Indiana hopes to get back on track after suffering two consecutive 25-point losses.
The Hoosiers head into Wednesday’s game against Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., following a 77-76 overtime win against Ohio State. Indiana remains in the race for a top-four seed and a bye into the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals in March.
“We’ve played some pretty good basketball and had some good stretches,” said Indiana coach Mike Woodson.
As for the disappointing performances?
“You just have to stay away from games like that,” Woodson added.
Indiana (14-5, 5-3 Big Ten) benefited from standout performances, such as Luke Goode’s career-high 23 points in the win over Ohio State on Friday. Woodson also praised contributions from several reserves who helped keep the team in the game.
After seeing limited action in back-to-back blowout losses to Iowa and No. 19 Illinois, sophomore transfer Kanaan Carlyle stepped up with 13 points in a career-high 36 minutes.
“I just hope he bottles it up and carries it forward,” Woodson said.
Northwestern (11-7, 2-5) has struggled recently, losing four of its last five games. The Wildcats have gone into overtime in their last two games, including a tough 80-76 loss at No. 20 Michigan on Sunday.
Jalen Leach scored 19 points to support team leaders Brooks Barnhizer (21) and Nick Martinelli (20) before being ejected for a flagrant 2 foul.
“There’s a lot of pressure on Brooks and Nick, and I know that’s because of what they’ve done and the attention that’s placed on those guys every game to try to take them out of the game,” said Northwestern coach Chris Collins.
Collins also praised Leach and Ty Berry, who has scored in double figures in back-to-back games after only five points in three consecutive losses to open January.
“We’ve got to get more,” Collins said. “We’ve got to find some production from our bigs. We’ve got to find some production from our freshmen because we’ve got to do our best to try to take the pressure off Brooks and Nick.”
Northwestern has won the last four matchups against Indiana but trails the all-time series 119-57. The Hoosiers are looking for their first win against the Wildcats since February 10, 2021, in Evanston.
