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Indiana Coach Mike Woodson Reacts to 64-62 Loss At Northwestern

How to Watch No. 14 Indiana Against Illinois on Saturday

Indiana hosts Illinois on Saturday afternoon. Here's how to watch, with game time and TV information, three keys to the game, the latest on the point spread, the coaching matchup, series history, stats, rankings and more.

In this story:

Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana Hoosiers
Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana returns to the comfort of Assembly Hall on Saturday, where it holds a 13-1 record this season.

The Hoosiers split a pair of road games this week, with a 62-61 win at Michigan on Saturday followed by a 64-62 loss at Northwestern on Wednesday. Next up, Illinois and coach Brad Underwood seek revenge after an 80-65 loss to Indiana in Champaign on Jan . 19. 

  • *** LIVE BLOG: And once the game starts, follow all the action on our live blog from HoosiersNow.com publisher Tom Brew. To read that story, CLICK HERE.

How to watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini

  • Who: No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers (18-8, 9-6) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (17-8, 8-6)
  • What: Second matchup of the season
  • When: Noon ET on Saturday, Feb. 18
  • Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) in Bloomington, Ind.
  • TV: ESPN
  • Announcers: Brian Custer (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst), Myron Medcalf (sideline)
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
  • Radio: IU Radio Network (Bloomington: 105.1 WHCC-FM, Indianapolis: 107.5 WFNI-FM)
  • Radio Announcers: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (color), John Herrick (pregame, halftime, postgame)
  • Point spread: Indiana is a 6-point favorite, and the over/under is set at 142.5 points.
  • Associated Press poll: Indiana rose four spots to No. 14 in this week's poll. The Hoosiers have been ranked 12 out of 15 weeks this season. Illinois is unranked for the seventh consecutive week after appearing in the first seven polls and peaking at No. 16.
  • KenPom rankings: Indiana is No. 20 overall in the KenPom rankings as of Friday afternoon. The Hoosiers are No. 36 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 23 in adjusted offensive efficiency. Illinois is ranked No. 24 overall, No. 28 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 46 in adjusted offensive efficiency.
  • Season projections: Indiana has the fourth-best odds to win Big Ten regular season title at plus-2200, and Purdue is the favorite at minus-1200. Indiana has the 11th-best odds to reach the Final Four at plus-550 and the 13th-best odds to win the National Championship at plus-3000, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
  • Last three games: Indiana lost 64-62 at Northwestern on Wednesday, won 62-61 at Michigan on Saturday and beat No. 24 Rutgers 66-60 on Feb. 7. Illinois lost 93-81 at Penn State on Tuesday, won 69-60 at home against Rutgers on Saturday and lost 81-79 at Iowa on Feb. 4.
  • Home and road trends: Indiana is 13-1 at home and 4-6 in true road games. Illinois is 12-2 at home and 3-4 in true road games.
  • Last season's records: Indiana went 21-14 overall, 9-11 in Big Ten play, 14-4 at home, 3-8 on the road and 4-2 at neutral sites in 2021-22. The Hoosiers finished ninth in the Big Ten, defeated Wyoming in the NCAA Tournament First Four and lost to Saint Mary's in the Round of 64. Illinois went 23-10 overall, 15-5 in Big Ten play, 13-3 at home, 7-4 on the road and 3-3 at neutral sites in 2021-22. Illinois won a share of the Big Ten regular season title, but lost as a No. 4 seed to No. 5 seed Houston 68-53 in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
  • Series history: Indiana leads the all-time series, 95-91. The Hoosiers have won the last two matchups, at Illinois and in the Big Ten tournament, but the series is tied 5-5 in the last 10 games. The last time a ranked Indiana team played Illinois was on Jan. 3, 2019 when Indiana won 73-65 at Assembly Hall behind 28 points from Romeo Langford. Indiana coach Mike Woodson scored a career-high 48 points in a 72-60 win at Illinois on March 3, 1979. 
  • Last meeting: Indiana won 80-65 at Illinois on Jan. 19, 2023 behind a season-high 35 points from Trayce Jackson-Davis. Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jordan Geronimo and Trey Galloway also scored in double figures as Indiana shot 61.8 percent from the field. Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 26 points, but the Illini shot 38.7 percent overall. This was Indiana's second of five consecutive wins in the final two weeks of January. 

Leading scorers

  • Indiana Hoosiers
    • F Trayce Jackson-Davis: 20.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 3.7 apg, 3.0 bpg
    • G Jalen Hood-Schifino: 12.6 ppg, 4.1 apg, 3.9 rpg, 38.5 3-point FG pct
    • F Miller Kopp: 7.9 ppg, 44.7 3-point FG pct
  • Illinois Fighting Illini
    • G Terrence Shannon Jr.: 17.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 32.3 3-point FG pct
    • F Matthew Mayer: 11.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 37.2 3-point FG pct
    • F Dain Dainja: 10.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 66.9 FG pct
    • G Jayden Epps: 10.0 ppg, 29.7 3-point FG pct
    • F Coleman Hawkins: 9.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 28.2 3-point FG pct

