Much like the school’s football program, the Northwestern Wildcats basketball program remained dormant for many years. Cheap Northwestern basketball tickets were widely available with the Wildcats spending decades as the Big Ten’s perennial-basement dweller. However, that all changed in 2017 when the Wildcats earned their first NCAA Tournament bid in program history. That was a game-changer for the program that has created a brighter future for the Wildcats and created a lot more demand for last-minute Northwestern basketball tickets.

Once Upon a Time

Nowadays, it’s almost impossible to believe, but Northwestern basketball did spend a little bit of time as a national heavyweight. Under head coach Arthur Lonborg, the Wildcats went 16-1 during the 1930-31 season, winning the Western Conference championship. Northwestern was also retroactively given the national championship for that season. Two years later, the Wildcats won another conference title, although it remains their most recent conference championship.

The Dark Days Are Over

After the two conference titles in the 1930s, it was a long time until Northwestern basketball was on anybody’s radar. It was literally decades until the Big Ten had to take the Wildcats seriously. Bill Carmody made a little headway in the early 21st century, taking Northwestern to the NIT in four straight years from 2009 to 2012. However, it was Chris Collins who finally made the breakthrough in 2017, helping the Wildcats earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Northwestern also got their first-ever tournament win, knocking off Vanderbilt in the First Round. For other programs, it may not have been a big deal. But for the Wildcats, it was like reaching the top of the mountain and a sign that Northwestern is capable of having a winning basketball program.