Northwestern took control of second place in the Big Ten with a dramatic final-seconds win over Indiana to complete a season sweep of the Hoosiers.
In a game that lived up to the hype, Northwestern (19-7, 10-5 Big Ten) continued its magical Big Ten season by taking the season series against the Indiana Hoosiers (18-8, 9-6 Big Ten) and moving into sole possession of second place in the Big Ten, edging the visitors, 64-62. The win also improved its NCAA Tournament resume as February is at its midway point.
Boo Buie and Chase Audige were the heroes who saved the day for the Wildcats. Like the game against Purdue where Buie hit big shots late to take down No. 1, along with the dagger from Audige, Buie pulled up from long-range, and despite a questionable push-off that will be talked about for years to come, Buie sent the Welsh-Ryan Arena into a frenzy. The Hoosiers came up just short of an epic comeback and now find themselves clawing for conference positioning as the final weeks of the regular season draw closer.
Unlike the first matchup in Bloomington, which remained close throughout the first half, the Wildcats dominated the opening frame in nearly every way imaginable. NU put together a 17-1 run behind the shooting ability of Chase Audige and Buie, the two glue guys for the Purple and White, combining for 35 of the team’s 64 total points.
Indiana had little to no answers for anything the Wildcats threw at it, as it struggled to find a rhythm offensively, which was glaring obvious as a near seven-minute scoring drought defined how the first-half ultimately turned out. The Wildcats maintained a 39-20 halftime lead, but the second half was nearly the inverse of its predecessor.
The Hoosiers, who had knocked off Michigan just four days ago, made the Wildcats earn every possession. And as per usual, IU’s transition offense made the difference in its late-game rally that nearly took the air out of the rowdy Evanston-clad home crowd, even cutting it to 61-58 in the closing minutes before the eventual icing on the cake from the “Cats.
Trayce-Jackson Davis, the Big Ten’s most highly-anticipated returnee to begin the 2022-23 season, scored a game-high 23 points, finishing 7-of-11 from the field and giving the Hoosiers a fighting chance at a last-second win, but it was to no avail.
Northwestern head coach, Chris Collins, spoke on the resilience of his group and how they have fought through adversity, including COVID cancelations, to get to this climatic stage of Big Ten play, he said.
“We’ve never been in this territory, and it’s a testament to our guys, Collins said after this game. “They’re making history. That was a big reason why I wanted to coach at Northwestern, because it was an opportunity to do things that had never been done.”
What lies ahead for the Northwestern Wildcats?
The objective is simple — win at all costs. The Wildcats now control their own destiny, as they have the tiebreaker over Purdue. NU will remain at home for its next game, welcoming a visit from the Iowa Hawkeyes (16-9, 8-6 Big Ten) Sunday evening.
The Hawkeyes won the first matchup in Iowa City, 86-70, back on January 31, as the Wildcats will look to avoid a season sweep.
Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on Big Ten Network.
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