Meet the coaches

  • Brad Underwood, Illinois: In his sixth season at Illinois, Underwood has a 111-73 overall record and a 63-48 mark in Big Ten play. Illinois shared the Big Ten regular season title in 2021-22 and won the Big Ten Tournament in 2020-21 to earn a No. 1 seed, but both seasons ended in a Round of 32 exit in the NCAA Tournament. Before Illinois, Underwood coached at Oklahoma State for one season and went 20-13 with a Round of 64 loss in the NCAA Tournament. He got the Oklahoma State job after going 89-14 overall and 53-1 in the Southland Conference in three seasons as the head coach at Stephen F. Austin. Underwood and the Lumberjacks qualified for three straight NCAA Tournaments and reached the Round of 32 in 2013-14 after upsetting VCU. Underwood played at Hardin-Simmons University, Independence Community College and Kansas State from 1982-86.
  • Mike Woodson, Indiana: In his second season at Indiana, Woodson holds a 39-22 overall record and a 18-17 mark in regular season Big Ten play. Woodson has NBA head coaching experience with the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-10 and the New York Knicks from 2012-14. Dating back to 1996, Woodson has also been an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers. Woodson played at Indiana University from 1976-80, and was named the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player as a senior under coach Bob Knight. He was the 12th overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, and played for various teams from 1980-91, averaging 14 points over 786 games. 
Indiana Hoosiers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (1) shoots the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. 

Indiana Hoosiers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (1) shoots the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. 

Three things to watch in Indiana vs. Illinois

1. A different approach to Jackson-Davis?

Coach Brad Underwood let Dain Dainja and the Illinois forwards guard Trayce Jackson-Davis one-on-one for the vast majority of the game, and it led to 35 points on 15-for-19 shooting. Northwestern gave Indiana serious trouble in the first half with double-teams on Jackson-Davis, so it'll be interesting to see if Illinois utilizes aspects of that approach. It's unrealistic to expect a wholesale change in defensive principles from Illinois, but expect some different looks thrown at Jackson-Davis this time around.

2. Mayer's emergence

Baylor transfer Matthew Mayer was held scoreless for the only time all season in Illinois' first game against Indiana. Underwood said after that game that Mayer was dealing with an illness, and it's clear how big of a difference maker he can be when healthy. Mayer has scored 19 or more points in four games since Jan. 13, and he's shooting 37.2 percent from 3 this year. At 6-foot-9, Mayer's versatility makes for a tough matchup against any opponent, and Saturday's game could be much closer than the first matchup if he's hitting shots. 

3. Supporting cast stepping up

So much of Indiana's offense revolves around the pick-and-roll game between Jackson-Davis and Hood-Schifino. It's been a recipe for success, one that Indiana's offense will continue to lean on, and rightfully so. But in order for Indiana to be at its best, one or two role players have to increase their scoring. In the last two games, Tamar Bates hasn't scored in 34 minutes of action, and Miller Kopp has six combined points.

  • GAME STORY: Indiana made a valiant comeback in the second half of Wednesday's game against Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena, but Boo Buie's game-winner sealed a 64-62 victory for the Wildcats. CLICK HERE
  • IU-NORTHWESTERN COLUMN: Push-offs happen all the time in college basketball, and some are more egregious than others. Boo Buie's move on the game-winner for Northwestern over Indiana on Wednesday was definitely a foul, but it didn't get called. It's a hard spill to swallow, but it could have been avoided, too. CLICK HERE
  • WHAT WOODSON SAID: Hear from Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson following the No. 14 Hoosiers' 64-62 road loss to Northwestern Wednesday night. Read his full transcript, or just watch the attached video. CLICK HERE
  • 'WE'RE THE BEST BACKCOURT IN THE COUNTRY': Senior guards Boo Buie and Chase Audige led Northwestern to wins over No. 1 Purdue and No. 14 Indiana this week, combining for 76 points across the two games. "I think we're the best backcourt in the country," Audige said after the Wildcats 64-62 win over Indiana. CLICK HERE
  • COLLINS ON VULGAR CHANS AT KOPP: Following Northwestern's 64-62 win over Indiana, coach Chris Collins commented on the vulgar chants directed at Miller Kopp, who transferred from Northwestern to Indiana before the 2021-22 season. CLICK HERE
  • PHOTO GALLERY: Take a look at 20 photos from Indiana's 64-62 loss at Northwestern. Down by more than 20 points in the first half, the No. 14 Hoosiers barely fell short in a huge second half comeback. CLICK HERE
  • WATCH TJD'S SLICK PASS TO THOMPSON Watch this highlight of Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis's pass to fellow forward Race Thompson, who puts it up for two in the Hoosiers' game versus Northwestern. CLICK HERE
  • WATCH WOODSON AND HOOSIER BENCH GET TWO TECHNICALS Watch this replay of Indiana basketball's bench and head coach Mike Woodson receiving two technical fouls in the first half of the Hoosiers' matchup with Northwestern Wednesday night. CLICK HERE
  • WATCH JORDAN GERONIMO'S DUNK ON WILDCATS Watch this replay of Hoosier forward Jordan Geronimo dunking on Northwestern for the lead Wednesday night. CLICK HERE
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