2016 – 17 Northwestern Wildcats men 's basketball team represented Northwestern University in the 2016 – 17 NCAA Division I men 's basketball season . They were led by fourth-year head coach Chris Collins . They were members of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Welsh-Ryan Arena . They finished the season 24 – 12 , 10 – 8 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place . In the Big Ten Tournament , they defeated Rutgers and Maryland before losing to Wisconsin in the semifinals . They received the school 's first ever bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed in the West region . In the First Round , they defeated No. 9-seeded Vanderbilt before losing to No. 1-seeded Gonzaga in the Second Round
Big Ten Tournament
2017 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
2016–17 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team