As Welsh-Ryan Arena roared following Windham's first three, the talented freshman celebrated in a familiar manner to Wildcat fans. Pointing at his left arm, Windham's "ice in my veins" gesture mirrored the signature celebration of Northwestern's all-time leading scorer, Boo Buie.

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 26: Northwestern Wildcats Head Coach Chris Collins looks on during the college basketball game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 26, 2025, at the State Farm Center in Champaign ...

Chris Collins ripped the Big Ten Tournament's new format Thursday ahead of Northwestern's home game against Iowa Friday night.

Northwestern pulled away in the second half to beat Iowa 68-57 to break a four-way tie for 13th place in the Big Ten Conference Friday night.

Illinois led 24-11 midway through the first half, but Iowa scored the next 11 points as the Illini missed eight straight shots. However, the Hawkeyes were held to two points in the final 4:16 of the half as Illinois built its cushion back to seven points.

The Iowa men's basketball team dropped to 3-7 in its last 10 games with a loss to Illinois on Tuesday, setting up a must-win against Northwestern on Friday.

Tomislav Ivišić scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half, and Illinois recovered from its big loss to then-No. 3 Duke by beating Iowa 81-61.