EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern men’s basketball returns home to face in-state rival No. 13 Illinois for the first of two matchups this season on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on Big Ten Network with Cory Provus (play-by-play) and Steve Smith (analyst) on the call and can be heard on WGN Radio 720 and SiriusXM Channel 372 with Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst).

Last time out, the Wildcats (8-8, 0-5 Big Ten) suffered a 77-75 overtime setback to Rutgers inside Jersey Mike’s Arena on Sunday (Jan. 11). Northwestern posted 20 assists to just six turnovers, as senior forward Nick Martinelli recorded his second double-double this season with a career-high 34 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Martinelli’s 34 points are the most by a Wildcat since Boo Buie scored 35 points against Illinois on Feb. 23, 2023, and he logged the first 34+ point, 12+ rebound game by a Northwestern player since Feb. 8, 1998, when Evan Eschmeyer did so against Penn State. Junior forward Arrinten Page chipped in 14 points, six rebounds, and two blocks on 5-of-7 shooting.

The Wildcats currently hold the nation’s best assist-to-turnover ratio, with a 2.16 mark. Northwestern’s turnover-free basketball has continued, with the Wildcats turning the ball over just 8.4 times per game — the fewest nationwide — while averaging 18.4 assists per game (5th in Big Ten, 21st nationally). Compared to previous seasons, the Wildcats are playing at a faster pace and are averaging 14.3 fastbreak points per game (3rd in the Big Ten).

The team has made 47.7% of its field goal attempts (7th in the Big Ten), the highest percentage it has shot through the season’s first 16 games during the Sullivan-Ubben Head Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Collins era. It would also be the second-best field goal percentage in a single-season in program history. The Wildcats are scoring 79.1 points per game, their most through 16 games of a season since 1989-90 (82.4) and their most in a full season since 1970-71 (81.6).

Northwestern has played seven games decided by five points or fewer this season, which leads the Big Ten and is tied for the seventh most nationally. Over the last four seasons, the ‘Cats have played 42 games (20-22) decided by five points or fewer, tied for the fifth most in the country over that span.

This season, Martinelli leads the nation in scoring averaging 24.1 points per game while converting on 58.1% of his field goal attempts (5th in the Big Ten). With 6.8 rebounds per game (13th), Martinelli would join Jerry Lucas (Ohio State: 1959-60, 1960-61) and Zach Edey (Purdue: 2023-24) as the only Big Ten players to ever record 24+ points and 6+ rebounds per game on at least 58% shooting in a season. His 24.1 points per game would be the second-highest scoring average in program history, trailing only Dale Kelley in 1969-70 (24.3).

Dating back to last season, Martinelli has 30 games of 20 or more points, which leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally. His 12 games scoring 20 or more points this season also lead the conference and rank first among high-major players. After scoring a program single-season record 676 points last season, Martinelli has tallied 1,037 points over the last two seasons combined, ranking third nationally and the most by a forward. Over his last seven games, Martinelli is averaging 29.0 points per game, the highest-scoring seven-game stretch by a Wildcat since at least 1996-97.

Page is averaging 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds (20th in Big Ten), 2.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks (11th) per game while shooting 58.5% from the field (4th). Page has reached double figures in scoring in 11 of his last 13 games.

Junior guard Jayden Reid has posted averages of 10.9 points and 5.6 assists per game (4th in the Big Ten). His 5.6 assists per game would rank second for a season in program history, trailing only Bryant McIntosh (6.7) in 2015-16. In Northwestern’s last game, he surpassed the 300-assist mark for his career.

Northwestern split the season series with the Fighting Illini (13-3, 4-1 Big Ten) in each of the past three seasons. The Wildcats have won three straight home games against Illinois for the first time since 1966-68 and are aiming to win four straight such games for the first time in program history. Illinois was ranked in the AP Top 20 for two of those Northwestern victories, as the Wildcats have defeated at least one AP Top 20 team in each of the past six seasons.

The Fighting Illini come to Evanston riding a five-game winning streak, most recently defeating then-No. 19 Iowa, 75-69. Illinois has the Big Ten’s third-best offense, averaging 86.0 points per game, and is outscoring opponents by 18.6 points per game — ranking second in the conference and 15th nationally. The Fighting Illini are seventh nationally in rebound margin (+11.3). They are led by a trio of Keaton Wagler (15.7 points per game), Kylan Boswell (14.7), and Andrej Stojakovic (14.5).

Northwestern remains home for a Saturday, Jan. 17 matchup with No. 8 Nebraska. Tipoff from Welsh-Ryan Arena is set for 3 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network and WGN Radio 720.

A team of music therapy researchers at IU Indianapolis is partnering with Hoosier communities to help residents recover from chronic opioid use. The team is, from left, SJ Stuckenchneider, undergraduate research assistant; Kate Myers-Coffman, principal investigator; Caitlin Krater, co-investigator and study music therapist; and Shelby Schuller-Hsu, study project manager. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University

A team of music therapy researchers at Indiana University Indianapolis is partnering with Hoosier communities to help residents recover from chronic opioid use. The team was recently awarded $310,000 through a State Opioid Response Grant from the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addictions. The funds will help the program expand, demonstrating IU’s leadership in finding innovative, effective solutions for addiction recovery and mental health across the Hoosier state.

