Northwestern star Brooks Barnhizer to miss remainder of season
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 12: Brooks Barnhizer #13 of the Northwestern Wildcats looks on against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena on January 12, 2025 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
EVANSTON, Ill. - When Chris Collins walked into his press conference following Northwestern's 75-69 loss to No. 17 Wisconsin, emotion was written on his face.
The Badgers dealt a blow to Northwestern's NCAA Tournament hopes. The worst news came soon after.
Collins, wearing his broken heart on his sleeve and gripped with emotion, announced Wildcats star Brooks Barnhizer would miss the rest of the Northwestern season due to injury.
His Wildcats career is over. Collins said Barnhizer will undergo surgery on his foot and will be ready as his professional career is next.
Collins said Barnhizer injured his foot in the loss to No. 16 Michigan State, and was told by team doctors he couldn't injure his foot any further. The pain, however, would be immense.
Barnhizer still took the floor and scored 20 and 21 in wins over Maryland and Indiana, respectively. The last two games, however, Barnhizer scored 13 combined points in losses to Illinois and Rutgers.
Collins said it was Barnhizer's choice to either continue playing, or to shut his season down. Collins said Barnhizer elected to undergo surgery on his foot, and told his team on Friday he would miss the rest of the season.
The 36 hours following Barnhizer addressing the team was taxing, Collins said. Now, the team has to adjust without a player who created some of the biggest moments in Northwestern basketball history as the program chases its third-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.
Barnhizer averaged 17.1 points per game as the main offensive option for the Wildcats this season. He was also the 'Cats main defensive catalyst.