Northwestern Defeats Minnesota 72-64 to Open Big Ten Tournament, Fires Head Coach Ben Johnson

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Nick Martinelli delivered a standout performance, scoring 28 points to lead No. 13 seed Northwestern past No. 12 seed Minnesota in a 72-64 victory on Wednesday, kicking off the Big Ten Tournament.

With the win, Northwestern (17-15) secured its first conference tournament victory since 2022 and advanced to face No. 5 seed Wisconsin in Thursday’s second round. The Wildcats previously fell to then-No. 17 Wisconsin 75-69 on February 1.

Northwestern seized control early in the second half with a balanced offensive push. Five Wildcats contributed during a 12-3 run that gave them their first double-digit lead of the night at 44-32. They maintained at least a nine-point cushion until Minnesota’s Mike Mitchell Jr. scored five consecutive points, trimming the deficit to 67-60 with just 45 seconds remaining.

Down the stretch, Martinelli and Matthew Nicholson each made one of two free throws, while K.J. Windham went 3-for-4 at the line, ensuring Northwestern stayed ahead.

Ty Berry added 14 points for the Wildcats, while Jordan Clayton chipped in 11, and Windham finished with 10. Martinelli, who leads the conference in scoring with an average of 20.2 points per game, shot 12-of-22 from the field but struggled at the free-throw line, converting just 4 of 10. As a team, Northwestern shot 12-of-22 from the stripe.

On the other side, Dawson Garcia led Minnesota (15-17) with 22 points, and Mitchell contributed 11. The Golden Gophers ended their season on a rough note, dropping five of their last six games.

This marked the third time in the past six Big Ten Tournaments that Northwestern and Minnesota have squared off in a 12-seed vs. 13-seed matchup.

Just hours after Minnesota’s season-ending loss, the school parted ways with head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson, who spent four years at the helm of his alma mater, struggled to build a competitive roster and failed to guide the team to an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Johnson had two years remaining on his contract, which included a $2.92 million buyout. His annual salary of $1.95 million ranked the lowest in the now-expanded 18-team Big Ten.

The Golden Gophers finished 15-17 this season, and athletic director Mark Coyle made the decision official early Thursday morning following a late-night meeting with Johnson upon the team’s return from Indianapolis. The university announced the news on its website at 1:07 a.m. local time and followed up with a social media post at 1:19 a.m.

Johnson wrapped up his tenure at Minnesota with a 56-71 overall record, including a 22-57 mark in conference play. Only Washington, which just completed its first season as one of the Big Ten’s four new West Coast additions, had a worse record in that span.