BLOOMINGTON —
Nothing can be sure until Selection Sunday, of course.
But no Indiana team since 1974 has won 20 games during the regular season and not made it to the NCAA Tournament.
Is it time for the Hoosiers to dance?
No. 18 Indiana rallied to defeat Northwestern on Wednesday, 71-66, pushing the Hoosiers’ record to 20-6.
“There’s a lot of teams that will get 20 wins, it doesn’t guarantee you anything,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said while acknowledging that the 20th win this season was a benchmark the team wanted to achieve.
It didn’t come easy. The Wildcats (15-10, 5-8 Big Ten) led for much of the first half; the Hoosiers (8-6 in the Big Ten) didn’t lead until a Victor Oladipo layup with 7:58 to play in the first half put Indiana ahead 22-21.
IU would build a 37-31 halftime lead, but Northwestern opened the second half on an 8-0 run. The lead would change hands three more times and the game was tied seven more times, the last on a three-point play by Northwestern’s John Shurna with 4:19 to play that tied the score at 63.
But Indiana scored eight of the game’s next 10 points to put the game away.
“Beating (No. 1) Kentucky was good, beating (No. 2) Ohio State was good, but finally getting to the 20 (win) mark, we’re that much closer to reaching our ultimate goals,” said Indiana senior guard Verdell Jones III.
Jones scored six points in his first action since hurting his shoulder at Michigan and missing the last two games.
The oft-criticized senior drew a standing ovation when he scored the Hoosiers’ final points of the night, a long shot originally ruled a 3-pointer but changed to a 2-pointer after the officials reviewed it.
“I’ve been doubted and hated on since I was a little kid,” Jones said. “People said I’m too skinny to play big D-I basketball, I proved them wrong. People said I can’t play without a turnover, last two games I proved them wrong.”
Jones’ 3-pointer that wasn’t was indicative of the Hoosiers’ troubles from beyond the arc. Indiana, the Big Ten’s top 3-point shooting team, was just 2-of-13 on 3-pointers on Wednesday, with both makes courtesy of Matt Roth.
Jordan Hulls was the only Hoosier not to score, the first time the Bloomington native hasn’t scored in a game since the final game of his freshman season.
Crean said Indiana’s struggles from beyond the arc could be attributed to the game plan to work the ball inside to Cody Zeller and Christian Watford.
“We probably weren’t as aggressive looking for 3s,” Crean said.
Zeller led the Hoosiers with 23 points, while Oladipo and Watford each scored 12.
“We weren’t able to stop Zeller from scoring,” Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said. “We had him perfectly scouted, but he just goes by you.”
Shurna led Northwestern with 29 points while Drew Crawford added 18.
The Hoosiers have twice won 20 games in the regular season and not made the NCAA Tournament, in 1960 and 1974. In both those seasons, only conference champions made the field of 25 teams.
The 1960 Hoosiers finished second to eventual national champion Ohio State, and in 1974 lost a playoff game to regular-season co-champion Michigan to miss out on the NCAA Tournament.
No. 18 INDIANA 71, NORTHWESTERN 66
NORTHWESTERN (66) – Crawford 6-12 4-4 18, Shurna 11-21 5-6 29, Sobolewski 1-5 0-1 3, Marcotullio 3-5 1-2 7, Hearn 3-6 1-2 8, Fruendt 0-0 0-0 0, Cobb 0-0 1-2 1, Curletti 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-49 12-17 66.
INDIANA (71) – Watford 4-11 4-4 12, Elston 0-1 2-2 2, Zeller 9-11 5-6 23, Hulls 0-3 0-0 0, Oladipo 4-9 4-6 12, Sheehey 3-8 0-0 6, Jones III 3-4 0-0 6, Pritchard 2-3 0-0 4, Roth 2-5 0-0 6. Totals 27-55 15-18 71.
Halftime—Indiana 37-31. 3-Point Goals—Northwestern 6-20 (Crawford 2-5, Shurna 2-6, Sobolewski 1-4, Hearn 1-4, Marcotullio 0-1), Indiana 2-13 (Roth 2-4, Jones III 0-1, Elston 0-1, Sheehey 0-1, Oladipo 0-2, Watford 0-2, Hulls 0-2). Fouled Out—Hearn. Rebounds—Northwestern 27 (Crawford 5), Indiana 30 (Zeller 7). Assists—Northwestern 9 (Curletti, Shurna, Sobolewski 2), Indiana 16 (Jones III, Oladipo 4). Total Fouls—Northwestern 19, Indiana 15. A—17,246.
College
Related Photos
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Hot shooter: Indiana's Christian Watford shoots over Northwestern's Drew Crawford during the Hoosiers' game against the Wildcats on Wednesday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Hard to shoot over: Indiana's Christian Watford tries to block a shot by Northwestern's John Shurna during the Hoosiers' game against the Wildcats on Wednesday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Backdoor score: Indiana's Victor Oladipo sneaks behind the Northwestern defense for a layup Wednesday in Bloomington.
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza No easy ones: Indiana's Will Sheehey is blocked by Northwestern's Drew Crawford during the Hoosiers' game against the Wildcats on Wednesday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Discussion
Hoosiers hit 20-win mark
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