Not a whole lot in this one as Indiana controlled from the first tip to the final buzzer. Thanks for following along this afternoon from wherever you may be (hopefully not stuck in a blizzard). For Josh Eastern from Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN, so long and stay tuned to VAVEL USA for a recap and more College Basketball coverage
Ferrell led IU with 17 while Bielfeldt had 13
Olah led NW with 19 while Demps had 17
Indiana moves to 7-0 in the Big Ten along with having won 12 in a row
FINAL: Indiana 89, Northwestern 57
2nd (:10): Burton hits a 3
2nd (:37): Niego knocks down the first one and misses the second
2nd (:37): Niego fouled by Skelly and will shoot 2
2nd (:53): Walk-ons in for IU. This one all but over now
2nd (1): Falzon nails a 3 for NW
2nd (1): Morgan lays it in for 2
2nd (2:10): Morgan makes the front end of the 1-and-1 and splashes the second
2nd (2): Morgan fouled on the baseline by Pardon and he will shoot 1 and 1
2nd (2): Ferrell taken out and recieves a nice ovation from the crowd
2nd (2): Skelly misses the front end of a 1 and 1 after a foul by Ferrell
2nd (3:20): Williams misses the front end of a 1 and 1
Olah and Demps with 19 and 17 respectively for NW while Ferrell leads IU with 17
With 3:20 to play in the second half, Indiana leads Northwestern, 82-54
2nd (3): Foul charged to NW and that brings us to our last media timeout
2nd (4): Taphorn lays it in after a fight for it under the basket
2nd (5:20): Pardon clanks the first one and makes the second
2nd (5): Williams commits a foul going for a block. Pardon will shoot 2, but not before IU calls a timeout
2nd (5): Ryan Burton knocks down a 3 for IU
2nd (5:47): Taphorn hits the first and misses the second
2nd (5): Taphorn is fouled by Bryant and will shoot 2. Bryant's 4th foul
Basket counts for Ferrell after review
With 6:02 to play in the second half, Indiana leads Northwestern, 79-50
2nd (6): Ferrell knocks it down as the shot clock expires. The refs will look to see if he got it off in time and that brings us to another timeout
2nd (6): Demps nails a 3 for NW
2nd (6): Zeisloft collects the offensive rebound and puts it back for 2
2nd (7): Olah takes and makes a 3. He's been a bright spot for NW
2nd (7): Johnson nails a 3 on the other end
2nd (8): Olah another 2 points. He has 16
With 8:27 to play in the second half, Indiana leads Northwestern, 72-42
2nd (8): Ferrell knocks in another 3 and NW calls timeout. IU up 72-42
2nd (9): Williams flying in to lay it in for 2 from Ferrell
2nd (9): Olah misses the first and the second
2nd (9): Olah fouled by Bielfeldt and will shoot 2
2nd (9): Zeisloft nails a 3 for IU
2nd (10): Shot clock violation on NW as Demps had nowhere to go
2nd (10:37): Bielfeldt makes the first and the second. Has 13 on the afternoon
2nd (10): Bielfeldt fouled by Ash and he will shoot 2
With 10:55 to play in the second half, Indiana leads Northwestern, 62-42
2nd (10): McIntosh commits a foul and that brings us to a media timeout
More internet issues. Pardon has scored a few baskets in a row for NW
2nd (13): Pardon again for 2 from McIntosh
2nd (14): Pardon lays it in on the assist from McIntosh
Absolutley nothing going right for NW right now and Indiana is scorching them shooting the basketball
With 14:46 to play in the first half, Indiana leads Northwestern, 56-32
2nd (14): Offensive foul on NW and that brings us to another media timeout. Crowd is raucous
2nd (14): Ferrell has caught fire and hits antoher 2
2nd (15): McIntosh lays it in to silence the crowd for a second
2nd (15): Ferrell again for 3 and the bleeding continues for NW. 54-30 IU
2nd (16): Airball on McIntosh and the crowd is getting on him pretty good. Tough day for NW
2nd (16): Ferrell with a nice step back and knocks down a 3
2nd (17:09): Olah misses the FT
2nd (17): Bryant fouls Olah and has a chance for a 3-point play
2nd (17): Falzon picks up his 4th foul for NW
2nd (17): Olah lays it in for 2 and NW is on the board in the second half
2nd (17:53): Williams makes both shots
2nd (17): Williams fouled and will shoot 2. Nearly got the shot to go on the run out
2nd (18): Hartman nails a 3 on a pass from Bryant
2nd (18:37): Bryant misses the first and makes the second
