Northwestern coach Chris Collins looked like a dad who just watched his kid graduate with honors during the postgame interview following their upset of Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday.
Collins could not contain his smile as he was asked how they beat the 10th-seeded Hoosiers, 74-61, in the second round at United Center.
He was modest as usual, but he was also adamant about their talent despite being the 15th seed. He also shared a story that served as extra motivation for the Wildcats.
“It's been a lot of firsts since I've been at Northwestern. I'm just really proud of these guys. We got a lot of close losses. We played so much better than our record, even though today, I woke up, and the headline in the papers said, ‘It's a program going nowhere.' I don't know about all that,” said Collins.
The 51-year-old coach, who has been with the Wildcats since 2013, touted their response in the second half after a close affair at halftime. Northwestern outscored Indiana, 38-24, in the final 20 minutes.
“We were more connected defensively. They (Indiana) were really hard to guard. They spread you with shooting, spacing, and driving. I thought we were better with our switches, and our physicality was good,” added Collins.
"We get a chance to play tomorrow night against Purdue—really proud of these guys." @TheAndyKatz caught up with Chris Collins after @NUMensBball 74-61 win over Indiana to advance in the #B1GMBBT 👇 pic.twitter.com/s2cNhX3EXB
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 12, 2026
Nick Martinelli was stellar for Northwestern, scoring a game-high 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting. He also had four rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Jake West was also solid with 18 points, three rebounds, and four assists, while Jayden Reid chipped in seven points, five rebounds, and six assists.
The Wildcats will battle seventh-seeded Purdue on Thursday.
