Indiana's Miller Kopp Returns To Northwestern To Face His Former Team

Miller Kopp played his first three seasons at Northwestern before transferring to Indiana last year, and Wednesday's matchup could be the last chance to beat his former team.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Heading into his final season of college basketball, Indiana's Miller Kopp reflected on his career.

"I realized like, 'Dang, I'm a senior,'" Kopp said in August. "'Not just a senior, a fifth-year senior. I really should be gone, but I'm back again.' Really, my mentality has shifted to where I want to win at the highest level."

As a freshman at Northwestern, far from his hometown of Houston, Tex., Kopp said he just focused on cracking the rotation. He accomplished that by starting 19 of 32 games during the 2018-19 season and averaging 4.9 points. As a sophomore, he was the go-to scorer, leading Northwestern with 13.1 points and developing a reputation as a strong 3-point shooter at 39.6 percent. 

Kopp and the Wildcats pushed to take the next step as a team during his junior season, but they finished 12th in the Big Ten. After the season, he decided it was time for a new challenge. He transferred to Indiana before Mike Woodson's first year, and spent much of the season figuring out his role. Kopp averaged 6.0 points, shot 36.1 percent from 3 and helped the Hoosiers reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.

Kopp drew his fair share of criticism last season, but he's taken clear strides in his second year as a Hoosier. With a 45.5 3-point shooting percentage, Kopp is averaging 8.1 points. He's improved on the defensive end, too, playing a key role as Indiana held Michigan scoreless in the final five minutes of Saturday's 62-61 road win.

Following Kopp's 18-point effort in Indiana's win over Rutgers last week, he shared perspective on his mentality within the offense.

"Finding where the gaps are in the defense, especially when Trayce has the ball in the post," Kopp said. "I'm always trying to move and get in his line of vision, and when we lock eyes, I know it's coming. It's just being super opportunistic, that's all, really."

After up-and-down play in the first few months of the 2022-23 season, Indiana has hit its stride. The Hoosiers went from last place at 1-4 in Big Ten play to tied for second place at 9-5. 

Their next opponent? Kopp's former team, Northwestern, who owns an identical 18-7, 9-5 record. Kopp is 0-2 against Northwestern as a Hoosier, with the first game on Feb. 8, 2022 at Northwestern. Indiana coach Mike Woodson suspended five players before the game for violating team rules, and Kopp played 34 minutes in a 59-51 loss. He shot 1-for-7 and finished with three points, six rebounds and two assists. 

Northwestern beat Indiana 84-83 at Assembly Hall on Jan. 8, and Kopp attempted just two shots and finished with five points in the loss. The Hoosiers will be hungry for revenge on Wednesday in what could be Kopp's final chance to beat his old team.

Woodson knows this game means something extra for Kopp.

"He didn't play particularly well up there last season," Woodson said. "I'm sure that's on his mind. I'm going to talk to him a little bit about just relaxing and just play, man. When it comes your way, you got shots, take 'em. Not put so much pressure on yourself to really perform and play well."

And now, with less than a month remaining in Kopp's final regular season of college basketball, he's focused on one thing.

"The game has simplified to an enormous extent for me," Kopp said. "So now it's about the team's mission, not just my personal mission to just try to get on the floor like it was when I was as a freshman. It's about the team's mission to win the Big Ten title and the national title."

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