Hoosiers to play host to Wildcats

Just four regular season games remain for the IU men’s basketball team.

A season that has seen the team unwillingly make history with the most conference and total losses plays in just two more home games with this collection of freshmen, walk-ons, junior college transfers and Kyle Taber.

But as the year winds down, IU (6-20, 1-13) still has some incentive to play. For one, tonight might be the best remaining chance this team has at capturing a victory before the season closes when they welcome Northwestern (14-11, 5-9) to Bloomington.

The Wildcats are ninth in the Big Ten and just 2-7 on the road. Northwestern is coming off a humiliating 72-45 loss at Minnesota, but IU coach Tom Crean dismissed the game as a fluke – given that several Wildcat players had the flu.

Northwestern also notched a win against first-place Michigan State, showing that when the Wildcats are on, they can beat anyone in the conference.

In the first meeting between the two, Northwestern edged the Hoosiers 77-75 in a spirited contest. Crean credited Northwestern’s collective clutch performance.

“They’re a strong team, and what we saw in that game that was just a huge, huge intensity game all the way through,” Crean said. “When they needed to answer the call, they did.”

More incentive for the Hoosiers is the prospect of making a lasting impression on the coaching staff for next season.

The same day IU fell to rival Purdue, incoming recruit Jordan Hulls dazzled a Bloomington crowd by defeating nationally ranked Detroit County Day – serving both as hope to the IU fans next season and a reminder to the current players that more competition is on its way next season.

One freshman showing strides as the season has progressed has been Verdell
Jones.

In the last five games Jones has averaged 14.4 points per game, an increase from his 9.8 season average.

After the Purdue contest, Boilermaker coach Matt Painter said his team struggled to stop Jones’ slashing ability. Crean agreed.

“He’s trusting his pull-up,” Crean said. “And we’ve got to continue to get that same improvement in the defensive area.”

One Hoosier who is not playing for anything beyond these last games is Taber. The senior hopes to go out with a bang after scoring a career-high 10 points Saturday at Purdue.

Taber’s development continues to marvel Crean, who said his lone senior’s performance has been impressive.

The senior scored only 34 points total in his first three years.

Freshman Tom Pritchard also appeared to get back on track against the Boilermakers, scoring 12 points.

The big man averages double digits in scoring but went seven consecutive games without notching 10 before the clash against Purdue.

“He was on the glass. He was aggressive. He made some moves which we want him to make,” Crean said. “He’s looking for his jump shot more and more, which is what we want. And he was a force. That’s good to see.”