Darian DeVries struggles to pinpoint why Indiana was upset at home vs. Northwestern originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Indiana Hoosiers came up short Tuesday night during a critical late-season NCAA Tournament push in Bloomington against the Northwestern Wildcats in a narrow 72-68 contest.
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Minus the missed foul call in the closing seconds of regulation on forward Tucker DeVries, the son of coach Darian DeVries, there were missed opportunities to break the game open as the Hoosiers led by as many as 13 (38-25) at the 4:48 mark of the opening half.
Darian DeVries kept his thoughts brief when speaking to reporters following Indiana’s third-straight loss, which likely puts it in must-win mode the rest of the way to make the NCAA Tournament.
“Yeah, it’s a tough play,” Darian DeVries said. “It happens fast. You know, that’s just what it is.”
Darian DeVries has tried to keep his team locked in on what’s in front of it, which sees three more regular-season games (with its next two at home) — No. 13 Michigan State (Sunday), Minnesota (March 4) and at Ohio State (March 7).
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For now, though, Darian DeVries has already started moving forward toward what’s ahead despite the sudden shock and heartbreak of the loss.
“Yeah, I mean, it was a tough loss,” Darian DeVries said. “We have a big home stand here. This was the first game of it. We’re at that point in the year where games have become very meaningful and it was an opportunity. We certainly wanted to get started off on the front of the home stand with a good note.”
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Darian DeVries said he respects Michigan State and what Tom Izzo has built in East Lansing, citing his team as “very good.”
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“The path forward is just keep fighting, keep pushing forward,” Darian DeVries said. “The Illinois and the Purdue losses were tough. They were two tough games, two tough teams. Not a lot of people going in there and winning.
Indiana’s rematch with Michigan State is set for 3:45 p.m. ET, as it attempts to exact revenge following an 81-60 loss Jan. 13.
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We’ll see if the Hoosiers (17-11, 8-9 Big Ten) can remain afloat in a crowded bubble conversation, or if the Spartans (22-5, 12-4 Big Ten) are simply too much once again.
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