two smallest players orchestrating a dunk to turn the game around was reminiscent of the grittiness that the ‘Cats were so renowned for in years past, but lacked to start this Big Ten season.
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Eventually, Martinelli proved to be inevitable, closing the first half with a three-pointer that put Northwestern up 31-28. The Trojans, meanwhile, made just six of their 17 free-throw attempts. There was a recipe for the Wildcats’ maiden Big Ten win of the 2025-26, but as fans of the purple knew from games prior, this team could easily lose everything it gained when it mattered most.
“I’m sure some of the players are like ‘Oh, here we go again.’” Collins said of Northwestern’s late-game struggles. “And that’s when you’ve got to confront some of your failings and say, ‘You know what? Not tonight. We’re going to be strong tonight. We’re going to make the plays. We’re going to be tough and find a way to win.‘”
In the second half, Northwestern secured victory by combining what worked in previous games with the night’s changes. The former was, of course, Martinelli, who willed his way to a 10th-consecutive 20-point game despite a rocky first half. He pulled off spin moves that didn’t make sense. He hit a Peter Griffin from Family Guy-esque pose while firing a midrange with the shot clock expiring. He hyped up his team after sinking a floater plus the and-one with 15:36 left in the second, which gave Northwestern a 41-36 lead — its largest of the night at that point.
But this time Martinelli had help, especially from those newcomers in the starting lineup. The Wildcat supporting cast was most crucial when USC started hitting free throws again and reached bonus territory midway through the second-half, making 13-straight free throws after missing 14 of its first 22. After the Wildcats held a comfortable five-point lead on the Trojans for most of the second half, the home team brought NU’s lead to just 65-63 off the back of an explosive half from USC guard Jordan Marsh.
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The Northwestern of prior games would have faltered down the stretch, letting USC pick up momentum for a comeback victory. But instead, the Wildcats responded by hitting shots when it mattered most, first from Martinelli and then an incredible finish from Kropp that thwarted the Trojans’ comeback hopes with 57.8 seconds left. West then made two free throws, bouncing back from his only turnover of the contest seconds prior, to seal the game.
“We did a good job taking care of the ball. I thought we played with force and physicality and got big buckets when we needed to down the stretch when they were making their push,” Collins said.
While Martinelli played his part like he always did, Collins’ experiment with the lineup proved to be worth it. Kropp and West combined for 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting as a duo. Green contributed nine points and a few standout plays of his own, accumulating his highest total since his November heat check vs. Chicago State. What seemed like a risky bet from the outside was what actually took Northwestern to heights it hadn’t reached before this season.
As Collins emphasized on Wednesday and in prior games, one win is all it takes. And while the Wildcats are not suddenly an NCAA Tournament team overnight, they experienced a breath of fresh air, understand more about themselves and know what works. By combining the efforts of a program staple like Martinelli, while allowing newer players to shine on the court, Northwestern now has itself a blueprint for success.
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“When you come out tonight and have a game like this, that’s what teams need. There’ll be smiles on the bus. They’ll be playing music instead of heads being down and somber, so I’m excited for my group,” Collins said. “Hopefully, we can use tonight as a springboard towards playing better basketball.”
