After coming off a record setting performance in Tuesday night's win versus Illinois, the Indiana Hoosiers will lace 'em up again as they welcome the Northwestern Wildcats into Assembly Hall for a Big Ten matchup.
The Hoosiers are one of the hottest teams in the country right now, having won 11 straight while the Wildcats have faltered of late losing four of their last six.
Last Time Out
Tuesday night was quite a spectacle at Assembly Hall, as Indiana made a school record 19 three-pointers along with Yogi Ferrell breaking the record for most assists at Indiana. Those two records plus a 103-69 win over the hapless Fighting Illini gave Indiana their eleventh straight win and has them sitting tied with Iowa for first in the Big Ten.
As for Northwestern, they come in off of a heartbreaking overtime loss at Maryland. It was a low scoring game throughout until it got to overtime, and the Wildcats couldn't quite contain Maryland's weapons once they got to the extra period. Before Maryland, the Wildcats dropped a home game to Penn State.
Scouting Report: Northwestern
The last time that the Wildcats came to Assembly Hall back in the 2013-14 season, Northwestern came away with a win in the first year under head coach Chris Collins. Now in his third year as head coach, Collins is trying to get the Wildcats to their first NCAA Tournament in school history, and this year, they already have more wins than his first year (14) and the same amount as last season with 15.
This Northwestern team will be Indiana's toughest test thus far when it comes to the Wildcats' defense. They are 36th in the country in points allowed at just 64.3, as they like to get teams to play their slow pace of basketball. On offense, they get a lot of assists as they are 27th in the country with 17 assists per game.
One man who gets a lot of those assists is point guard Bryant McIntosh. He ranks second in the Big Ten with an assist rate of 44 percent while leading the team in scoring with 15.7 points per game and a 45 percent field goal percentage.
Along with McIntosh is fellow guard Tre Demps, who is on the floor basically the entire game averaging 37 minutes per game. Demps does average 14 points per game, but is only shooting 37.5 percent from the floor while shooting 28 percent from behind the arc. When you think of this team, you don't necessarily think about offense, but they do shoot a solid 46 percent as a team. Demps has had success against Indiana in the past, including a 23-point performance last season in Evanston.
Up front is seven-footer Alex Olah along with 6'8" freshman Aaron Falzon. Olah is coming back from a stress fracture and is being eased back into the lineup. He likes to post up on offense on the block and it will be interesting to see how Indiana defends him as he averages 11.3 points per game to go along with six rebounds. As for Falzon, he is the team's third leading scorer in the conference season and has played solid minutes for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats are a good rebounding team while Indiana will look to crash the boards on offense. Northwestern would like to limit the Hoosiers to one shot, as they want to play at their slower pace and not get into a track meet.
What The Hoosiers Need To Do
The Hoosiers have been a fantastic team at home this season as they have not lost in their friendly confines. In addition to that, they have won their last two games in Assembly Hall by a combined 59 points.
This will be a much stiffer test for Indiana than they have seen thus far in the conference slate, as Northwestern has had a bit of success on the road this season with wins at Virginia Tech, DePaul, Nebraska, and Minnesota.
For the Hoosiers to come away with another win, they need to just play their game. They can score the basketball with the best of them and their intensity on defense has been getting better and better game by game. Yogi Ferrell has been playing some of the best basketball of his career and it doesn't look like he's letting up anytime soon.
Thomas Bryant will have his hands full with Olah on the post as it is likely Bryant's toughest task yet, but if he continues his play, the Hoosiers will greatly benefit. Troy Williams has also played some good minutes as of late and could be a key player in this game if it is close.
What To Expect
When you look at these two teams and where the game is being played, you would expect that the Hoosiers would have no issues with the Wildcats. Because of how the Wildcats play, it could provide some issues for the Hoosiers. Whoever can get the other team to play their style of basketball has a very good chance of winning the game, as the Hoosiers like to run while the Wildcats want to slow it down.
The Hoosiers are favored to win this game by nine according to KenPom, with a chance of wining at 82 percent. Don't be surprised if this game is a low scoring game, but also don't be surprised if Indiana turns in another Illinois or Ohio State-like performance.
When it comes down to it, it's a mystery if Northwestern will be able to keep up with Indiana scoring the basketball. Even if it is a close game, will Northwestern be able to come up with a big shot at the end or have a reliable enough scorer to knock off Indiana?
If Indiana wants to establish themselves as a Big Ten contender, this is a game they must win. If Northwestern wants a marquee win on their tournament resume, this is a game they must win as well. A lot will be at stake Saturday in Bloomington.
Prediction:
Indiana 73, Northwestern 65
Game Info:
First tip is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2 (Clay Matvick and Sean Harrington) at Assembly Hall.