LIVE BLOG: Follow Indiana's Game with Northwestern in Real Time
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Welcome to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, where it's game time for the Indiana Hoosiers, who open their Big Ten basketball season tonight against the Northwestern Wildcats.
Indiana concluded the nonconference portion of its schedule with a 5-2 record. They are the last of the 14 Big Ten teams to begin conference play. Northwestern is 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the league, surprising then No. 4-ranked Michigan State on Sunday in Evanston.
We'll keep you updated with all the latest news and opinions in real time as we go through tonight's game. Want to watch? Here's the link to our "HOW TO WATCH'' story that was posted earlier this morning on HoosiersNow.com. CLICK HERE
Keep refreshing to follow along. The latest information will be at the top.
FINAL – Northwestern 74, Indiana 67. Indiana falls to 5-3 overall and 0-1 in the league. That's a tough one. Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 22. STORY AND COLUMN TO COME.
10:40 p.m. ET – Rob Phinisee goes to the line for Indiana with 28.3 seconds left and the Hoosiers down five. Makes them, but Northwestern answers on the other end.
10:35 p.m. ET — Let's go to the videotape. Refs take a look at Chase Audige's three-point attempt and it stands. Northwestern leads 68-63 with 2:29 to go. Franklin answers on the other end.
10:32 p.m. ET – We're at the final media timeout now and it's 65-61 Northwestern with 3:01 to go. Need a big finish here by the Hoosiers to pull this out. They're 4-for-6 from three-point range this half, might need one or two more. Trayce Jackson-Davis scores on a nice move inside, 65-63 now.
10:18 p.m. ET – Indiana's energy level is so much better this half. Simply doing everything better. Saying that, and then they throw up two wild shots in the lane, completely out of control. Northwestern answers on the other end, and just like that, the Wildcats are up by five, at 59-54 with 6:14 to go.
10:09 p.m. ET — An Armaan Franklin three-pointer gives Indiana is first lead since the first few minutes, and Indiana goes up 50-47. Second media timeout (11:07 to go). And that big rebounding disadvantage from earlier for Indiana? It's all gone now. It's 19-each on the boards. Looks like we've got a game on our hands now.
10:07 p.m. ET — Indiana has worked its way all the way back. A three-pointer by Trey Galloway, his second of the night, and then a nice assist by Galloway to Armaan Franklin in transition to tie the game at 47-all with 12:44 to go.
10:01 p.m. ET — The first media timeout and Northwestern is in melt-down mode a little. Four turnovers and two offensive fouls for the Wildcats, and just one basket in four-plus minutes, a three-pointer by Boo Buie. Indiana still trails (40-36) but it's certainly a game now.
9:54 p.m. ET — Here's the guessing that the halftime butt-chewing has worked. Indiana has forced three turnovers already and is on an 8-0 run. It's a one-point game now at 37-36.
MY TWO CENTS: Watching Northwestern play, you can see why it beat Michigan State so easily at home on Sunday, They really move the ball well and get good looks, especially from the perimeter. They're only 3-for-11 from three, but they've missed a lot of wide open shots, too.
HALFTIME – At the turn it's Northwestern 37-28. It'll be interesting to see if that little spurt carries over into the second half. All eight Hoosiers who've played have scored, and Jackson-Davis leads the way with seven points. Miller Kopp and Ryan Young each have eight points for Northwestern.
9:29 p.m. ET — Now Indiana has finally shown up. Trayce Jackson-Davis scores inside, a nice catch-and-shoot three-pointer by Trey Galloway and a runner in the lane by Armaan gets seven straight points for the Hoosiers. 35-28 now.
9:23 p.m ET — Even the cardboard cutouts are booing in Assembly Hall. Northwestern leads 33-21 and nothing on the stat sheet looks good for the Hoosiers at the last media timeout of the half. Just 2-for-8 from three-point range, 3-for-8 from the line, seven turnovers and getting outrebounded 14-10. And don't even get me started on the hustle quotient. One team came to play, the other, I'm not so sure. Northwestern leads 33-21 with 3:40 to go.
9:17 p.m. ET — And now 1-for-5 from the free throw line for Indiana, as Trayce misses the front end of a 1-and-1. Northwestern scores on the other end, 29-15.
9:11 p.m. ET — Consecutive horrible efforts on the defensive end has forced an angry Archie Miller to call timeout. Jerome Hunter gave up a blow-by drive to the basket and then Indiana was slow to get back. Northwestern leads 27-15 with 8:31 to go. Lots of work to do for the Hoosiers.
9:07 p.m. ET — Khristian Lander just hit a much-needed three-pointer from the left corner, which has to be huge for his confidence. The youngster was just 4-for-17 from deep coming into the game.
9:06 p.m. ET — Robbie Beran took a pretty hard fall there for Northwestern and was slow to get up. He's limping off under his own power and his heading straight to the locker room. Looks like an ankle.
9:01 p.m. ET — Northwestern gets a couple of stops and answers. Second media TO and it's Northwestern 18-12 with a Wildcats free throw pending. Indiana really struggling to get any flow going in their offense, and they haven't done very well at all trying to the get the ball inside. Getting killed on the boards (9-3) too. Ugly start for sure.
8:55 p.m. ET – Miller Kopp has a couple of early threes for Northwestern. He's a tough matchup for the Hoosiers. Covers every inch of the floor on the offensive end.
8:51 p.m. ET — Very sloppy start to this one on both sides. Indiana has already missed three free throws and kicked away a rebound when Al Durham and Trayce Jackson-Davis ran into each other. It's the first media timeout and Northwestern leads 8-7.
8:43 p.m. ET — If you're scoring at home, congratulations. And put down two for Trayce Jackson-Davis as the Hoosiers strike first.
8:40 p.m. ET — Indiana closes as a 9-point favorite, with the over/under at 140.5. Still stunned by that, my pay Walter Ego says,
8:35 p.m. ET — And here's the five for Northwestern.
8:30 p.m. ET — It's the same five in the starting blocks for the Hoosiers tonight. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson up front, with guards Rob Phinisee, Al Durham and Armaan Franklin on the perimeter.
8:15 p.m. ET – It's just friends and family here again at Assembly Hall, and even though it's the third home game played this way now, it still seems so strange. I know there are thousands of you out there who wish you were here. I'll do my best to be your eyes and ears.
8 p.m. ET – The Hoosiers have hit the floor, and once again, senior center Joey Brunk is in street clothes. He's now missed the first eight games with a back injury.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE: Despite no fans in the stands, the home teams are still dominating play in the Big Ten, just like always. The hosts are 7-1 so far in league games through Tuesday night. CLICK HERE
- QUICK LEARNING CURVE: A tough nonconference schedule has Indiana well prepared for whatever the Big Ten throws at them this season. Tom Brew column. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA SCHEDULE AND MORE: Here is Indiana's complete men's basketball schedule, including links to the game stories and Tom Brew columns from the first seven games of the season. CLICK HERE
