How to Watch No. 14 Indiana Basketball Against Northwestern on Wednesday
EVANSTON, Ill. – Indiana seeks revenge on Wednesday when it battles Northwestern for second place in the Big Ten standings.
The Wildcats defeated Indiana 84-83 in their first matchup at Assembly Hall on Jan. 8, and they're coming off a 64-58 win over No. 1 Purdue on Sunday. The Hoosiers have won eight of their last nine games, rising to No. 14 in the AP poll afters wins over Rutgers and Michigan last week.
"It's going to be a dogfight," Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. "They're playing in front of their crowd, their fan base. I'm just anxious to see what we made of when we get there."
- *** LIVE BLOG: And once the game starts, follow all the action on our live blog from HoosiersNow.com writer Jack Ankony. To read that story, CLICK HERE.
How to watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. Northwestern Wildcats
- Who: No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers (18-7, 9-5) at Northwestern Wildcats (18-7, 9-5)
- What: Winner claims sole possession of second place in the Big Ten
- When: 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 15
- Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,039) in Evanston, Ill.
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Announcers: Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst)
- 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 2-point favorite, and the over/under is set at 134 points, according to the SI Sportsbook.
- 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. Northwestern received votes this week, but has not beeN ranked at any point this season.
- KenPom rankings: Indiana is No. 19 overall in the KenPom rankings as of Tuesday night. The Hoosiers are No. 37 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 21 in adjusted offensive efficiency. Northwestern is ranked No. 47 overall, No. 25 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 98 in adjusted offensive efficiency.
- Season projections: Indiana has the second-best odds to win Big Ten regular season title at plus-1300, behind Purdue at minus-1600. Indiana has the eighth-best odds to reach the Final Four at plus-450 and the eighth-best odds to win the National Championship at plus-2000, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Last three games: Indiana won 62-61 at Michigan on Saturday, beat No. 24 Rutgers 66-60 on Tuesday and defeated No. 1 Purdue 79-74 on Feb. 4 Northwestern beat No. 1 Purdue 64-58 on Sunday, won 69-63 at Ohio State on Thursday and won 54-52 at Wisconsin on Feb. 5.
- Home and road trends: Indiana is 13-1 at home and 4-5 in true road games. Northwestern is 11-4 at home and 6-2 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. Northwestern went 15-16 overall, 7-13 in Big Ten play, 10-6 at home, 3-8 on the road and 2-2 at neutral sites in 2021-22. Northwestern finished 12th in the Big Ten, and their season ended with a 112-76 loss to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament.
- Series history: Indiana leads the all-time series, 120-54. It's an even 5-5 split in the last 10 matchups, and Indiana has a 22-16 advantage since 2000. Northwestern is 7-3 against Indiana in the last 10 games at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Indiana won 26 consecutive games against Northwestern from Feb. 11, 1988 to Jan. 15, 2003. Indiana coach Mike Woodson averaged 20.3 points in six games against the Wildcats. Before Indiana's last game at Northwestern, a 59-51 loss, coach Mike Woodson suspended five players for violating team rules.
- Last meeting: Northwestern defeated Indiana 84-83 on Jan. 8, 2023 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. The Wildcats led by 17 in the first half, but Indiana trimmed the deficit to seven points at halftime. Northwestern extended the lead back to 16 points with 12:15 left in the second half, and it even led by 13 points with three minutes remaining. Indiana made a storming comeback in the final minutes and Trey Galloway hit a half-court shot at the buzzer, but Indiana lost by one point. The Hoosiers' defense struggled mightily against Northwestern's Boo Buie and Chase Audige, who combined for 45 points. Indiana freshman point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino scored a career-high 33 points, and Trayce Jackson-Davis added 18 points and 24 rebounds. The Hoosiers went 9-for-18 from the 3-point line, but their defense was shaky all game without Race Thompson and Xavier Johnson.
Leading scorers
- Indiana Hoosiers
- F Trayce Jackson-Davis: 20.2 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 3.5 apg, 3.0 bpg
- G Jalen Hood-Schifino: 12.6 ppg, 4.2 apg, 3.9 rpg, 39.2 3-point FG pct
- F Miller Kopp: 8.1 ppg, 45.5 3-point FG pct
- Northwestern Wildcats
- G Boo Buie: 16.6 ppg, 4.4 apg, 3.4 rpg, 29.1 3-point FG pct
- G Chase Audige: 15.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.5 spg, 33.3 3-point FG pct
- G Ty Berry: 8.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 30.1 3-point FG pct
- F Robbie Beran: 8.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 35.3 3-point FG pct
Meet the coaches
- Chris Collins, Northwestern: In his 10th season at Northwestern, Collins holds a 149–157 overall record and a 63-118 record in Big Ten play. He took Northwestern to its first ever NCAA Tournament during the 2016-17 season. The Wildcats earned a No. 8 seed and defeated Vanderbilt 68-66 in the Round of 64 before losing to No. 1 seed Gonzaga. Under Collins, Northwestern has finished 9th or worst in the Big Ten in eight of his first nine seasons. Collins was an assistant for the Detroit Shock for one season and Seton Hall for three seasons before working as an assistant for Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski from 2000-13. Collins also played for Krzyzewski at Duke from 1992-96.
