Northwestern men’s basketball 2026-27 roster preview

Though a couple more additions may come in the coming months, Northwestern men’s basketball’s 2026-27 roster has essentially arrived.

The past couple months have brought about a whirlwind of changes to head coach Chris Collins’ squad. Nine players hit the transfer portal and left for new homes, leaving Collins scrambling to rebuild his roster. Just over two full months since the end of Northwestern’s 2025-26 campaign, NU has worked to construct a completely revamped roster.

This roster will look radically different than any other team in the Chris Collins era. The program’s identity over the last decade has been rooted in four-year seniors, with the team just two years removed from starting three of such players (two of which were fifth-years). This coming year, the ‘Cats will feature zero four-year Northwestern players, with just one returning upperclassman ’Cat.

The final product is a roster composed of seven transfer additions, three returning ‘Cats, two incoming first-year recruits and one local walk-on. Here’s a preview of what to expect from the new-look Wildcats on the hardwood next season:

Starters

PG: Jake West, 6-foot-3 sophomore (5.3 PPG, 2.8 APG and 0.8 RPG for Northwestern in ‘25-26)

West is set to orchestrate NU’s offense as a sophomore, as he did down the stretch of his rookie campaign. The Philadelphia native has already proven his ability to be one of the Big Ten’s premier floor generals, but the ‘Cats will be looking to see a breakout season from West as a scorer.

As a first-year he showed flashes of this potential, like his 18-point performance against Indiana in Northwestern’s 74-61 Big Ten Tournament victory:

However, despite the occasional splash, he was never consistently able to put up double-digit totals. West will be encouraged to let it fly with greater volume this year if he can maintain his efficiency, after finishing as a 36.4% three-point shooter in ‘25-26.

SG: Angelo Ciaravino, 6-foot-6 junior (6.3 PPG, 1.2 APG and 3.9 RPG for Northwestern in ‘25-26)

Ciaravino will be the longest-tenured Wildcat on the roster, as he returns for his third season in purple. The Chicago product is set to be a team leader for the ‘Cats this year and will play a major role in integrating Northwestern’s abundance of new faces into the mold of the program.

Though Ciaravino does not bring the same level of talent as many of the other ‘Cats on the roster, he will be a much-needed force of stability. As a lengthy, 6-foot-6 guard, Ciaravino is a great communicator on the defensive end and a Swiss-army knife on offense who rarely makes mistakes.

SF: Jack Karasinski, 6-foot-7 graduate (21.7 PPG, 1.2 APG and 4.7 RPG for Bellarmine in ‘25-26)

Karasinski was a major offensive addition for the ‘Cats this offseason. Leading Bellarmine’s 72nd-ranked offense (per KenPom.com), Karasinski was a top-12 scorer in the nation, starting all 30 games for the Knights. The forward is a true three-level scorer, shooting it from deep at a 41.5% clip last season, while also drawing a lot of fouls around the basket. Karasinski shot 192 free throws in ‘25-26, which would have slotted him second on Northwestern behind Nick Martinelli’s 220.

The question mark surrounding Karasinski will be his defense. Per KenPom, Bellarmine had the single worst defense in the country last year, with Karasinski being ranked as the second worst defender on that team, per EvanMiya.com. ‘Cats fans have to hope the graduate senior doesn’t become unplayable due to his defensive shortcomings.

PF: Colin Smith, 6-foot-8 senior (11.9 PPG, 1.5 APG and 4.2 RPG for UCSB in ‘25-26)

Smith is another position-fluid player who will be able to spread the floor for Northwestern on offense. He was a four-star coming out of high school and started his career at Vanderbilt, before playing his redshirt sophomore and junior seasons in Santa Barbara.

Smith is a shooter. Over his past two seasons at UCSB, just over 50% of his field goal attempts came from behind the three-point line, where he shot it at an explosive 41.6% rate. If this efficiency translates to the high-major level, Smith will be the best shooter on the ‘Cats’ team, while also taking on a big defensive role as the ‘Cats’ most athletic forward.

C: Okku Federiko, 6-foot-9 junior (8.6 PPG, 1.5 APG and 4.8 RPG for Drake in ‘25-26)

The center position is where it gets interesting for the ‘Cats’ starting lineup. There’s really three options here: Federiko, Ryan Soulis (Columbia transfer) or Luke McEldon (Mount St. Mary’s transfer). Despite Federiko playing his best ball as a positional four at Drake, I think Collins rolls with the lengthy Finn because he fits Northwestern’s offensive identity the best.

