Every great sports story has a moment when an underdog defies expectations. For Northwestern basketball, that story is Nick Martinelli's 2023-24 season.
The 6-foot-7 senior forward from Glenview, Illinois entered the year with skeptics wondering if he could produce without his former supporting cast of Brooks Barnhizer, Jalen Leach, Ty Berry, and Matthew Nicholson. The answer? A resounding yes—and then some.
Martinelli didn't just hold his own; he elevated his game to elite status. Last season, his offensive Bayesian player rating sat at 2.79 per EvanMiya.com. This year, that number soared to 5.29—nearly double the impact. It's the kind of leap that turns good players into program legends.
The numbers tell a story of remarkable consistency. Martinelli led Northwestern in scoring in 27 of 34 games, finishing below 20 points only four times in 33 starts. But the most jaw-dropping stretch came between December 6 and January 29, when he rattled off 12 consecutive games with 20-plus points, averaging an astonishing 26.8 points per game. That's not just hot shooting—that's dominance.
And it wasn't empty stats. Martinelli's PORPAGATU! rating—a BartTorvik metric measuring offensive efficiency relative to usage—ranked ninth in all of college basketball. Despite taking nearly 16 shots per game, he shot 51.0% from the field, 41.7% from three-point range, and 80.9% from the free-throw line. Those marks represent improvements of 3.9, 8.4, and 8.1 percentage points respectively from last season. Efficiency and volume rarely coexist so beautifully.
Even in losses, Martinelli delivered moments to remember. On January 11, in a heartbreaking 77-75 defeat to Rutgers, he poured in a career-high 34 points on 11-for-22 shooting while grabbing 12 rebounds. Just 18 days later, he matched that mark with another 34-point outburst against Penn State, snapping a three-game losing streak and reminding everyone why he's Northwestern's newest legend.
Whether you're a Wildcats fan or just appreciate pure scoring artistry, Martinelli's season was a masterclass in offensive basketball. Wear your Northwestern gear with pride—you're watching history.