2nd (18): Foul charged to Olah as the shot clock expired. Bryant to shoot 2
2nd (19): Back and forth and a few missed shots both ways to start the second half
Starters for both teams to start the second half. NW ball to start
Teams back out on the floor for the second half. NW has a big hill to climb while Indiana seems to have it on cruise control at the moment
I'll be back in about 12 minutes for the second half
Tre Demps leads Northwestern with 14 points while Max Bielfeldt leads Indiana with 9 points
Indiana once again hitting on all cylinders while Northwestern struggled from the field shooting just 40 percent
HALFTIME: Indiana 43, Northwestern 26
1st (:4): Demps throws up a prayer and it is answered at the end of the shot clock. Use it or lose it timeout from IU
1st (:53): McIntosh throws it away. NW just 1 for their last 7 from the field
1st (1:02): Bielfeldt makes the first and the second
1st (1): Bielfeldt fouled by Olah and will shoot 2
1st (1): Easy lay in for Olah on the fastbreak
1st (1:52): Zeisloft fouled. Makes 2 of 2 from the line. Apologize for the internet issues. 41-22 IU
1st (2): Williams fouled by McIntosh and will shoot 2
1st (3): Bielfeldt with a tip in and IU leads by 16
1st (3:31): Anunoby completes the 3 point play
1st (3): Anunoby slams it down and is fouled. Will have 1 FT
The McIntosh 2 was the first basket not from Olah or Demps
With 3:48 to play in the first half, Indiana leads Northwestern, 33-22
1st (3): Offensive foul on NW and that brings us to another media timeout
1st (4): Juwan Morgan rattles in a 3 for IU
1st (4): McIntosh for 2 for NW
1st (5): Ferrell with a great take to the basket for 2
1st (5): Olah fouled by Morgan. Still not in the bonus
1st (5): NW bailed out by a foul on Hartman late in the shot clock
1st (6): Tre Demps once again for 2
1st (7): Just like that, Ferrell knocks in a 3
Hartman leads IU with 8 points while Johnson and Bryant have 6 each. Ferrell has yet to take a shot
Demps and Olah still the only ones to score for NW with 10 and 8 respectively
With 7:24 to play in the first half, Indiana leads Northwestern, 25-18
1st (7): Ball goes out of bounds of NW and that brings us to a media timeout
1st (7): Demps nails a 3 for NW. 10 points for him
1st (8): Good pass from Zeisloft to Bryant for 2
1st (8): Indiana a bit sloppy early on here with 7 turnovers
1st (9): Olah playing good defense on Bryant forces a turnover
1st (9): Olah with an easy bucket inside for NW
1st (9:33): Bielfeldt makes the first and the second. 2 fouls on Aaron Falzon for NW
1st (9): Blocking foul on NW and Bielfeldt will shoot 2
1st (10): Bielfeldt knocks down a 3 for IU
Demps and Olah carrying NW here early on as they are the only ones that have scored for the Wildcats
With 11:36 to play in the first half, Indiana leads Northwestern, 18-13
1st (11): Foul on NW and that brings us to another media timeout
1st (11): Demps with a nice fall away bucket for NW
1st (12): Nice baseline move by Alex Olah for 2
1st (12): Johnson launches another 3 and hits
1st (13): Thomas Bryant for 2 for IU
1st (14): Olah a nice jump hook in the lane and its now just 13-9 IU
1st (14): Shot clock violation on IU
1st (14): Demps with an easy drive for 2
Another fast start for Indiana as they have already hit three 3-pointers and are shooting 5-for-7 here early on
Sorry for the internet issues. Hopefully it doesn't stay like this the entire game
With 15:00 to play in the first half, Indiana leads Northwestern, 13-5
1st (15): Offensive foul on Williams for IU and that brings us to a timeout
1st (15): Demps nails a 3 as the shot clock expires
1st (15): Hartman again for 3!
1st (16): Olah opens the scoring for NW
1st (16): Another 3 for IU and NW calls TO. 10-0 Indiana
1st (17): Hartman nails a 3 and another fast start for IU
1st (17): Demps misses a 3 for NW. His struggles continue shooting the ball. NW also opened in a 2-3 zone on defense
1st (17): Good start for IU as they force a TO
1st (18): Robert Johnson nails a 3 for IU
Sorry for the internet issues. Still 2-0 IU
1st (19): Hartman starts it off with a drving lay in for IU
1st (20): Thomas Bryant wins the tip for IU and we're off
Teams taking the court and we're ready for Indiana-Northwestern!
