3 Instant Takeaways from Indiana Basketball's 72-68 Loss to Northwestern

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — By the time his left arm emphatically swung forward, Darian DeVries had already yelled a ringing, “Come on,” to the five Indiana men’s basketball players stationed on the south side of Branch McCracken Court.

“Let’s go,” DeVries yelled. “Come on.”

Leading by 9 points less than six minutes into the second half, DeVries stood with his hands on his hips, watching as the Hoosiers teetered on the brink of complete control over Northwestern. Then, Wildcats freshman guard Jake West drove to the rim and, without much contest, made a layup to quiet DeVries and the Hoosiers’ crowd.

Two offensive possessions later, fans inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall rose to their feet with the Hoosiers again seeking their first double-digit lead since the early part of the second half. But after a deflected pass, discombobulated possession and out-of-bounds turnover before the shot clock could do the same, energy again left the building.

Such was Tuesday night for Indiana — it wasn’t always pretty or smooth, didn’t often go according to plan and, ultimately, ended in disappointment.

Indiana (17-11, 8-9 Big Ten) saw its two-game losing streak extend to three with a 72-68 loss to Northwestern (12-16, 4-13 Big Ten) on Tuesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

Here are three quick takeaways from the Hoosiers' loss.

Questionable whistle — or lack thereof — draws DeVries' ire

There were a pair of questionable calls in the final 10 seconds that drew criticism from Indiana's side.

Trailing by 3 points, sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway made a layup with 8 seconds remaining through contact from West. Conerway and Indiana's bench appeared to believe he was fouled. When Conerway fouled West on the ensuing out-of-bounds play, he glanced at the official and expressed frustration.

Then, on Indiana's next possession, sixth-year senior forward Tucker DeVries appeared to get fouled on a 3-point attempt while the Hoosiers trailed 71-68. Tucker DeVries, Darian DeVries, the Hoosiers' bench and the fans in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall all groaned for a foul.

It never came. Darian DeVries pointed and yelled at the official and, if only for a second, needed a quick tug from Conerway as he'd exited his coaches box.

Indiana's second half woes rear ugly head again

After junior guard Nick Dorn's triple pushed Indiana's lead to 12 points in the first half, the Hoosiers had a chance to put away Northwestern long before the clock hit zero. Indiana didn't capitalize.

Northwestern, led by senior guard Nick Martinelli's 28 points and West's 16 points, kept punching. And the Hoosiers' offense went silent. They didn't make a field goal for nine-and-a-half minutes. They missed 11 consecutive shots.

Indiana blew a double-digit second-half lead against Nebraska and nearly lost after blowing similar leads against Purdue, UCLA and Wisconsin. The Hoosiers have a finishing problem, and it once again appeared Tuesday night.

Indiana's Northwestern curse continues, NCAA Tournament hopes take hit

The Hoosiers have, historically, dominated the Wildcats. They entered with a 119-58 advantage in the all-time series. But prior to Tuesday night, Northwestern had won five consecutive games, and Indiana's last victory over the Wildcats came Feb. 10, 2021.

The spell, which spanned the entirety of previous coach Mike Woodson's tenure, appeared poised to end Tuesday. It didn't.

Indiana needed to win Tuesday for reasons stretching beyond its inexplicable drought against Northwestern. The Hoosiers, after losing by 20 points at Illinois on Feb. 15 and by 29 points at Purdue on Feb. 20, were in need of a proverbial get-right game to regain momentum and steady their NCAA Tournament hopes.

A chance at victory arrived. The train toward March Madness appeared back on track. Then, it went off the rails.