Jack’s Take: Can Mike Woodson Snap Winless Streak Against Northwestern?

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Northwestern hasn’t been the best or most skilled team in the Big Ten the last three seasons. The same is true this year.

But through 75 Big Ten regular season and tournament games, it’s the only conference opponent Indiana coach Mike Woodson has played but not beaten. That list could expand later this season as Woodson still hasn’t faced three of the west coast newcomers.

Since taking over at his alma mater in 2021-22, Woodson is 0-4 against the Wildcats, with two losses in Bloomington and two in Evanston, Ill. And due to conference expansion, he’ll only get one chance this season barring a postseason matchup.

Woodson and the Hoosiers head to Evanston for a 7 p.m. ET tipoff against Northwestern Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena, airing on the Big Ten Network. Indiana’s season hit a low point with a pair of 25-point losses to Iowa and Illinois, but it bounced back with a 77-76 overtime win at Ohio State to improve to 14-5 overall and 5-3 in Big Ten play.

The Hoosiers are in the midst of perhaps their most challenging stretch of the season. Wednesday’s game is Indiana’s second of five road trips in a seven-game stretch, and four of its next six come against ranked opponents. It’s also one of 10 opportunities to pick up a Quad 1 win in an 11-game run.

Every game is important at this time of the year for Indiana, one of the first four teams out in Joe Lunardi’s latest NCAA Tournament Bracketology, which tabs Northwestern the 12th team out. Facing an opponent it hasn’t beaten since the 2020-21 season only adds to the stakes.

It’s somewhat of an anomaly that Northwestern has been such a thorn in Woodson’s side. Indiana has eight wins over top-25 opponents under Woodson, but Northwestern has never been ranked in four matchups against Woodson’s Hoosiers. Northwestern isn’t ranked for this year’s game either, but KenPom favors the Wildcats by three points and gives them a 64% chance of victory.

Brooks Barnhizer Northwestern — Northwestern guard Brooks Barnhizer (13) and Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako (21) reach for the ball at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Team success has been similar, too. Both have two NCAA Tournament appearances and wins over the last three seasons. They have identical 31-29 records in regular-season Big Ten play and 40 losses overall, though Indiana has four more total wins.

Northwestern was 50 spots higher than Indiana in the final KenPom rankings last year, but Indiana had the edge the two previous seasons by eight and 39 spots, respectively. Beginning with last season’s Big Ten standings, the Wildcats have finished third, second and 13th. The Hoosiers have finished sixth, third and ninth.

There hasn’t been much separation from an individual standpoint, either. Both have had first-team All-Big Ten players, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis and Northwestern’s Boo Buie. Hoosiers like Jalen Hood-Schifino and Kel’el Ware made the third-team All-Big Ten, while Chase Audige made the second team and Brooks Barnhizer made the third team for the Wildcats.

Perhaps the most notable difference comes with coaching accolades. Northwestern coach Chris Collins won the 2023 Jim Phelan national coach of the year and was also named Big Ten coach of the year. Woodson hasn’t won any conference or national coaching awards at Indiana.

Woodson’s first matchup against Northwestern may have been a bad omen for this series. He suspended five Hoosiers – Xavier Johnson, Parker Stewart, Tamar Bates, Khristian Lander and Michael Durr – for breaking team rules ahead of their game at Welsh-Ryan Arena in 2022.

“I’m building a culture here,” Woodson said back then. “I’m not here to mess around with guys that don’t want to do what’s asked of them. If they don’t want to do it, they’ve got to go. I want to bring players in here that wear that uniform proudly, do all the necessary things on and off the court.”

Race Thompson Indiana — Indiana's Race Thompson (25) and Northwestern's Chase Audige (1) go for a rebound at Welsh-Ryan Arena. | David Banks-Imagn Images

That left Indiana with a starting lineup of Trey Galloway, Anthony Leal, Miller Kopp, Race Thompson and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Two bench players, Jordan Geronimo and walk-on Nate Childress, combined for just 20 minutes. Jackson-Davis finished an uncharacteristic 4 for 13 from the field in an ugly, physical game that saw the Hoosiers shoot just 37%.

