How to Watch Indiana's Game at Northwestern Wednesday; Gametime, TV, Point Spread

Northwestern beat Indiana earlier this season, but now the Wildcats have lost nine in a row. But if you think this will be easy on Wednesday, keep in mind that Indiana has lost three straight in Evanston, and hasn't won here since 2014.

EVANSTON, Ill. – There was a time back in December when the Northwestern Wildcats were the talk of the Big Ten. 

They opened league play on Dec. 20 with a 14-point beatdown of a Michigan State team that was undefeated (6-0) at the time and ranked No. 4 in the country. Three days later, they traveled to Bloomington and won again, beating Indiana 74-67 despite being a nine-point underdog.

Then they went home and beat Ohio State 71-70 three days after that. Those Buckeyes, mind you, are now ranked No. 4 in the country as well. The 3-0 start in the league hadn't happened in Evanston since the 1968 season, and a day later, they were ranked No. 19 in the country.

And they haven't won a game since.

Northwestern has lost nine games in a row now heading into Wednesday's game with Indiana at Welsh-Ryan Arena. It's been 46 days since they've tasted victory, which is stunning for a team that got off to such a hot start.

It's odd because Northwestern has a lot of weapons, and has had five different people be the leading scorer in a game so far this season. Boo Buie went for 30 in a win over Michigan State, and Miller Kopp, who's led the Wildcats in scoring five times this season, had 23 in the impressive win over Ohio State. Chase Audige has led them in scoring four times. He had 25 in a loss to Ohio State and scored 17 points in the win over Indiana, all in the second half. 

"Obviously there's a lot of frustration trying to get in that win column, but I thought there were some steps forward," Chris Collins said after losing at Purdue 75-70 last Saturday. "I'm not a big moral victory guy, but I really felt like we fought with great energy."

Here are the particulars on Wednesday's game:

• Who: Indiana Hoosiers (10-8 overall, 5-6 in the Big Ten) vs Northwestern Wildcats (6-10 overall, 3-9 in the Big Ten).
• When: 5:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Feb. 10
• Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Ill.
• Latest Line: Indiana is a 4-point favorite over Northwestern, according to the DraftKings.com website as of 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
• Poll rankings: Neither team is ranked in the Associated Press and Coaches polls.
• Kenpom.com rankings: Indiana remained at No. 27 in the Kenpom rankings after last week's split with Illinois and Iowa. Northwestern is ranked No. 71.
• Series history: Indiana leads 118-53. The Hoosiers have lost three straight games in Evanston, not winning since 2014.
• Last meeting: The teams played on Dec. 23 in Bloomington in the Hoosiers' Big Ten opener and Northwestern came away with a 74-67 victory despite being 9-point underdogs. Chase Audige scored 17 points, all in the second half, to lead Northwestern to the win. The Wildcats shot 56 percent from the field that night.
• TV: Big Ten Network
• Announcers: Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (color commentary)
• Radio: Indiana Radio Network
• Announcers: Don Fischer, Errek Suhr and Joe Smith
• Streaming: IUHoosiers.com/broadcast

Here are three things I want to see from the Hoosiers against Northwestern on Wednesday:

1. Finish good looks inside

This is a game where Trayce Jackson-Davis should be able to get off. He's had a lot of good looks right at the rim lately that he hasn't converted, but that just might change on Wednesday. Jackson-Davis is averaging 19.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and he is the only Hoosier in the last 25 years to have three games of 25 points and 15 rebounds in his career. We might see the fourth on Wednesday. He went for 22 and 9 in the loss to the Wildcats in December.

"I think he can actually play better, as crazy as it sounds," Indiana coach Archie Miller said of Jackson-Davis. "Every game on film, you look at the stat sheet he gets 17 (points) and 12 (rebounds), you watch that film and say, 'Man, he could have had 30, he could have had 25.' You are always in that mode of wanting him to do more. So we'll keep pushing him. He keeps working."

Jackson-Davis is third in the nation in free throws made (106) and is second in the country in free throw attempts (159). Both lead the Big Ten.

2. Don't let Wildcats shooters get rolling

Northwestern has three players with 25 or more made three-pointers this season, and their entire starting lineup can step out and hit shots. Kopp and Buie each hit three longballs in the first game against Indiana. Indiana's defense, which has been very good lately, needs to keep the Wildcat shooters in check.

"We have to continue to push the way we have been pushing and get ready for Northwestern, who caused us a lot of problems in our first game,'' Miller said Tuesday. "That seems like a long time ago, but we are going to have to be much better against these guys then we were the first time.''

3. Finally follow a win with another one

Indiana has been terrible under Archie Miller the game after beating a ranked team. In 11 such circumstances, the Hoosiers are just 2-9. 

It happened last month when Indiana beat then-No. 4 ranked Iowa, but then came home and lost to Rutgers as a favorite in Assembly Hall. Now they've beaten No. 8 Iowa again, and it's time to put a winning streak together.

This is a disturbing trend, and one of the least flattering notes on Miller's resume. They've just never been able to grab some momentum, and Wednesday is the day to start that. Every game counts much more now in the eyes of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, and losing to a team on a nine-game losing streak is less than flattering.

Related Stories on Indiana Basketball:

• LANDER SLOWING SHREDDING FRESHMAN STRUGGLES: Khristian Lander keeps getting better every game, and it comes as a result of him sticking with it. CLICK HERE
• TIME CHANGE: The tipoff time for Indiana's game at Northwestern on Wednesday night has been moved. The game is now at 5:30 p.m. ET CLICK HERE
• FRANKLIN LIFTS INDIANA OVER IOWA: Earlier on Sunday, the Hoosiers got a huge win over No. 8 Iowa. CLICK HERE