Northwestern Makes Indiana Pay For Turnovers; Wildcats Tied Atop Big Ten
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Approaching every game, coach Chris Collins preaches that Northwestern has to play harder than its opponent. He believes they won't win if that unquantifiable but crucial factor doesn't favor the Wildcats.
Northwestern defeated the No. 15 Indiana Hoosiers 84-83 at Assembly Hall on Sunday, and like Collins urged, Northwestern played harder. Indiana coach Mike Woodson agreed.
"That's not disparaging to the talent," Collins said. "We have good players, but in terms depth, in terms of size, in terms of scoring prowess, some of these teams with what they trot out, we don't have that. But we do have a lot of heart, and we do have a lot of fight and we're really together."
Northwestern Wildcats guard Boo Buie (0) celebrates after defeating the Indiana Hoosiers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
That was clear from the opening tip, as Northwestern kept a restless Assembly Hall crowd in check by jumping out to a 19-9 lead roughly five minutes into the game. Collins was happy with Wildcats' execution and energy early on, getting into the lane for layups or kicking the ball out to open shooters.
Northwestern led Indiana for the final 15-plus minutes of the first half, on top by as much as 17 before the Hoosiers trimmed their deficit to seven points at halftime. But whenever Indiana started to build momentum, whenever the crowd got on its feet, Collins felt Northwestern limited the Hoosiers' surge to "mini runs," avoiding the kind of extended droughts that have hurt the Wildcats at times this year.
Northwestern led by nine points with 46 second remaining, but Indiana hit a few miraculous shots to nearly pull off the comeback.
"[Indiana] is a heck of a team and they're well coached," Collins said. "They're not going to go down without a fight. I'm just happy they ran out of time. [Jalen] Hood-Schifino, I mean, the shots he was making in the last three minutes and then obviously Galloway throws in a three-quarter-court shot – we were fortunate we had one more point than they did and made our free throws. We didn't have any turnovers in that stretch, and just feel fortunate to come away with a really big road win."
Giving up 83 points to Indiana was uncharacteristic for a Northwestern defense that averages 57.2 points allowed and ranks sixth in the nation KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency rating.
Indiana's Jalen Hood-Schifino and Trayce Jackson-Davis had impressive performances, but Northwestern was able to keep the rest of the Hoosiers in check. Jackson-Davis finished with 18 points, 24 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks, while Hood-Schifino led all scorers with 33 points, three rebounds and three assists. Despite Hood-Schifino's 12-for-17 shooting, his six turnovers proved costly.
"[Hood-Schifino] had a really good game," Buie said. "He has a really bright future as a young talent. He came out making shots, so I just really started to try to pressure him and once I started to pick up, I was able to stay solid and force him into some turnovers. He's a good player and has a bright future."
Indiana's Jalen Hood-Schifino (1) scores past Northwestern's Mathew Nicholson (34) during the first half of the Indiana versus Northwestern men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023.
© Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
For Collins, perhaps the most impactful stat of the afternoon was Northwestern's 25 points off of Indiana's 16 turnovers. Northwestern forward Robbie Beran said they focused on getting to their defensive spots early, didn't gamble on anything and trusted each other to play connected defense.
Collins thought these turnovers didn't allow Indiana to set up its defense, which allowed Northwestern to attack in transition and score easy baskets. Audige's six steals were a major factor, too.
"His activity I think becomes infectious," Collins said. "We're finding a way with our defense to be aggressive ... Then having, in my opinion, as good a defender as there is in the conference in Audige, certainly helps that number as well."
Behind Buie's 26 points, it was a balanced scoring effort for Northwestern, with Audige adding 19, 13 points from both Berry and Beran and eight points from Matt Nicholson. Beran said Collins tries to get Northwestern to think of offense as, ""it's not my shot, it's our shot." Although communication was at times difficult on Sunday, Collins leaned on his veterans for leadership on the court.
"There were a couple times even after the game where Boo said to me, 'Coach, I know you were calling a play, but I didn't hear crap because it was so loud in there,'" Collins said.
Northwestern Wildcats head coach Chris Collins reacts to a call during the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
With this win, Northwestern moves to 12-3 overall and 3-1 in conference play, tied for first place in the Big Ten. The Wildcats have won seven of their last eight games, including road wins at Michigan State and Indiana and a 13-point home win over Illinois on Wednesday.
After an impressive week, Collins was asked if he cares whether the Wildcats jump into Monday's Associated Press top-25 poll.
"No," Collins said. "Our guys have goals. They want to play meaningful games when it matters in late February and March. Is it a feather in the cap to the program? Absolutely. If someone says you're a top-25 team and players like that and all that, but it doesn't matter.
"You guys follow this league. To me, everybody's in the top 25," Collins said. "Every team we've played – we've played four games so far, and all four of those teams are just really good teams. They just told me we play Rutgers next, so I'm really not looking forward to that one either."
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- WHAT WOODSON SAID: Indiana fell to 1-3 in the Big Ten on Sunday after an 84-83 loss to Northwestern that was not nearly as close as the final score indicated. Here's the full video of Indiana coach Mike Woodson's postgame press conference, plus the full transcript. CLICK HERE
- WHAT PLAYERS SAID: Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino had record days during Indiana's loss to Northwestern on Sunday. Here's what they had to say in the postgame press conference, with video and transcript attached. CLICK HERE
- WATCH MILLER KOPP'S 3: Indiana is beginning to mount a comeback against Northwestern thanks to a block from Trayce Jackson-Davis, leading to a 3-pointer from Miller Kopp. CLICK HERE
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