Northwestern was even worse at 31.9% from the field and 5 for 27 from 3-point range, but Buie led the Wildcats with 18 points on their way to a 59-51 win over the shorthanded Hoosiers.

The following three matchups came down to the wire. Indiana, ranked No. 15 in the nation at the time, got massive individual performances on Jan. 8, 2023, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Hood-Schifino scored 33 points, and Jackson-Davis racked up 18 points, 24 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks while playing all 40 minutes.

Buie and Audige torched the Hoosiers with 45 combined points and led by 13 points with 4:24 to play. Hood-Schifino made two 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds, and Trey Galloway banked in a three-quarter-court shot at the buzzer. But the Hoosiers’ comeback fell just short in an 84-83 loss.

The next leg on Feb. 15, 2023, in Evanston will be remembered by many for Buie’s heroics and profanities chanted loudly throughout the game at Kopp, who transferred to Indiana after three seasons at Northwestern. The Wildcats led by 19 points at halftime. But Jackson-Davis scored 18 second-half points and tied the game with 28 seconds to play, only to be topped by a buzzer-beating floater from Buie to secure Northwestern’s 64-62 win.

Boo Buie Northwestern — Northwestern guard Boo Buie (0) shoots the game-winning basket over Indiana at Welsh-Ryan Arena. | David Banks-Imagn Images

In the lone matchup last season at Assembly Hall, Ryan Langborg scored 26 points, including a pair of second-half 3-pointers and six free throws in the final minute to ice the 76-72 win. Indiana's four losses to Northwestern under Woodson have come by just 15 combined points.

Indiana will find relief in the fact that Buie graduated after going 5-2 against the Hoosiers in his five-year college career and becoming Northwestern’s all-time leading scorer. Not having a dynamic guard like Buie, who could score anywhere on the floor and lived for the big moment, seems to have lowered Northwestern’s ceiling. But it’s still an opponent that can give Indiana trouble.

Northwestern is off to its worst start since Buie’s third season in 2021-22, before he broke out as an All-Big Ten player the following two seasons. The Wildcats are 11-7 overall, with nonconference losses to Dayton and Butler and a 2-5 start in Big Ten play. They’re No. 51 in the NET rankings and have a 2-6 record in Quad 1 games, similar to No. 61 Indiana at 2-5.

Northwestern took No. 21 Michigan down to the wire Sunday in Ann Arbor but lost 80-76 in overtime. Like they’ve done all season, 6-foot-6 senior guard Brooks Barnhizer and 6-foot-7 junior forward Nick Martinelli led the Wildcats with 21 and 20 points, respectively, to continue their All-Big Ten trajectory.

Senior 7-footer Matthew Nicholson tied his career-high with 16 offensive rebounds in a tough matchup against Michigan 7-footers Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf. Fifth-year senior guard Jalen Leach has been an important transfer portal addition from Fairfield after losing Buie, as he’s averaging 13.7 points on 36.1% 3-point shooting.

Northwestern doesn’t have the same star power without Buie, and it’s on pace to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022. But it does many things well that have become expectations from a Collins-coached team. The roster has changed a bit, but the identity has stayed the same.

The Wildcats will defend hard for 40 minutes, ranked No. 23 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. They’ll take care of the ball and force turnovers, ranked top-50 nationally in offensive and defensive turnover percentage.

“You can't go in there with a soft attitude or a soft mind,” Woodson said. “Because I mean, they're gonna force you to play hard and you gotta meet that physicality because if you don't, it could be a long night. That's where I think the game is gonna be won tomorrow.”

Northwestern may have taken a step back from the last two seasons, but Indiana can’t look past any opponent and needs all the wins it can get at this point in the season, especially on the road. As Indiana sits just outside the NCAA Tournament picture in late January, another chance for Woodson to snap his winless streak against Northwestern comes at a crucial time.

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