In Marion County, the team led by Kate Myers-Coffman, visiting assistant professor of music therapy in the Herron School of Art and Design, has been building a music therapy protocol through a partnership with the Indianapolis Comprehensive Treatment Center, a state-funded outpatient opioid treatment facility.

The sessions are designed to train the brain to restore impulse control and reconnect with healthy sources of pleasure, like music and meditation, instead of relying on opioids. The Herron team’s research is the first in the U.S. to focus on how music therapy, paired with medication-assisted recovery, can help people who engage with recovery via outpatient clinics.

IU researcher Caitlin Krater plays the guitar during a music therapy session. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University

Supporting Indiana communities

During the pilot phase of the study, 19 participants attended drop-in music therapy sessions at the Indianapolis Comprehensive Treatment Center over two eight-week periods. They later reported significant improvements in calmness, self-kindness, hopefulness and readiness to cope with stress.

“It gives me the opportunity to relax and focus on what I’m trying to do in my day,” said Ed Robinson, an Indianapolis resident who has regularly attended the center’s music therapy sessions for the past year and a half. “I never thought about music being a way for me to do that until now.”

Caitlin Krater leads a music therapy session at the Indianapolis Comprehensive Treatment Center, which specializes in outpatient opioid recovery. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University

The new funding will help the current program expand, offering three 90-minute sessions per week rather than one 60-minute session. It will also help the program build relationships with additional clinics in high-need Indiana communities, including Kokomo and Charlestown, and pilot a program for Dove Recovery House, a residential recovery center for women.

“We partner with community clinics to find out how we could uniquely support the needs of the people who go there for care, and then we develop programming that’s tailored to them,” Myers-Coffman said.

Caitlin Krater, a board-certified music therapist and Ph.D. student, has been working on the research team since the study began. Krater is developing a separate protocol designed for pregnant or postpartum women in recovery, in addition to leading the music therapy sessions at the Indianapolis Comprehensive Treatment Center.

“There has historically been very limited research on music therapy embedded in outpatient opioid treatment programs, particularly in methadone clinic settings,” Krater said. “Most of the existing literature focuses on in-patient or residential contexts, so we are helping to fill an important gap.”

Participants improvise music during a music therapy session. Each instrument is tuned to allows everyone to play without worrying about the notes. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University

Medication assisted recovery is often necessary for chronic opioid users since they must wean themselves off of their body’s chemical dependence. Krater said medication assisted treatment is evidence-based and lifesaving, and for many people it is an essential part of stability, not a failure of recovery.

“This year, the state of Indiana passed legislation that increases access to medication assisted recovery,” Krater said. “Indiana has really been targeting the opioid epidemic, and the numbers are improving.”

Staying engaged in recovery is highly important for those struggling with opioid dependence. Krater said that finding coping mechanisms and systems of support outside of a clinical setting are essential for helping people stay engaged, which is what the team strives to provide.

Finding peace, practicing patience

“I find peace when I’m here,” Robinson said of the music therapy sessions. “I didn’t know what to expect, but this is one of the things that has kept me coming back, and it’s helped me not feel so ashamed.”

Robinson is a mechanic who recently took a leave of absence to undergo heart surgery. He said one of his favorite parts of music therapy is when Krater plays the monochord, an ancient string instrument that, when played in person, produces a deep, resonant tone that vibrates throughout the body.

Caitlin Krater, a music therapy researcher at IU Indianapolis, plays a monochord, an ancient string instrument. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University

Robinson said he has even started meditating in the mornings when he’s at home, humming or playing music to replicate the effects of the monochord.

After the hypnotic monochord session, Krater asks participants to choose from an assortment of instruments, including small tin drums, tambourines, maracas and wooden xylophones. Together, they play improvisationally as Krater strums a guitar. Each instrument is tuned to the C pentatonic scale, which allows everyone to play without worrying they will hit a “wrong” note.

Sometimes Krater will ask the group to share a word to guide their improvisational music session.

“It gives me the opportunity to relax and focus on what I’m trying to do in my day,” said Ed Robinson of Indianapolis, who has attended music therapy sessions for the past year and a half. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University

“I heard patience,” Krater said during one session. “That’s a great one. Let’s start a little slow to be patient and then build it up.”

Several of the participants gathered to talk about patience after they played their instruments. They agreed that practicing patience is important for recovery, since opioid use hijacks the brain, diminishing impulse control. They said taking time to pause and reflect can often be the difference between using and not using opioids.

“For me, it gave me an opportunity to look inside and ask myself some questions because in the hustle and bustle of life, you don’t always get a chance to do that, and that’s how I found myself in this situation in the first place,” Robinson said.

