Is Indiana Women’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 Melannie Daley (21) drives to the basket in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. / Matt Cashore-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.

Northwestern’s women are next. Joe McKeown has been at Northwestern since 2008. Despite institutional standards that put the Wildcats at a disadvantage compared to their Big Ten peers, he’s had 10 seasons above .500, including a 26-4 campaign in 2020 and a Big Ten title.

The last two seasons have not been up to that standard. Northwestern was 9-21 in both 2023 and 2024. All of the disadvantages Northwestern has extend to the transfer portal. Northwestern can’t just go shopping for ringers.

So the Wildcats press on with the hope of improvement, but with their peers having more tools at their disposal.

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

Northwestern Wildcats guard Caroline Lau (2) dribbles as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Anna Dewolfe (13) defends in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

• Point guard play – Caroline Lau returns to run Northwestern’s show. The junior was fourth in the Big Ten in assists at 5.6. She is a decent 3-point shooter at 36.1%.

She is not as skillful as Indiana’s Chloe Moore-McNeil, who brings the distribution, the shooting and superior defense. Edge: Indiana.

• Free throw shooting – McKeown has amassed a good crew of free throw shooters. Caleigh Walsh (86%), Bucknell transfer Grace Sullivan (79.2%), Melannie Daley (75.8%), Casey Harter (73.7%) and Brown transfer Kyla Jones (70.3%) all top 70%. Indiana can’t match the quantity of proven free throw shooters the Wildcats have. Edge: Northwestern.

• Inside scoring – Northwestern was not a strong team in the paint in 2024, ranking last in the conference as the Wildcats converted just 41.9% of their 2-point shots.

Walsh, who stands 6-foot-3, is the most accomplished inside scorer at 13 points per game. Sullivan (8.8 ppg) has potential, but isn’t proven at this level. Jones, a transfer guard from Brown, who averaged 17.1 points, scored most of her points inside the arc. Daley (13.3 ppg), also a guard, also did most of her damage inside the arc.

Indiana’s Lilly Meister and Karoline Striplin have lost a lot of the battles due to inexperience, but this is one team where they can show what they’re all about. Edge: Indiana.

• Perimeter shooting – Lau (36.1%), Walsh (33.3%) and Harter (33.3%) are Northwestern’s only 30%-plus 3-point shooters. Indiana’s Yarden Garzon (42.2%), Moore-McNeil (40.9%) and Parrish (40%) all bring more to the table. Edge: Indiana.

• Rebounding – Not too much to go on for the Wildcats. Walsh (5.3 rpg) is the leading returning rebounder. Sullivan (4.9 rpg) and Jones (4.7 rpg) did well at the mid-major level. Indiana has comparable returning rebounding numbers and that doesn’t account for an expected increase from Meister and Striplin. Edge: Indiana.

• Perimeter defense – Northwestern had a bad combination of lowly offense and the lack of stopping power. They were average at 3-point defense, ranking 8th in Big Ten games at 34.1%. Daley (1.9 spg) and Lau (1.1 spg) can be disruptive, but Northwestern has to prove it can be better before it gets credit over Indiana in this department. Edge: Indiana.

• Defense at the rim – It was worse here for the Wildcats. In Big Ten games, opponents shot 52.8% against Northwestern. It might be better for the Wildcats in the paint, but they have a long way to go to catch Indiana in the defense department. 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.

Daley and Lau are the only qualifiers for Northwestern, so they fall short of Indiana’s quartet of Shay Ciezki, Garzon, Moore-McNeil and Parrish. Edge: Indiana.

Northwestern head coach Joe Mckeown speaks during the 2024 Big Ten Womenís Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. / Melissa Tamez-Imagn Images

• Intangibles – Northwestern has to learn to win and that’s the hardest lesson to absorb. McKeown has done it before. Northwestern has never had more than two losing seasons in a row during his tenure, but the slide in defense (Northwestern’s 80.3 points conceded is 10 points more than any other season under McKeown) is a big red flag. It has to be fixed. Edge: Indiana.

• Verdict – Indiana wins 8-1, one of its easier victories in this series. It’s just hard to know what Northwestern will be about when its proven players struggled as they did in 2024 and without any infusion of Power Five talent to make it better.

Previous Is Indiana Better Than Women's Basketball Results

Oregon – Indiana 5-4.

Rutgers – Indiana 5-4.

Maryland – Maryland 7-2.

USC – USC 6-3.

Penn State - Indiana 8-1.

Minnesota - Indiana 6-3.

Michigan - Indiana 9-0.

UCLA - UCLA 8-1.

Ohio State - Ohio State 5-4.

Iowa - Indiana 5-4.

Michigan State - Michigan State 5-4.

Washington - Indiana 5-4.

Wisconsin - Indiana 5-4.

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