Indiana men's basketball had a golden opportunity for redemption against Northwestern at the United Center, with the NCAA Tournament still within reach. However, much like their previous encounter, the Hoosiers let it slip away.
Coach Darian DeVries decided to shake things up, starting both big men, Sam Alexis and Reed Bailey, together for the first time this season. On paper, this was a strategic move to address their rebounding struggles from the last matchup. Unfortunately, the execution on the court didn't match the plan.
Initially, Indiana's offense looked promising. Despite the dual-center lineup, the team maintained its usual spacing and ball movement.
Sam Alexis found success in the paint, while Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries were hitting from beyond the arc. Even Conor Enright joined the three-point party.
Defensively, though, the Hoosiers faced challenges. They managed 11 defensive rebounds in the first half, but with five from DeVries and two from Wilkerson, the output from Bailey and Alexis was underwhelming for Big Ten centers.
The defensive woes didn't end there. Indiana allowed Northwestern to score 24 points in the paint and shoot an impressive 55.2% from the field in the first half.
Despite these issues, Indiana's offensive firepower helped them build a nine-point lead. However, a few substitutions disrupted their defensive rhythm, allowing Northwestern to close the gap to just one point by halftime.
The second half saw Indiana's offense stall, failing to score a field goal for over five minutes. Meanwhile, their defensive struggles continued, allowing Northwestern to extend their lead to 18 points with just under seven minutes remaining.
At that point, the game felt out of reach. Indiana attempted a flurry of threes to spark a comeback, but it was too little, too late, as they fell short once more against Northwestern.