How Chicago State beat Northwestern for the biggest college basketball upset of the year

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The numbers behind Chicago State’s upset of No. 25 Northwestern

Chicago State was 3-9.

Ranked 335 in the KenPom college basketball rankings.

The only independent school in Division One basketball.

They just beat the No. 25 Northwestern Wildcats in what is the biggest upset in the college basketball season. The Cougars went into Evanston and knocked off Northwestern 75-73, in Northwestern’s first game since joining the AP Poll following their upset win over No. 1 Purdue last week.

Northwestern went into the game as 25-point favorites, yet only led by one at halftime. Chicago State would come to life in the second half en route to a major, major upset, one that we rarely see in the regular season of college basketball.

To put this into perspective, Chicago State won seven games combined from 2018-2021, but head coach Gerald Gillion was putting together something special, and it showed on Wednesday. Samford transfer Wesley Cardet Jr. scored 30 points and Jahsean Corbett added 17 on as both made huge plays down the stretch to win the game for the Cougars.

For Northwestern, the whiplash effect of losing to Chicago State is made even wilder when you consider what they did to get ranked in the top-25. Only 12 days before their matchup with Chicago State, the Wildcats knocked off then-no. 1 Purdue for the second straight year.

And they just lost to a Chicago State team that might’ve been one of the worst teams in the sport this year.

College basketball, man.

Also does this give Chicago State a transitive win over Purdue? The many people are asking.