He said he hopes that music therapy of this nature will become more widely available to those in recovery because it has helped him a great deal.

“I’ve never once felt judged coming to this whole entire program, but especially this music aspect,” Robinson said. “It’s made a big difference for me, and I appreciate it. I’d like to see it go on forever.”

Fourth-ranked 197-pounder Massoma Endene is no longer a member of Iowa’s men’s wrestling team, coach Tom Brands said on Tuesday.

Endene, who compiled a 6-1 record with the Hawkeyes, hasn’t wrestled since an 8-2 defeat to second-ranked Rocky Elam on Nov. 30 in the 20-14 dual loss to Iowa State. 

Brands announced the news when he opened his weekly media availability, saying: “My statement to that is, sometimes these things work and sometimes they don’t work, and this one just didn’t work out. We wish him the best, and that’s the extent of it. So that’s the opening statement.”

Asked if he wanted to add any clarifying details to the announcement, Brands paused, then said, “That’s as far as I’ll go.”

Endene, a Dallas, Texas native, transferred to Iowa in the offseason after winning three NCAA Division III national championships at Wartburg. Before that, he was a two-time NJCAA All-American at Iowa Lakes Community College.

Gabe Arnold wrestled at 197 in duals against Chattanooga and Utah Valley in the “Uncivil War” event on December 12. Harvey Ludington wrestled at the weight class in last Friday’s dual against Wisconsin, losing to Wyatt Ingham 10-8.

Ludington and Brody Sampson are listed as the choices at 197 for Friday’s home dual against top-ranked Penn State. Sampson, a redshirt freshman, is 6-6 this season. Ludington, a freshman, was undefeated in eight matches at the Luther Open and Jim Koch Wisconsin Open, and finished fifth at the Soldier Salute.

“We want to be really, really smart with Ludington,” Brands said. “He’s our best option, based on the results at the Soldier Salute. We are going to be smart, and take it week to week.”

Ferrari Revs Up

Redshirt freshman Angelo Ferrari is 9-0 this season and takes a #1 ranking at 184 pounds into Friday’s match against fourth-ranked Rocco Welsh.

It’s Ferrari’s confidence and composure that has impressed Brands.

“He embraces being a leader in a way that is comfortable and natural for him,” Brands said. “You talk about being the first-guy-in-the-last-guy-to-leave type of thing. He exhibits that he gets done what he needs to get done. Not sure that he’s real concerned with being a verbal-type leader at this point in his career, but definitely (a leader) by example. And when I say, is he even comfortable being a verbal leader? That doesn’t matter. What matters is that he’s doing the work that’s required. His commitment level is top-notch.”

“I think I hold myself to a higher standard than, you know, anybody else holds me to,” Ferrari said. “I expect myself to go out there and put up points, and if I don’t, then I’m disappointed myself, and I know what I’m capable of.”

Ferrari got his first taste of the rivalry with Penn State last season, when he wrestled at 184 against second-ranked Carter Starocci, losing 2-1. It was Ferrari’s only defeat of the season.

“I think it was great,” Ferrari said of the experience. “There were a lot of fans and a lot of people rooting against you. It was fun, that’s all I could really say. I mean, it was a fun experience. And obviously there’s a fire under me this time to go out there and put up some points and get some takedowns.”

Ferrari has been putting up the points this season, winning three matches by technical fall.

“The fact is, he’s a real popular guy in that locker room,” Brands. “I mean, our guys love him. There’s good relationships there.

“He stepped up big a couple different times. And so when you’re stepping up big, you know sometimes you’re getting responsibility that you may not have thought that you would ever get, and sometimes you have to embrace that responsibility, even if you’re not comfortable with it. And I would say that he’s embraced it great, because he’s still doing what he needs to do to prepare every day. He loves the mat. He loves the wrestling mat, and that’s what we need.”

Ferrari said his battles with national champion Stephen Buchanan during workouts have prepared him well and helped with his composure during matches.

“I’ve been in scrambles like that with Buchanan every day,” Ferrari said. “You know, he puts me in those types of positions where he’s coming at me, and I think it’s just crazy positions like that was what prepares me for when I’m out on the mat.”

It’s a composure that Ferrari said also comes with his family’s success on the mat.

“Everybody’s rooting against you,” he said. “So it kind of drives you a little bit more. And just having that helped me out a little bit.”

Block Bounce Back

Ryder Block is hoping to bounce back after his sudden-victory loss to Joseph Zargo in last Friday’s dual against Wisconsin.

Block, 6-2 last season and ranked 10th at 149, gets top-ranked Shayne Van Ness on Friday.

“If you’re gonna be the guy going out there, you’ve got to be ready to go,” Block said. “(The loss) happened, now you’ve got to move forward.”

Block said there is a piece of advice he is taking from Brands.

“Tom always said you’ve got to have some big nuts,” Block said. “So this week, gotta have some big nuts to get back on the right track, and then just keep getting better.”