After snapping its five-game losing streak with a thrilling win over Maryland, Northwestern (11-16, 3-13 B1G) heads down to Bloomington to face Indiana (17-10, 8-8 B1G) on Tuesday evening.
While the Hoosiers have (like most teams) outplayed NU this year, recent history favors the Wildcats. They’ve won five straight against Indiana, their largest win streak against the Hoosiers since 1913-15. If the ‘Cats win, the six-game winning streak will be the largest in series history.
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This also means Indiana will be extra motivated when it welcomes Northwestern into its confines, and NU will have to excel in several areas to garner what the team has sought for weeks — a real upset win over a conference opponent. Here are three ways the ’Cats can make that happen.
Production from the Bench
Northwestern’s 78-74 win over Maryland was driven by one of the best bench performances not just this season, but over the last few years. NU’s 38 bench points were its most in a Big Ten game since February 2022. Jordan Clayton was the star, scoring a career-high 20 points on 6-of-7 three-point shooting. As our own Pierson Strandquist noted, this game wasn’t just the most impressive of Clayton’s career, but “the kind of game that changes how people think about a player.” Not only was the junior guard efficient, but he was shooting the ball with confidence, taking advantage of open looks while also knocking down tougher shots with a man in his face.
Angelo Ciaravino also feasted off the bench, posting 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, alongside five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. The well-rounded nature of Ciaravino — a jack-of-all-trades artist who takes care of the little things — is the embodiment of what makes a great role player. No matter the lineup or rotation, Ciaravino found a way to make an impact on Saturday, and it’s imperative that it carries over in Bloomington.
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While those two guys bring the most momentum into this matchup, more from Arrinten Page should also be expected. He is certainly a better scorer than his two-point performance against Maryland suggests.
38 bench points is an impressive number, but one far too high to set as a standard or expectation. The Wildcats are averaging 21.2 bench points per game this season, good for seventh in the conference. Any total that eclipses that mark — or hits the 30s — is something NU should shoot for against the Hoosiers.
That instantly makes bench scoring not just a goal, but something that’s necessary for a win. Especially if the starting lineup falters as poorly as it did against Maryland, where outside of Martinelli’s 29 points, the remaining starters combined to score just 11 points.
If the Wildcat bench needs any further inspiration, look back to the previous game against Indiana on Jan. 22, 2025. The ‘Cats’ 79-70 victory at Welsh-Ryan Arena was sparked by a 21-4 run in the second half. Who was a big part of that onslaught? Ty Berry, who came off the bench and scored 23 points on 7-of-10 three-point attempts.
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Bench production has proven to be a source of victory for the ’Cats. It’s important they make it a norm.
Win the battle on the perimeter
Northwestern’s three-point shooting has been up-and-down this season — the team has shot 32.2%, a 2% decline from last season and a 7% decline from the 2023-2024 NCAA tournament team.
But against Maryland, the perimeter shotmaking took a turn for the better. The ‘Cats hit a season-high 12 threes, making 57.1% of their overall attempts. That was in stark contrast to the Terrapins, who hit just 33% from behind the arc. It was a major bounce-back from NU’s long-range shooting in its previous two games, as it shot 20% in a blowout loss to Nebraska and 24% in a heartbreaking defeat to No. 1 Michigan.
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Three-point shooting is arguably the easiest way to swing a game’s trajectory. In both of those losses above — particularly the Michigan one — NU’s chances were severely hindered by its inability to string together shots from deep, especially in late-game situations. On the flip side, if NU hadn’t hit 12 three-pointers against Maryland, it all but likely doesn’t come out victorious. It’s also not just about volume but consistency — Northwestern took more three-pointers in the loss to Michigan (25) than it did in its Maryland victory (21). Efficiency is what matters most.
While making threes of their own, the ‘Cats must also clamp down on the Hoosiers’ outside shooting. Indiana averages 10.1 threes per game, the fourth-most in the conference. Its best player, Lamar Wilkerson, who ranks behind Martinelli in Big Ten scoring with 21.1 points per game, also averages 3.3 treys per game — the second most in the league. Tucker DeVries, another Hoosier shooter, is fourth in the league with 2.7 three-pointers per game. Those two sharpshooters embody what the ’Cats should be striving for on offense, but also what they cannot allow on defense.
Continue to share the ball without giveaways
Despite all the struggles plaguing Northwestern this season, it has remained consistently excellent in two areas — passing the ball and not committing turnovers. NU’s 2.01 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks second in the nation and is tied for fourth in Division I history. The ‘Cats average of 8.6 turnovers per game is the nation’s second-fewest, while its 17.2 assists per game rank second in program history. Jayden Reid and Jake West have helped fuel the latter, with Reid’s 4.9 assists per game ranking 5th in the conference, while West’s 2.9 per game is fourth among Big Ten freshmen.
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Both of those strengths were on display against Maryland, as the Wildcats had only eight giveaways and dished out 20 assists — outperforming the Terrapins in both categories. It’ll face a much tougher task against the Hoosiers, as Indiana’s 1.68 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fifth in the league. They average 17.1 assists per game, which is nearly identical to NU.
The ’Cats seem to have met their match when it comes to their greatest strength. Forcing turnovers against Indiana will be difficult, while its ball movement will be tough to replicate. Given Indiana’s prowess in assisting and ball security, matching the Hoosiers in those areas would go a long way towards helping the Wildcats stamp a victory.
