Indiana Gets All It Can Handle at Assembly in Victory over Northwestern

When you think Northwestern basketball, you don’t exactly think powerhouse, but tonight the Wildcats gave the Hoosiers all they can handle.

In a game with huge implications for the tournament of 68 and the Big Ten tournament, Indiana was able to buckle down in the second half and close this one out, winning by five.

It wasn’t pretty; that’s for sure when you look at the stat book. Indiana, who normally lives by the three-point shot, was only able to show 15 percent tonight, down a lot from its season average of 43 percent. The Hoosiers also didn’t get the consistency that we normally see from the starters in terms of scoring.

Not to say that the team didn’t do its job; it was more the Cody Zeller and Christian Watford show tonight, with the rest of the guys playing second fiddle.

I was impressed again by the play of Zeller, but also Watford caught my attention once again. I’m not sure he gets enough love for what he can do. I also believe he needs to continue to take charge for that team.

With his height and ability to dribble the ball, he becomes an instant matchup problem for most teams. He also can be that deadly strike from the outside as he can light it up from beyond the arc if called upon.

He will become a key player as they get down the stretch. I will expect coach Tom Crean to lean on the junior to be the star along with Zeller.

Northwestern did all it could to win this game. The Wildcats actually had the lead numerous times. Indiana has only lost once at home this year but as I watched this game, I began to think the second one was close to happening.

What impressed me about tonight was IU’s ability to find other ways to score. In the first half, the Hoosiers had 24 of their 37 points in the paint. Impressive number because if you think about it, on a good night that opens up Jordan Hulls and the rest of the crew behind the arc.

This win will keep Indiana within 2.5 games of the Big Ten leader Ohio State. I said weeks ago that Indiana could make a run for the Big Ten title, but of course the Hoosiers need some help along the way. It seems a bit out of reach in my eyes.

If IU falls a bit short, it can look at two games that should have “W’s” instead of an “L” next to them. Those games are the loss at Nebraska by one and the home loss to Minnesota. What stings about the Nebraska loss is that IU let a 13-point lead slip away in the second half.

Looking ahead at the final five games of the schedule for IU, I believe it should win the next two. The Hoosiers hit the road to play Iowa Sunday night. Iowa gave the Hoosiers a run for their money in Bloomington.

Remember, Indiana had to score 103 points to pull this one out. Next the Hoosiers get a home non-conference game against North Carolina Central.

This will be a good game for Crean to get back to basics and correct what needs to be fixed and also to keep the guys in a groove before they head to Minnesota.

After that, the Hoosiers finish with two of the better teams in the conference. They get a home game against Michigan State, who will be fighting for conference championship rights as well. The Hoosiers then end with Purdue coming to town.

The Michigan State game will be interesting only because it’s a home game for the Hoosiers. When they are home, anything is possible. I’ll have that one circled on my calendar.

The rest of the way will be fun for IU, who have far exceeded anyone’s predictions this year. Enjoy the trip.

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