Federiko started all 34 games he appeared in for Drake last season, impacting the court as a lengthy rim protector — 1.0 blocks per game — and a versatile offensive talent. Interestingly, Federiko was listed as a guard on his Instagram commitment post, which speaks to what Federiko brings to the offensive end.

Graph courtesy of Hoop Explorer. Bigger bars mean high percentile frequency amongst Division 1 players. Green color represents high efficiency and red color represents low efficiency.

As can be seen in the screenshot above, per Hoop Explorer, Federiko most frequently impacted the game — granted, at a sub-par efficiency — as a passer (perimeter cut), hitting cutters or finding players open perimeter shooters when doubled (inside out). This will be a key skill for NU’s big to have, with efficient three-point shooters West, Karasinski and Smith set to define the ‘Cats’ offensive identity.

Rotational reserves

G: LA Pratt, 6-foot-5 graduate (11.2 PPG, 2.5 APG and 3.6 RPG for Northeastern in ‘24-25)

Pratt will be one of the biggest question marks for the ‘Cats entering the season. In his first two starts last year, he seemed poised for a breakout season, averaging 19.5 points and 4.5 assists per game before breaking his foot against Harvard on Nov. 11 and being sidelined the rest of the season.

If Pratt can be the player he was at the start of last season, he will be the ‘Cats’ sixth man, leading Northwestern’s second unit and relieving West of some of his orchestration duties. In fact, as outlined by my colleague Eliav Brooks-Rubin in his recent film breakdown of Pratt, Pratt should be able to “seamlessly” play alongside West.

Graph courtesy of Hoop Explorer. Bigger bars mean high percentile frequency amongst Division 1 players. Green color represents high efficiency and red color represents low efficiency.

Per Hoop Explorer, Pratt is a non-shooting guard who attacks the rim and facilitates the ball both off the pick-and-roll and in transition. Considering the shooters in the ‘Cats’ starting lineup, I really like what Pratt brings to the table as a driver and passer, who will be able to find Collins’ perimeter weapons.

G: Aleksej Kostić, 6-foot-4 sophomore (4.4 PPG, 0.4 APG and 0.9 RPG for BYU in ‘25-26)

Last season, Kostić was a reserve player on an ultra-talented BYU tournament team. However, the rising sophomore saw consistent playing time, averaging 12.0 minutes per game in his 27 appearances.

Kostić’s identity on the court is pretty simple: spot-up sniper. In his first year of NCAA play, 90 of his 106 field goal attempts came from behind the three-point line, where he shot it 36.7%. In Evanston, Kostić will join Karasinski and Smith as part of a new-wave Wildcat shooting movement, helping to space the floor on offense.

F: Jayden Hodge, 6-foot-6 first-year (Graduates from Montverde Academy in ‘26)

At the time of his commitment, Hodge was ranked as the No. 79 recruit in the country by 247 Sports, becoming NU’s highest-ranked recruit in the modern era. However, playing his senior season at Montverde, Hodge was sidelined by an ACL tear, making the prospects of his first season at Northwestern uncertain.

As my colleague Donovan West noted in his recent article about NU’s incoming recruits, Hodge is a “straight-line driver” who has a lot of skill using his athleticism to finish around the rim:

Additionally, that same athleticism makes him a strong asset on the defensive end as a matchup-proof defender

Whenever Hodge is feeling healthy, he will enter the ‘Cats’ rotation as one of the team’s most talented players. But, for now, that timeline is uncertain.

F: Luke McEldon, 6-foot-10 senior (11.7 PPG, 1.3 APG, 6.2 RPG for Mount St. Mary’s in ‘25-26)

McEldon will be the biggest player on the ‘Cats’ roster next year, standing at a monstrous 6-foot-10, 255 pounds. The Brit brings promise as a defender; it’s hard to score on him around the rim, but he’s also good at positioning himself defensively, despite limited mobility. On offense, McEldon is less skilled, but did show some passing capability at Mount St. Mary’s, which could complement NU’s incoming perimeter offense.

It will be interesting to see how McEldon is able to translate his game to Big Ten competition. Though he started 29 games for the Mountaineers, before that he started his career at Santa Clara and barely saw the floor through two seasons. Now, he will get another opportunity to be impactful against high-level competition.

