Bleav in Northwestern

After two losses out on the West Coast, Northwestern basketball's hopes of an NCAA tournament have essentially been dashed and Zach returns to lay out how it all went wrong this season. He begins by talking about the Jalen Leach season-ending injury and it’s impact on the game against Washington (2:28). He also explains his frustration with Chris Collins getting ejected based on the situation the young and inexperienced team found itself in (8:44). Next, he talks about the familiar slow start against Oregon and what Northwestern should prioritize and aim for in the final six games of the season (13:28). Finally, he spends his time breaking down every instance of misfortunate and bad luck that the Wildcats have had thrown their way during the 2024–25 season, resulting in the severely disappointing year (21:36).

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Chris Collins announced that Brooks Barnhizer will not play for the remainder of the 2024–25 season after missing Saturday's game against Wisconsin and Zach reflects on the jarring news. He begins by discussing how the injury was revealed and how it wasn't entirely surprising, but it was abrupt (3:35). Then, he does his best to sum up the impact that Barnhizer made on Northwestern basketball during his four years in Evanston (9:25). Next, he pivots to discussing how the Wildcats fought against the Badgers on Saturday, but how a halftime adjustment and five-minute sequence led to the Wisconsin win (19:16). However, he ends the show by talking about how Saturday's game can be a blueprint for the final month of the regular season (29:43).

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Northwestern basketball had another opportunity to win on the road against a top opponent pass by this weekend against Michigan. Zach dives into how the game didn't go in the Wildcats' favor (1:47), before dissecting Jalen Leach's controversial ejection and subsequently disjointed explanation from the Big Ten (11:05). Then, he goes over the difficult afternoons for Brooks Barnhizer and Nick Martinelli, pointing to why that was the case (19:46). Next, Zach pivots to discussing the positives from the Maryland game, including Ty Berry's spark off the bench and a more complete game from Northwestern's stars (27:50).

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The Bleav in Northwestern podcast returns for the first time in 2025 and Zach is joined by Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated to break down NU basketball's lackluster return to Big Ten play. They begin by discussing how Purdue managed to stifle the 'Cats offense and if the blueprint is now out on how to defend this roster (1:27). Then, they go over the disappointing recent showings from Ty Berry and ponder if Chris Collins should make up a lineup change to unlock a third main contributor (9:22). Next, they pivot to breaking down the controversial ending in the loss to Penn State, going over the goaltending call and review, as well as the vast disparity in foul shot attempts for each team (18:13). That leads the pair into discussing Northwestern's late-game execution and luck in close games (27:12), before ending with a brief look ahead to the upcoming gauntlet (32:17).

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Zach is back for the final time in 2024—just in time to talk about Northwestern landing a transfer commitment from former SMU quarterback Preston Stone! He begins by discussing the high-caliber player the Wildcats are getting in the move (1:05), before talking about what the program must do to support a player like Stone (9:30). Next, he gives his thoughts on NU's reliance on the portal for starting quarterbacks and lauds David Braun and Mark Jackson for the commitment to improving the roster during the December transfer period (15:29). He then pivots to men's basketball, discussing Northwestern's dominant victory over DePaul in the penultimate non-conference game (19:26). He compliments the versatility this year's team and how it thrives on turning defense into offense, while contextualizing the one-of-a-kind performance Brooks Barnhizer had in the win (28:18).

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The Bleav in Northwestern podcast is back and there's plenty of news to talk about. Zach begins by discussing the On3 prediction that the Wildcats will land SMU quarterback Preston Stone in the transfer portal (2:13). Then, he welcomes on Wildcat Report's Matt Shelton to reflect on the end of the 2024 football season and talk about how NU has approached the early transfer portal window (8:05). The pair  discuss where the 'Cats have prioritized their transfer recruiting efforts (15:45), while also going over the key departures for Northwestern (28:51). After a brief conversation about national signing day (35:48), the two pivot to basketball and talk about how this particular team has already convinced them that it's worthy of making the NCAA tournament (39:59). They laud the development of Brooks Barnhizer and Nick Martinelli (43:31), while also expressing some concern over Chris Collins's short rotations (51:52).

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Northwestern football saw its hopes of making a bowl effectively come to an end over the weekend against Michigan and Inside NU's Adam Beck joins Zach to lament a rather disappointing season for the Wildcats. The two discuss how it's been to watch this team struggle to look competitive and maintain any consistency this season (2:23) while also breaking down the jobs done by head coach David Braun and Zach Lujan (9:07). They also revisit the decision to bench Mike Wright in favor of Jack Lausch and whether or not Northwestern will seek to stick with the latter going into 2025 (16:22). Next, they look ahead to the rivalry week game against Illinois and talk about what can be salvaged in a game against an impressive Illini team (23:35). The pair ends with their initial thoughts on the start of the Northwestern men's basketball season and how the team has navigated nonconference play thus far (37:25).

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Northwestern football heads to Ann Arbor for a high-stakes matchup this weekend and Zach is joined by Aaron McMann of MLive.come to talk about the matchup. The pair begins by discussing the disappointing season for Michigan before getting into the Wolverines' 2024 quarterback carousel (2:20). Then, they point out the talented tandem in Michigan's backfield and how tight end Colston Loveland could be a matchup problem for the Wildcats (10:01). They pivot to the defense and discuss how much the unit has improved over the course of the season, even if it is a far cry from last year's national championship group (17:40). Finally, they go over their (eerily similar) keys to the game for each team and make predictions (24:50).

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Zach took a trip to catch two Northwestern sporting events in less than 24 hours over the weekend, beginning with a narrow victory over Eastern Illinois for men's basketball. He talks about the scare the team got due to a poor second half on offense before lauding Jalen Leach for taking over in his first signature sequence as a Wildcat (1:46). Then, he discusses the end of game rotation for Chris Collins and what that might tell us about this team and stresses the importance of Brooks Barnhizer's return (8:28). Next, he pivots to football's loss to Ohio State, focusing on the lack of consistency and how that further separates Northwestern from the top teams in the Big Ten (14:44). He also dissects a strong start for the offense quickly getting sidetracked by self-inflicted mistakes (22:57). Finally, he discusses how Ohio State’s defense got much better over the course of the game while Northwestern’s defense struggled to keep the talented Buckeyes' skill players in check (30:19).

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It's a massive sports weekend in Evanston (and at Wrigley Field) and Zach is joined by Big Ten Plus and ESPN+ broadcaster Noah Coffman to preview Northwestern field hockey ahead of the NCAA tournament. The two discuss what happened in the Wildcats' first and only loss of the season to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament (2:31) before talking about how Tracy Fuchs has turned this program into one of the most dominant in the country (8:53). Then, they pivot to breaking down the depth and key pieces on the roster (13:38) before previewing the bracket, including the looming presence of powerhouse North Carolina and the challenges awaiting the Wildcats ahead of the possible title matchup (18:19).

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