Nick Martinelli once again got his 20 points, but it was true freshmen Tyler Kropp and Jake West who stole the show in Los Angeles.
Amid an 0-7 start to Big Ten play, Chris Collins made the surprising move to shake up his lineup in favor of youth. The longtime Northwestern head coach started three true freshmen on the road at USC on Wednesday night.
It was the Wildcats' fourth consecutive game with a different starting lineup, a decision that could have been seen as Collins throwing something at the wall and hoping it sticks. Instead, the young 'Cats powered Northwestern to a much-needed 74-68 win in Los Angeles.
The victory stopped Northwestern's (9-10, 1-7 B1G) five-game skid and handed USC (14-5, 3-5 B1G) its fourth loss in the last six games. Each of the prior three defeats, however, came against top-10 opponents in Michigan, Purdue and Michigan State.
Nick Martinelli's 22 points led the way for the 'Cats, with 17 coming in the second half. Freshman Tyler Kropp set career-highs with 11 points and nine rebounds, and fellow first-year Jake West chipped in 11 points and five assists.
Kropp and sophomore Max Green made their first starts as Wildcats against the Trojans. West has now been a part of the starting lineup for the last three games, while top recruit Tre Singleton has started 16 of 19 games so far in his freshman season.
Jordan Marsh scored all 19 of his points in the second half for USC, and Ezra Ausar added 17 of his own. Chad Baker-Mazara, the Trojans' leading scorer this season, fouled out with 14 points in only 13 minutes.
Jan 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Jake West (3) dunks the ball against Southern California Trojans guard Kam Woods (13) n the first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesUSC managed to open up a 20-13 lead to start, largely behind the interior presence of Jacob Cofie. The Trojans allowed Northwestern to crawl back into the game, though, by making just six of their 17 first-half free throws.
A 12-4 Wildcat run put Northwestern ahead, 25-24, thanks to contributions from West and Kropp. Martinelli knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer to break a 28-28 tie and give the 'Cats a three-point lead at the break.
Northwestern's advantage came despite Martinelli's shooting struggles. Prior to his three-pointer at the end of the first half, the Big Ten's leading scorer had made just one of his seven shot attempts.
With roughly 15 minutes remaining in the second half, Kropp dove in an attempt to corral an offensive rebound and appeared to hit his head hard on a USC defender. The freshman big man was slow to get up and grabbed his head before exiting the game.
Kropp's departure left a hole in Northwestern's frontcourt, but Martinelli and Arrinten Page supplemented his missing size with aggressive paint scoring.
The Trojans finally started to convert on their free throws down the stretch. A streak of 13 consecutive made foul shots and a fastbreak bucket from Marsh cut Northwestern's eight-point lead down to just one. Kropp then returned to the game, emphatically announcing himself with an and-one that kept the 'Cats ahead by two scores.
Martinelli's heroics over the final minutes ultimately drove Northwestern to the win. Tasked with inbounding the ball and getting an attempt off with 1.6 seconds left on the shot clock, Green threw a long pass to Martinelli on the baseline, and No. 2 subsequently drilled a turnaround jumper as the buzzer sounded. Martinelli then found Kropp under the basket to put the Wildcats back up by six, and NU made its free throws to secure the victory.
Fresh off its first conference victory of the season, Northwestern will look to pull off a second consecutive upset in Los Angeles when the 'Cats face UCLA (13-6, 5-3 B1G) on Saturday.