CHICAGO — Minutes after Northwestern’s season ended with an overtime loss to Illinois, Northwestern’s locker room was emotional. Many players were crying. During the postgame media availability in the locker room, Anthony Gaines sat with a towel over his head. For a second straight year, the season had ended with a disappointing loss in its first Big Ten Tournament game.
The emotion, in the eyes of head coach Chris Collins, shows how much the players care. “To see them share that emotion with each other, you know, and cry those tears, that’s when you know that you have the right kind of guys in terms of character.