Scott Van Pelt marvels at Northwestern's Martinelli's unstoppable game. A true legend is battling his way to victory.
With Northwestern still alive after triumphing over Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament, Nick Martinelli received flowers from around the basketball circuit for his dominant leadership.
On Wednesday night at the United Center, the Wildcats stunned the Hoosiers 74-61 through second-half dominance, marking the program's seventh consecutive victory over Indiana since 2022. As the Wildcats' nation celebrated such a dominant head-to-head record, Scott Van Pelt — sports commentator and host of the podcast "SVPod" with Stanford Steve — praised Martinelli, who poured in 28 points (his seventh-straight 20-plus performance), three assists and three steals against the Hoosiers.
"I couldn't have more admiration for the way that guy battles his ass off," Van Pelt said on the podcast. "He's got an unorthodox, herky-jerky game, left-handed. He jumps when he shoots free throws. He's a whirling dervish, spinning all over, and here's the thing, you can't stop him."
Martinelli has been instrumental in Northwestern's 7-0 dominance over Indiana, experiencing five of those victories in that stretch since his freshman year. Despite playing a minor role early on with limited opportunities, Martinelli's evolution into a walking Northwestern legend is evident in the timeline.
Martinelli has also become Indiana's nightmare in recent matchups. Before Wednesday's triumph, which moved the 'Cats into the third round for the program's first time winning multiple games in a single Big Ten Tournament since 2017, Martinelli left his mark at Assembly Hall with a game-high 33 points while leading a double-digit comeback for a four-point victory.
Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Nick Dorn (7) defends Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn ImagesAmid his individual heroics, a well-prepared Northwestern found a better way to replicate its success in the rematch.
"They're a great team. You saw in the second half when it started to get chippy, they really cared. They really came in this game and wanted to win and fight," Martinelli said postgame Wednesday. "But when you come in the locker room, and this could be your last 20 minutes with this jersey on, and you know everything that—all the work that you've put in with these coaches and these players, you just can't let that slip, and we've let it slip too much this year."
That urgency from the senior spread throughout the entire team. Under Martinelli's leadership, after Northwestern trailed by one at halftime to the same opponent, the team flipped the script during the second half. Martinelli exploded for 19 points in the final 20 minutes, igniting the 'Cats' fight and securing a commanding 13-point victory.
"Nick is the goat," Jayden Reid said in the postgame locker room. "You gotta keep the goat playing."
Northwestern faces Purdue in the tournament quarterfinals at 5:30 p.m. CT Thursday at the United Center. While this could potentially conclude Martinelli's collegiate career, he looks to maintain his competitiveness with relentless senior urgency.