- Mike Woodson, Indiana: In his second season at Indiana, Woodson holds a 39-21 overall record and a 18-16 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's Malik Reneau (5) celebrates during the second half of the Indiana versus Michigan State men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023.
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
Three things to watch in Indiana vs. Northwestern
1. Northwestern's streaky shooting
Boo Buie and Chase Audige form one of the top backcourts in Big Ten this season, leading Northwestern to second place in the conference. But this duo, and Northwestern as a whole, hasn't been efficient on the offensive end. Northwestern's 40.9 field goal percentage ranks last in the Big Ten, and its top four scorers each shoot below 40 percent. Indiana had no defensive answer for Buie and Audige in the first matchup at Assembly Hall, as they combined for 45 points. The Hoosiers have turned up the defensive intensity in recent weeks and look much more cohesive, as they've learned to play without Xavier Johnson and Race Thompson, two of their best defenders.
2. Physical double-teams on Jackson-Davis
Northwestern sent constant double-teams at Purdue center Zach Edey during Sunday's 64-58 win. Edey still managed 24 points and eight rebounds, but he turned the ball over six times. Edey got fouled nine times, but Purdue coach Matt Painter said the amount of fouls could have been doubled or tripled. Northwestern will surely use a similar approach against Jackson-Davis, who's averaging 23.3 points, 13.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.3 blocks in his last 12 games. Matthew Nicholson, a 7-foot junior center, will start on Jackson-Davis, but expect help from Robbie Beran, Tydus Verhoeven and others.
3. Jalen Hood-Schifino versus veterans
Indiana's freshman point guard had arguably his best game of the season despite a loss in the first matchup against Northwestern. He scored a career-high 33 points on 12-for-17 shooting, including a 5-for-7 mark from 3-point land. He added three assists and three rebounds, but six turnovers proved costly. Hood-Schifino has scored at least 16 points in three of his last five games and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, but he also had a rough 1-for-14 shooting night at Maryland on Jan. 31. His play against Buie and Audige will be crucial to Indiana's chances.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- KOPP RETURNS TO NORTHWESTERN: Miller Kopp played his first three seasons at Northwestern before transferring to Indiana last year, and Wednesday's matchup could be the last chance to beat his former team. CLICK HERE
- WOODSON'S RADIO SHOW: Indiana coach Mike Woodson appeared on his weekly radio show 'Inside Indiana Basketball' on Monday night with play-by-play broadcaster Don Fischer. Woodson recapped Indiana's wins over Rutgers and Michigan, and looked ahead to Wednesday's game at Northwestern. CLICK HERE
- BUIE, AUDIGE LEAD NORTHWESTERN: Northwestern was picked to finish 13th in the Big Ten, but the Wildcats enter Wednesday's game tied for second place after beating No. 1 Purdue. Veteran guards Boo Buie and Chase Audige are a major reason for Northwestern's success, and they have Indiana coach Mike Woodson's focus ahead of Wednesday's battle for second place in the Big Ten. CLICK HERE
- CHRIS COLLINS PREVIEWS INDIANA: Northwestern coach Chris Collins appeared on the Big Ten Network on Monday following the Wildcats' 64-58 win over No. 1 Purdue on Sunday. Here's what Collins said regarding Wednesday's matchup against No. 14 Indiana. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN WEEKLY AWARDS: Indiana star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis earned his fourth consecutive Big Ten Player of the Week award on Monday, and point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. CLICK HERE
- NATIONAL MEDIA COMMENTS ON INDIANA: Indiana has won eight of its last nine games, drawing praise from college basketball analysts throughout the country. Here's where the Hoosiers stack up in various power rankings released on Monday, as well as comments from the national media on Indiana. CLICK HERE
- AP TOP 25: Indiana basketball climbed four spots in this week's Associated Press Top-25 poll, coming in at No. 14. Purdue dropped to No. 3 after Sunday's loss at Northwestern, and Alabama claimed its first No. 1 ranking of the season. Indiana and Purdue are the only Big Ten team's in this week's rankings. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN TITLE RACE ALIVE: No. 1-ranked Purdue got beat again on Sunday, losing at Northwestern, and suddenly Indiana is just two games out of first in the Big Ten race. Can winning a title really be a real thing? CLICK HERE
