3 Things To Watch As Indiana Travels To Northwestern

The Hoosiers look to pick up their third road win in conference play Wednesday night against a physical Northwestern team with the Big Ten’s leading scorer, Nick Martinelli.

Jack Ankony | Jan 21, 2025

Northwestern's Nick Martinelli (2) rebounds the ball against Indiana's Mackenzie Mgbako (21) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

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Indiana Hoosiers

Just as Indiana’s season took a turn for the worse with two straight 25-point losses to Iowa and Illinois, the Hoosiers got up off the mat with a 77-76 overtime win Friday at Ohio State.

That three-game stretch reflects Indiana’s up-and-down season. The Hoosiers have what looks like a strong 14-5 overall record, and they’re tied for fifth in the Big Ten standings with a 5-3 record in conference play. But all four of Indiana’s losses have been by 16-plus points, and its resume lacks a marquee win.

All 12 conference games are crucial to Indiana’s NCAA Tournament hopes as February nears, and that final stretch begins at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday at Northwestern. Indiana coach Mike Woodson is 0-4 against the Wildcats since the 2021-22 season, but those games have been decided by a total of 15 points.

In its 12th season under coach Chris Collins, Northwestern is 11-7 overall and 2-5 in Big Ten play after losing 80-76 in overtime Sunday at No. 20 Michigan. Here are three things to watch as the Hoosiers take on the Wildcats.

1. Can Indiana match Northwestern’s toughness?

Collins has built an identity with the Northwestern basketball program. Year in and year out, his teams can be counted on to play tough, physical defense for all 40 minutes, dive for loose balls and play with effort on the glass. The Wildcats rank 24th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, their second-best mark in the last six seasons on KenPom. They also average 17.9 fouls per game, which ranks 97th nationally out of 364 teams.

That style of play makes some teams uncomfortable, as Northwestern ranks 45th in opponent turnover percentage. Shying away from Northwestern’s physicality would only make matters worse for Indiana. The Hoosiers have to come prepared for a hard-fought game.

“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.”

2. Who will guard Nick Martinelli?

You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who predicted Northwestern junior forward Nick Martinelli would lead the Big Ten in scoring this season. But even in a conference with several future lottery picks and perennial All-Big Ten players, that’s exactly what he’s done late into January, averaging 20 points per game.

Martinelli uses good footwork and quickness to get around taller defenders and score in the paint, but at 6-foot-7 he’s also able to back down or shoot mid-range jumpers over smaller defenders. Most of Martinelli’s scoring is done inside the arc, where he shoots 51.6%. But he’s also an efficient 3-point shooter at 41.3% on 2.6 attempts per game. He does a good job of drawing fouls, too, ranking sixth in the Big Ten with 6.1 free throw attempts per game.

Nick Martinelli put up 27 points in upset over No. 19 Illinois 😮‍💨

See the 'Cat's highlights 👇#B1GMBBall x @NUMensBball pic.twitter.com/2utQwABPmE
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) December 7, 2024

Martinelli is a tough matchup for a lot of teams, and Indiana is no exception. Based on the players available in recent games, Mackenzie Mgbako and Luke Goode would likely spend most of the time guarding Martinelli. That would be an advantage for Northwestern, because neither are great defenders.

Malik Reneau was Indiana’s starting power forward prior to suffering a knee injury on Jan. 2, but Woodson said Tuesday Reneau has done some work recently. It sounded like a return is possible against Northwestern or in the next few games. Reneau might be a better option against Martinelli than Mgbako or Goode, but he’s dealt with foul trouble throughout his Indiana career. Regardless of who’s available, Indiana’s defense on Martinelli is a key factor in this game.

3. Will Myles Rice bounce back?

Myles Rice played a season-low 15 minutes Friday against Ohio State due to foul trouble and finished with four points on 2-for-6 shooting. Not having its point guard for the majority of the game would usually be a recipe for Indiana to struggle, but somehow it managed to escape Columbus with a gutsy 77-76 overtime win. Indiana certainly won’t want to test that hypothesis again at Northwestern.

Indiana's Myles Rice (1) drives against Illinois at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rice, a 6-foot-2 transfer from Washington State, is a huge part of what Woodson wants Indiana to do offensively. He’s second among Hoosiers in usage rate, behind Reneau, who has effectively missed the last six games. Rice’s speed and quickness is also vital to Indiana’s fast-break offense, which broke out sparingly at Ohio State. Northwestern plays at the nation’s 299th tempo, so getting out in transition with Rice could be a way for the Hoosiers to knock the Wildcats off their game.

It’s been hard to know what to expect from Rice on a game-by-game basis, as he has eight games with 17-plus points and seven games with six points or fewer. Whether it’s scoring on his own or creating for others in the pick-and-roll game, Indiana needs its dynamic point guard to play well Wednesday night against a stingy Northwestern defense.

2. Who will guard Nick Martinelli?

3. Will Myles Rice bounce back?

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