Indiana-Northwestern: Blackmon Jr.'s Resurgence and the Great Wall of Stops

CHICAGO — Indiana basketball returned to form Thursday night, stopping a three-game conference dirge with a strong, first-round Big Ten Tournament showing against the Northwestern Wildcats in front of a friendly crowd at the United Center.

There were stops (Defense! It lives!). There was the Dr. Jekyll version of James Blackmon Jr. (He drove! Successfully!). And there was "the scare," with Hanner Mosquera-Perea’s knee again becoming a big concern for a team that needs every large-ish body it can stack sideways as it scratches its way back into the NCAA tournament. 

These were the major storylines and difference-makers in Indiana’s 71-56 win over Northwestern, a game where Tom Crean’s team gained reentry into the orbit of Big Ten teams worth the price of admission. Let’s get into it:

The Great Wall of Stops

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Indiana managed to put together a stretch of 11 consecutive stops in the first half.

It’s difficult to overstate how much that defensive stand meant to Indiana players, who have been ridden all year for their inability to resist anything resembling a human body from entering the paint and scoring at will. 

According to Blackmon Jr., that lengthy run of solid defense accounted for nearly half of the stops needed to make the Hoosiers bulletproof.

“We want to get three stops, at least nine times...or seven times a game,” Blackmon Jr. said after the game. “When we do that, we haven’t lost this season.”

The Great Wall of Stops was built with rebounds, effort and, admittedly, a large shipment of Northwestern ineptitude (the Wildcats shot 33 percent from the floor, 27 percent from three in the first). 

Wildcats guard Tre Demps pushed the pace early, rushing down the floor and matching Yogi Ferrell’s breakneck offensive stylings. Unlike past games, however, the Hoosiers managed to retreat and defend as quickly as they charged.

Colin Hartman, lunchpail warrior and eternal bearer of the blue collar, pegged the defensive success on effort.

“We really got after it defensively,” Hartman said. “[This] is the best we have played defensively in a while...We had that edge. We had a couple great days of practice...and the entire team has come together...you have confidence in the guy next to you.”

When Northwestern did find daylight, its shots missed badly and were inevitably devoured by Troy Williams, who managed 12 rebounds on the game and at one point had nine to Northwestern’s team tally of 16. 

Williams said that his rebounds came down to banging. Being small means leveling thing out by banging as hard as possible.

“Every game you have to get in there and bang, you know,” Williams said. “We’re not the biggest...it’s all effort. Just making the effort to get in there.”

Blackmon on Fire

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Just when you thought the spark was waning, that Blackmon Jr. was content to sleepwalk his way to 15 points on 18 shots every night, he rouses himself, puts on a Jason Voorhees mask and paints a masterpiece with a defense’s innards.

Five-for-10 on threes. Four-for-five at the line. Seven assists.  

This is what Blackmon Jr. can do for you, and with the added efficiency of a lone turnover on the night, the Indiana’s star freshman is reverting to killer at the best time possible for the Hoosiers.

The most encouraging sign is Blackmon Jr.‘s dribble drive. The freshman entered the lane at will against the Wildcats, which he knows is the key to all things good and holy in the Indiana offense.

“We feel like if we’re getting into the paint...we have a higher percent of making [all] shots,” Blackmon Jr. said. “Getting into the lane was part of our game plan. And it worked.”

Hanner Down

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Far and away the most concerning moment of Thursday night for the Hoosiers was the sight of Mosquera-Perea on the ground, clutching his braced knee and screaming in pain.

The Colombian transplant crumpled to the floor after all 7’0” and 270 pounds of Wildcats center Alex Olah fell into his right leg under the basket. Vine user Jim Weber posted video of the incident. Do not watch this if you have eaten recently:

The moment left the United Center spookily quiet, and after several minutes, Mosquera-Perea rose and walked gingerly down the tunnel with the help of team trainers.

Some called it a flop on Olah’s part, but the only thing that matters now is the health of that knee, previously injured this season in practice. Mosquera-Perea’s absence is disguisable, but Indiana doesn’t have the bodies to survive long in any single-elimination format without him. 

Crean says the extent of the injury and Mosquera-Perea’s future availability remain up in the air.

“It’s too early to tell,” Crean said. “He aggravated an earlier injury. He’s being X-rayed I believe, here...Whatever needs to happen to help him, it’ll happen and we hope for the best.”

It's good advice. Hoping for the best is old hat now for Indiana fans.

Between lingering defensive questions, a new injury and the shrug that is the team's tournament chances, no one can do more than hold out hope that just enough happens—or doesn’t happen—for the Hoosiers to continue playing in March.

Indiana will play Maryland Friday at 6:30 pm ET. These teams know each other well, and Indiana will need to build a wall of stops or a wall of points to slip into the semifinals and ring up its second win of the year on the Terrapins.

Dan is Trending Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. For several hours every week from November to March, he transforms into an irrational monster who yells at men in candy striped pants.