Boo Buie: The forever “one of one” of Northwestern Basketball

“Is the type of solid prospect who tends to overachieve during his college career.”

Straight from the high school scouting report on Boo Buie, this was written back in 2018 by Brian Snow of 247 Sports. This was, of course, long before the man who’d later be dubbed Agent Zero ever stepped foot on court for a Northwestern basketball program starved for success. Even longer still, before he’d go on to save the program from oblivion.

After playing 149 games, scoring a program-record 2,187 points and leading the school to two trips to the NCAA tournament, it’s fair to say Buie not only overachieved, but shattered any realistic expectations one could’ve held for him when he committed to Northwestern just over five years ago. It’s easy to forget the beginning of such a remarkable journey, especially as many continue to wade in the aftermath of the loss to UConn in the Round of 32. However, the intensity of these emotions encapsulate how much this one player means to this team, program and fanbase.

It isn’t as if Buie joined the Wildcats with much fanfare. He was a three-star recruit, and in a 2019 recruiting class that included three members, Buie was the lowest rated of the bunch. In fact, Northwestern was the lone offer he received from a Power Six school, and was the only school he took an official visit to over the course of his recruitment. Adding to the challenge Buie faced when he arrived in Evanston, the team wasn’t in great shape, having suffered back-to-back losing seasons following its inaugural NCAA tournament berth in 2017.

All told, it didn’t quite seem like a recipe that would produce a golden age for a program suddenly in a downward spiral once again. But while the ingredients took time to mix, the result was a match made in heaven between Buie and the Wildcats. After three seasons to start Buie’s career in which the team would go on to finish with a losing record, everything changed on Feb. 12, 2023.

At that point, Northwestern had been enjoying its best season in six years. The Wildcats entered the day with a 17-7 record and had won two straight. Buie himself was enjoying a career year en route to what would eventually become a First-team All-Big Ten season. However, all those good times were to be put on pause with No. 1 Purdue coming to town for a bout in Welsh-Ryan Arena. When the dust had settled, the Wildcats, led by Buie and his 26 points, had rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to stun the Boilermakers in one of the biggest wins in program history.

From that point forward, Buie’s career went on hyperdrive. He’d conclude the 2022-23 season by leading the team’s run to a second-ever NCAA tournament berth and second-ever NCAA tournament victory with a win over Boise State. All the while, he racked up personal honors, such as the All-Big Ten nod and recognition as a Bob Cousy Award Finalist as one of the best point guards in the country. After the season, especially in the era of NIL, Buie could’ve left Evanston and looked for an opportunity elsewhere, whether it be for a chance to earn more in NIL revenue or to play for a bigger brand that would draw more eyes to his game. Instead, Buie chose to finish what he started, and cemented his status as a Northwestern legend in the process.

His final season saw it all. A second home upset over No. 1 ranked Purdue was the defining moment. That was until the home contest against Michigan, the game in which he broke the Northwestern all-time scoring mark, surpassing a record that had stood for just 12 years. Buie managed to add more to his legacy after that by claiming further personal and team accolades. He would be named unanimous First-team All-Big Ten and a Bob Cousy Award finalist, and was at the forefront of another NCAA tournament appearance.

Buie’s final act as a Wildcat before bowing out to UConn was collecting one more NCAA tournament win for the program, leaving it with triple the amount it had before he arrived. While it may be hard to acknowledge that moment of pure ecstasy now with the season-ending loss still close in the rearview mirror, one day the positive that was Boo Buie’s greatness will outshine the negative of that greatness having to come to end.

When that day comes, the memory of Buie and Chris Collins sharing a long embrace in the final moments of the UConn game will be a joyful one. It’ll be recognized as the culmination of the career of the greatest Northwestern basketball player to ever grace the court of Welsh-Ryan Arena. More importantly, it will serve as a reminder of how far the program has come as a whole, largely on the back of a relentless overachiever.

Boo Buie started his career as a solid prospect with potential, but ended it by ensuring that he, Agent Zero, will always be one of one in the Northwestern history books.