F: Ryan Soulis, 6-foot-10 junior (5.8 PPG, 1.5 APG and 4.6 RPG for Columbia in ‘25-26)

Soulis started 17-of-26 games for Columbia in the ‘25-26 season. Interestingly, he primarily impacted the floor as a passer, but also racked up two double-doubles in non-conference play against Hofstra and Sarah Lawrence.

After diving into the film, Soulis is a player I’m unsure will be able to translate his game to the Big Ten level.

Though on paper his 6-foot-10, 225-pound frame seems promising, the Greek got pushed around in the non-conference play by more physical opponents. In the liminal space between a true positional four and five, Soulis will likely need to either get stronger and play as a center, or get faster and more athletic and play as a power forward, or he may not be able to find a lot of minutes as a ‘Cat.

Deep reserves

G: Phoenix Gill, 6-foot-2 sophomore (0.5 PPG, 0.3 APG, 0.5 RPG for Northwestern in ‘25-26)

Gill was recruited as a three-star, touted for his smooth midrange shooting stroke and defensive energy. Ultimately, Gill barely saw the court as a first-year, playing limited minutes in just 11 games. He may see some time this year as a defensive specialist, utilized in a similar way as Blake Smith has been in past years, but will likely still struggle to see the court as a sophomore.

G: Elijah Eschmeyer, 6-foot-7 first-year (Graduated from Peak Charter HS in ‘25)

NU’s only walk-on in the coming year, Eschmeyer is a local talent who worked his way onto the ‘Cats’ roster after taking a gap year to develop his game at Lake Forest Academy, located just 30 minutes north of Welsh-Ryan Arena. Eschmeyer is a pure spot-up shooter, that with his 6-foot-7 height can easily get his shot off on the perimeter. But, lacking offensive versatility and conference-standard athleticism, Eschmeyer will be a deep reserve on this roster.

F: Symon Ghai, 7-foot-3 first-year (Graduates from The Academy of Central Florida in ‘26)

Ghai, a three-star from Florida, has the potential to become a key piece for the Wildcats in the coming years. As the tallest player on Northwestern’s roster, by a full five inches, Ghai has the length to really impact the game around the cup as a talented shot blocker and smooth finisher. However, the forward still lacks the physicality and coordination to immediately enter the ‘Cats’ rotation as a consistent player.

The bottom line

No matter how you project this roster to perform on the court, the bottom line is clear: this is a transition year for the Wildcats.

As a result of the offseason’s rapid changes, the team is set to have a play style that departs from the traditional Collins teams we’ve seen in the past. The scrappy, gritty upperclassmen forwards like Brooks Barnhizer, Nick Martinelli and Matt Nicholson won’t be around this year — Collins is going to look to spread the floor with a multitude of position-less offensive talents that have both size and multi-level scoring abilities.

However, though there will likely be growing pains, I truly think that Northwestern’s offense is going to be better than it was last year — maybe even a LOT better — despite all the off-season changes.

With this starting lineup I’m projecting, the ‘Cats will have five players who are threats to score on all three levels. Even Federiko can effect the game working from the perimeter, slashing to the rim as a perimeter cutter (see Hoop Explorer graphic from earlier), driving downhill or taking the occasional three — he shot 27.8% from three on 54 attempts last year.

Additionally, the ‘Cats’ aforementioned perimeter shooting will be a major upgrade from last season. Smith and Karasinski both made more threes last year than any player on Northwestern did, shooting at true 40-plus percent efficiency. With another high-volume shooter coming off the bench in Kostić, the ‘Cats seem poised to become one of the better three-point shooting teams in the conference, after shooting 33.0% as a team from distance in the ‘25-26 season (12th in the Big Ten).

The biggest question marks for this roster lie on the defensive end. The ‘Cats are majorly lacking athleticism and defensive prowess, with lots of NU’s incoming transfers needing to make big strides physically to compete with the vigor of the Big Ten.

Though Ciaravino and West showed an ability to hustle on the defensive end last year, ranking in the top 5 on the team in defensive Bayesian player rating per EvanMiya.com, many of NU’s transfers, like Karasinski, Smith, Pratt and Kostić, all had negative defensive ratings last season. These players are bound to struggle with the increased athleticism and physicality of the Big Ten.

As a result, this roster has high offensive upside and will likely be able to put up some points, but will likely give up even more points against the Big Ten’s best offenses.

Can Chris Collins put the puzzle together and utilize this transfer talent? Will the Glenbrook North legend be able to find success with an absence of four-year seniors?

These will be the questions that define Northwestern’s roster this season, and in the years to come.

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