The walking Northwestern legend dominates Big Ten scoring again, securing his second consecutive All-Conference Second Team nod.
Before Northwestern entered the Big Ten Tournament, the team's leader received a conference accolade before entering the battlefield.
Nick Martinelli, who led the Big Ten in scoring this season, was named to the All-Big Ten Conference Second Team for the second consecutive year. He was also selected as one of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honorees, per a news release from the Big Ten Conference, sharing the honors with Lamar Wilkerson (Indiana), Bennett Stirtz (Iowa), Bruce Thornton (Ohio State) and Nate Bittle (Oregon).
Notably, Northwestern has placed a player on the All-Big Ten first or second team in four straight seasons: Boo Buie (first team: 2023, 2024), Chase Audige (second team: 2023) and Martinelli (second team: 2025, 2026).
In his senior season, Martinelli averaged 22.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists while improving his shooting, knocking down 41.0% of his threes. His scoring average not only led the Big Ten but also ranked in the top 10 nationally. Last year, when he also led the Big Ten in average scoring, he averaged 20.5 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 33.3% from beyond the arc before earning All-Conference Second Team honors.
Though led by Martinelli's dominant play, the Wildcats just endured a disappointing season, finishing 13-18 overall while struggling in conference play with five wins. The difficult campaign had eliminated them from NCAA Tournament contention early in probability. Still, Martinelli delivered memorable moments, including leading a second-half comeback in the upset victory at Indiana and knocking down a game-winning shot against Oregon on the 'Cats' penultimate home game.
Since joining Northwestern as a freshman in 2022, Martinelli has helped elevate the program's profile. He contributed to two of Northwestern's three NCAA Tournament appearances in program history (2023 and 2024). His consistent high-level play in a loaded Big Ten has positioned him among the all-time greats at Northwestern, with coach Chris Collins calling him "one of the best in the country" and placing him in the "upper echelon" of program history.
Martinelli also broke his own single-season scoring record of the program this year, cementing his legacy as one of the most prolific scorers to ever wear the purple and white. His back-to-back scoring titles mark him as the fourth Big Ten Player in this century, behind Zach Eddey, Luka Garza and Evan Turner, to accomplish that feat.
Though being consecutively named in the Second Team by the conference, given his dominant performance, AP News recognized the senior's stardom and impact for Northwestern this season, which selected Martinelli as one of the First Team in the conference.
On Tuesday night, Martinelli will embark on his final college basketball mission as a Wildcat at the United Center for the Big Ten Tournament. The 15th-seeded Northwestern will face 18th-seeded Penn State in the first round, with tip-off at 6:30 p.m. CT following the conclusion of the Maryland-Oregon opener.