What Chris Collins Said After Northwestern's 76-72 Win Over Indiana
Northwestern picked up a significant road win over Indiana on Sunday, with the Wildcats defeating the Hoosiers 76-72 at Assembly Hall.
Road wins are hard to come by in the Big Ten this season, and Northwestern coach Chris Collins is well aware of the fact. The Wildcats got tremendous effort from multiple players in the win.
Nick Martinelli and Matthew Nicholson both recorded double-doubles, Ryan Langborg led the way in scoring with 26 points and Boo Buie contributed 14.
Here's what Collins had to say following Northwestern's win over Indiana.
Collins' opening statement ...
Collins: "Needless to say, this was a huge, huge win for our team. We've gone through a lot of adversity the last week-and-a-half. And to be able to come here on short rest against a team we really respect — the talent and the coaching. You're on the road, one of tougher venues to play in. They've been sitting around, they had eight days off to prepare for us. ... Huge win for us, really proud of these guys. Road wins are precious in this league. It's crazy in the Big Ten this year. I think they said over the radio there's only been 30 wins on the road out of 100 games. Which is crazy just how hard it is to win on the road. We're gonna cherish this one, get rested up and get ready for the next."
On second chance points ...
Collins: "They have one of the elite shot-blockers in the country in Kel'el Ware. What happens a lot with an elite shot-blocker is he's coming over to block everything. One of the things we talked about with our bigs was be ready on the back side. Because if he isn't able to block the shot and the shot is missed, you're a free rebounder on the back side. I thought that was a big reason Matt (Nicholson) had free rein to be able to get to the offensive board. ... 14 offensive rebounds is huge, and then only turning overs three times. That's huge.
On the play of Nick Martinelli ...
Collins: "Well, Nick's a baller. I said coming into the year I knew he was gonna be an (important) part. I really thought he was gonna take on role — like our team last year, kinda the role Brooks (Barnhizer) was playing. Brooks was our sixth man last year but he ended up playing starter minutes. Kinda came off the bench and subbed for everybody. I envisioned that for Nick coming into the year. He was hurt early in the season — he had a broken foot early and kinda got him off to a slow start, but as he's gotten healthy and he's gotten back, he's showing he's unique. ... He's not afraid. He's a baller. He's played in big games, he's not afraid. ... Just giving us size on our front line and I think it's really helped us take away some other teams second-chance points against us."
On Matt Nicholson's double-double ...
Collins: "You know, Matty will be the first to tell you, slower start to the season. He kinda had some injury issues he was going through. He wasn't in peak condition and he's really worked hard to get himself in that kinda shape where he's running the floor and moving. To see him getting back — that was shades of last year when he was getting those slip-dogs, moving a lot better. I think because of that his confidence is growing. That jump hook shot near the end was one of the bigger shots of the game. He's our presence. We need his physicality. ... Everyone on our team knows how important he is."
On pulling away from Indiana without Boo Buie ...
Collins: "First and foremost, I thought the defense was awesome during that stretch. I thought Ryan and Nick, during that stretch, kept us afloat offensively. I felt like those two guys were the ones scoring. But I thought our defense — I thought Blake Smith and Justin coming in, they're two 6-foot-5 athletic kids, they have length. I thought they were able to create some havoc, we got some turnovers. I think we picked a couple fouls on Reneau to get him to three fouls, so he could never really be the factor he could be, such a great player. But there's no question, that stretch of the game — you're up one, Boo goes to the bench with two fouls and then Brooks gets his second. I'm not a coach who sits guys a whole half. I was gonna put those guys back in if need be. But that group played so well and we got a lead and we were able to rest those guys the rest of the half."
On Ryan Lagborg's shooting success ...
Collins: "I knew he was a shooter. ... We knew what we were getting. The day he said he was coming to Northwestern I was jumping for joy because he was what we needed with the way our team was constructed. We needed what Ryan could bring and because of his personality, it's been a seamless fit. It's not always easy with the grad transfers, it's not a quick marriage. But he's fit in since Day 1. ... We're gonna need more of this in the last five games."
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- GAME STORY: Indiana's struggles shooting the ball continued to be a problem, and it was prevalent again in a 76-72 loss to Northwestern at Assembly Hall on Sunday in a game that wasn't that close. Indiana is now 14-11 on the year, and it's now just 1-3 in its last four home games. CLICK HERE
- WHAT MIKE WOODSON SAID: Here's what Indiana coach Mike Woodson said following Indiana's 76-72 home loss to Northwestern on Sunday. CLICK HERE
- TJD RETURNING TO ASSEMBLY HALL: Indiana hosts Northwestern Sunday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and Indiana All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis will be there to watch his former team. CLICK HERE
- MEET THE OPPONENT, NORTHWESTERN: The Indiana Hoosiers host the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday in a key Big Ten matchup. Here's everything you need to know about the Wildcats ahead of this weekend's tilt. CLICK HERE
- BROWN VISITING IU: Mikel Brown Jr., one of the nation's top-ranked point guards in the class of 2025, has an unofficial visit scheduled to Indiana on Sunday. CLICK HERE
