Is Indiana Men’s Basketball Better Than Northwestern?

In this series, Hoosiers On SI examines where Indiana basketball stands against its Big Ten foes. Today, we look at how the Hoosiers stack up against the Wildcats.

Northwestern Wildcats guard Brooks Barnhizer (13) drives to the basket against the Florida Atlantic Owls in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This story is part of a series that will continue through October. Is Indiana better than each of its Big Ten opponents?

Nine categories were chosen. There will be no ties in individual categories. Think of it like you would the Supreme Court.

The categories: Point guard play, free throw shooting, inside scoring, perimeter shooting, rebounding, perimeter defense, rim protection, how much proven Power Five talent is on the roster, and intangibles.

The daily series will cover both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, and it will alternate between the teams.

We come to the Northwestern men’s team. Like the rest of the Big Ten, Indiana is thrilled that it no longer has to face tormentor Boo Buie. The Northwestern court general made life miserable for the Hoosiers, especially in the last three seasons. Indiana certainly had Big Ten company in that department.

Northwestern will miss Buie dearly, but it doesn’t need to start over. The Wildcats return three other starters along with forward Nick Martinelli, who started 11 games.

Here’s how the battle between the Hoosiers and Wildcats shakes out.

• Point guard play – The void with Buie gone will obviously be large. Northwestern will likely rely on several players to distribute the ball, such as Brooks Barnhizer and Ty Berry, but the point guard successor to Buie is Fairfield transfer Jalen Leach. He averaged 3 assists per game and 1.8 steals for the Stags in 2024.

Indiana is better equipped and more experienced in terms of Power Five-level competition with Myles Rice, Trey Galloway and Gabe Cupps. Edge: Indiana.

• Free throw shooting – Northwestern coach Chris Collins has made free throw shooting a big part of the Wildcats’ attack. Leach led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference by making his free throws at a 89.5% clip in 2024. That matches Berry, who also shot 89.5%. They would beat Indiana’s two-man 70%-plus contingent on their own, but Northwestern also has Martinelli (78%) and Barnhizer (77.4%) who are reliable, too. Edge: Northwestern.

• Inside scoring – Northwestern’s emphasis is not via a traditional inside game. Rather, they prefer to use their big men to clog up space so defenders get caught up trying to get around them to defend penetrating guards. Center Matthew Nicholson is a big part of making that attack go with his big bulk, but he only occasionally gets into the scoring habit.

Northwestern can create inside scoring through its slashers, but that depends on whether Leach can replace Buie in that department. Indiana’s inside scoring will be a significant strength with Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau, along with slashers like Mackenzie Mgbako, Kanaan Carlyle and Rice. Edge: Indiana.

• Perimeter shooting – The Wildcats are a dead-eye 3-point shooting team. They finished seventh nationally in 2024 at 39%. The loss of Buie, who led the Big Ten at 43.4% from 3-point range hurts, but Berry (43.3%), Leach (35.4%) and Barnhizer (34.8%) keep the Wildcats a threat from beyond the arc. Indiana got better here, but they aren’t quite as accurate as the Wildcats have been from long range. Edge: Northwestern.

• Rebounding – Barnhizer (7.5 rpg), Martinelli (4.3 rpg) and Nicholson (4.3 rpg) gave Northwestern muscle on the glass. Keenan Fitzmorris, a 7-footer who transferred from Stony Brook, will help, too. Still, it’s not as potent as Indiana’s rebounding attack consisting of Ballo (10.1 rpg), Reneau (6 rpg) and Mackenzie Mgbako (4.1 rpg). Edge: Indiana.

• Perimeter defense – Buie was so influential as a pure pest, and he will be missed by the Wildcats. However, Barnhizer and Berry had higher steal rates than Buie. Indiana was a top-three 3-point defensive team in 2024, but there were times when drivers were able to get in the lane. The Wildcats probably deserve the nod here as they still have veterans who are used to playing Collins’ system. Edge: Northwestern.

• Defense at the rim – The Ballo-Nicholson matchups next year might register on the Richter Scale. They will be two big bodies trying to gain the upper hand. By block rate, the percentage of shots blocked while on the floor, Nicholson (7.7%) is superior to Ballo (5%). Shot-blocking is just part of interior defense, however. Northwestern ranked 11th in the Big Ten in two-point defense in 2024. Indiana was better in this department as Ballo, Malik Reneau and Langdon Hatton should keep things under control at the rim. Edge: Indiana.

• Proven Power 5 ability on roster – The standard here is whether a player averaged 25 minutes or more at the Power Five level at their current or former school.

Barnhizer, Berry and Martinelli make the cut for Northwestern. However, that’s only half of what Indiana can muster, with six players who played more than 25 minutes in the Power Five wars. Edge: Indiana.

• Intangibles – One thing that has made Northwestern so tough in the last two seasons (2nd place in 2023, 3rd place in 2024) is how well-crafted the Wildcats are both in roster construction and in the offense they run.

Collins deserves a lot of credit for conceiving a system that keeps the Wildcats competitive and helps them overcome their famous difficulties in drawing elite athletes to a school with particularly high academic standards. Collins deserves respect for that; Northwestern plays competitively against every Big Ten team. Edge: Northwestern.

• Verdict – Indiana wins this battle 5-4 over the Wildcats. Nice to have a preseason paper victory, but the Hoosiers need to prove it on the court. Northwestern has Indiana coach Mike Woodson’s number – it has beaten Indiana four straight times and five of the last six. The Hoosiers go to Evanston to try again on Jan. 22.

Previous Is Indiana Better Than Men's Basketball Results

Oregon – Indiana 7-2.

Rutgers – Indiana 7-2.

Maryland – Indiana 6-3.

USC – Indiana 6-3.

Penn State - Indiana 5-4.

Minnesota - Indiana 6-3.

Michigan - Indiana 6-3.

UCLA - UCLA 5-4.

Ohio State - Indiana 7-2.

Iowa - Indiana 5-4.

Michigan State - Indiana 5-4.

Washington - Indiana 8-1.

Wisconsin - Indiana 7-2.

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