Lineups being announced currently. Tip is just minutes away
Just about national anthem/lineups time here at Assembly Hall. Tip is right around the corner
Alex Olah will come off of the bench in his third game back from a foot injury
Northwestern starters: Joey van Zegeren, Tre Demps, Bryant McIntosh, Sanjay Lumpkin, Aaron Falzon
Indiana starters: Yogi Ferrell, Troy Williams, Thomas Bryant, Collin Hartman, Robert Johnson
Wouldn't expect a change in the starting lineups here today. Should be announced here shortly
Hello everyone, Josh Eastern here checking in from Assembly Hall a little bit more than a half hour before tipoff
For both of these teams, it seems to be a statement game of sorts. Northwestern has lost their last two games while Indiana is looking to continue their 11-game win streak. The Wildcats can make a statement with a win Saturday in Bloomington and if they do, it will be a big win and potentially a big step towards an NCAA Tournament bid. Indiana is given an 82 percent chance to win by KenPom and it will be a tough matchup for the Wildcats in a hostile environment at Assembly Hall.
Indiana coach Tom Crean has had to play around with the lineup a bit and now with Blackmon Jr. on the shelf, it has been Collin Hartman that has taken the open spot in the starting five. Off of the bench, Crean has Max Bielfeldt on the inside to go along with OG Anunoby who has played some great minutes off of the bench when Indiana has needed it most. Nick Zeisloft is another guard off of the bench who can come in and knock down some threes if needed. Crean has limited it mostly to those three off of the bench, but lately Juwan Morgan has been getting more time, which deepens this Indiana team without Blackmon Jr.
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. 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. As for Falzon, he is the team's third leading scorer in the conference season and has played solid minutes for the Wildcats.
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.
As for Northwestern, 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.
James Blackmon Jr. was also a key contributor before undergoing surgery on his knee that is expected to keep him out for the rest of the season. This is a big loss on the offensive side of the floor, but on defense, the Hoosiers might actually become better.
The Hoosiers are off to a solid start in Big Ten play with three road wins at Rutgers, Nebraska and Minnesota along with knocking off Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Illinois at home. Yogi Ferrell has been the main man for the Indiana as the senior point guard is averaging 17.1 points per game and is coming off a 20-point performance on Saturday. Another big time contributor has been freshman big man Thomas Bryant who is averaging 11.9 points per game along with 5.5 rebounds. A big key for the Hoosiers is protecting the rim and Bryant has made tremendous strides since the beginning of the season. Troy Williams and Robert Johnson are also key contributors to the offense, which is what this Indiana team is known for as they can score the basketball.
Indiana leads the series between the two schools with a mark of 113-50. The Hoosiers did win both of the meetings between the two schools last season with one win coming in Evanston and then in the Big Ten Tournament. Northwestern did win the last meeting in Bloomington in 2014, however.
The Wildcats are coached by Chris Collins who is in his third year at the helm of the program in Evanston. Collins has had a great start to the season, as he has already tied his amount of wins (15) from last season. The Wildcats have never made the NCAA Tournament, and they are in a position to make a move towards a bid, which would be the first in program history.
The Hoosiers are coached by Tom Crean who comes into his eighth year at the helm of the program. Since taking over in 2008, he has rebuilt Indiana basketball and has put them in contention to compete year in and year out. Crean is almost always under pressure to win at Indiana and this year is no different as they look to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
As for Northwestern, they have had a so-so start to the Big Ten slate, as they are 2-4 thus far. The Wildcats have lost their past two games including a close overtime game at Maryland on Tuesday night following a loss to Penn State.
Indiana comes into this game against the Wildcats with an eleven game winning streak along with a 6-0 record to start Big Ten play. Tuesday they demolished Illinois, while breaking two records and winning by 34.
Welcome to VAVEL USA's College Basketball LIVE coverage of the Northwestern Wildcats vs. Indiana Hoosiers. I’m Josh Eastern and I’ll be providing play-by-play updates, commentary, and results of the game. The game starts at 12:00 PM EST at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN. VAVEL USA will be providing coverage pre-game, during the game, and post-game.