The Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team representing Northwestern University in the Big Ten Conference. Men's basketball was introduced at Northwestern in 1901. Since 2013, the team has been coached by Chris Collins. The Wildcats have advanced to the NCAA tournament three times, in 2017, 2023, and 2024, after being the only longstanding member of a Power Five conference to have never made the tournament. The Wildcats have won two Big Ten conference championships (1931 and 1933).
Northwestern began its inaugural season of intercollegiate play in 1904âÂÂ05, losing its first game to the University of Chicago 19âÂÂ34. They went 2âÂÂ2 in their first season, losing to the University of Chicago twice, and defeating Beloit and Iowa.
Although Northwestern had great success in the early 20th century, it has spent most of the time since World War II in the bottom half of the Big Ten. The Wildcats were retroactively selected as the 1930âÂÂ31 national champion by both the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll; while the NCAA lists the historical Helms selections for reference, neither the Helms nor the Premo-Porretta titles are officially recognized as NCAA national championships. Northwestern has won only one other conference title, in 1933. It has only finished better than fourth place twice since World War II, and did not have a winning record in conference play from 1968 until 2017. Only the 2003âÂÂ04 team managed a .500 conference record during that time. On March 1, 2017, the Wildcats won their 10th conference game (a 67âÂÂ65 win over Michigan) to clinch their first winning Big Ten record in almost half a century. That season also saw the Wildcats make their first NCAA tournament in school history, winning their first NCAA tournament game 68âÂÂ66 against Vanderbilt. The Wildcats have also appeared in the National Invitation Tournament seven times (1983, 1994, 1999, 2009âÂÂ2012).
The first NCAA tournament championship was held at Northwestern in March 1939. Until making their first NCAA tournament in 2017, Northwestern had been one of five original NCAA Division I schools and the only school from a power conference to have never played an NCAA tournament game. Northwestern won its first tournament game, defeating Vanderbilt 68âÂÂ66. The Wildcats lost in the second round to No. 1-seeded Gonzaga.
In 1998, two former players were charged and convicted for sports bribery, having been paid to shave points in games against three other Big Ten schools during the 1995 season.
The 2022âÂÂ23 team finished in a tie for second place in the Big Ten regular season, its best finish in the conference since the 1958âÂÂ59 season.
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The Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA tournament three times. Their record is 3âÂÂ3.
The Wildcats have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) seven times. Their combined record is 5âÂÂ7.
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