Northwestern's star forward is all-in as his senior season nears its end.
Northwestern may be out of contention for March Madness, but Nick Martinelli is doing everything in his power to ensure his Wildcat career goes out with a bang.
The senior forward has led Northwestern (13-16, 5-13 B1G) to three consecutive victories, largely thanks to his late-game heroics. After making clutch shot after clutch shot in wins over Maryland, Indiana and Oregon, Martinelli was honored with a pair of prestigious accolades.
Martinelli was named the NCAA March Madness National Player of the Week on Monday morning by analyst Andy Katz, placing him alongside Texas Tech (Team of the Week) and Arizona's Brayden Burries (Freshman of the Week).
Against the Hoosiers on Feb. 24, Martinelli scored 21 of his 28 points in the second half as he guided the 'Cats to a comeback victory. Northwestern trailed by double digits shortly after the break, but outscored IU by 13 in the second frame to upset an Indiana team with NCAA Tournament hopes.
Martinelli once again stuffed the stat sheet four days later. With the Wildcats down one during the final seconds, No. 2 nailed a game-winning hook shot with 1.8 seconds remaining, and Northwestern beat Oregon, 63-62. Martinelli finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block in the win to secure the 'Cats' third consecutive victory.
For his efforts, the Big Ten also named Martinelli the conference's Player of the Week. He previously earned the recognition on Mar. 3, 2025.
Martinelli is on pace to lead the Big Ten in scoring for the second consecutive season, which would make him the first Wildcat in history to do so. The senior is sixth in the nation with 22.5 points per game while also averaging 6.3 rebounds, shooting 50.2% overall and 42.2% from beyond the arc.
With two games remaining in the regular season — against Purdue on Wednesday and at Minnesota on Saturday — Martinelli leads Indiana's Lamar Wilkerson for the conference scoring title. Wilkerson has averaged 21.3 points per game during his first year with the Hoosiers, but just four of his 18 points against Northwestern came in the second half, when Martinelli thrived.
If Martinelli manages to maintain his narrow margin over Wilkerson through the next week, he will become the sixth player ever to lead the Big Ten in scoring in consecutive seasons. Only Michigan State's Steve Smith (1990-91), Purdue's Glenn Robinson (1993-94), Ohio State's Evan Turner (2009-10), Iowa's Luka Garza (2020-21) and Purdue's Zach Edey (2023-24) have achieved the accolade.