Men’s basketball looks for first Big Ten win of season

The IU men’s basketball team (9-7, 0-3) is mired in a five-game losing streak, and following a loss at Minnesota on Tuesday, a nine-game road losing streak extending to last year.

The Hoosiers have a chance to snap both streaks at Northwestern (9-4, 0-3) in a 7 p.m. tipoff Sunday on the Big Ten Network.

Like the Hoosiers, the Wildcats opened the Big Ten schedule winless, though Northwestern’s losses came against top-20 teams in No. 11 Purdue and No. 19 Michigan State.

History

Northwestern has won four of its last five games against IU. The Hoosiers’ last victory in the series came in an 88-80 decision in Bloomington last season. The Wildcats responded by downing the Hoosiers by 15 points in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. However, IU dominates the all-time series, leading 109-46.

Player to watch — IU: Christian Watford, sophomore forward

After an All-Big Ten start to the season, Watford has slipped as conference play started.

In losses to Penn State and Minnesota, he has combined for seven points on 3-of-18 shooting with only three free-throw attempts. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Hoosiers lost both games.

Despite the recent struggles, Watford still leads the team in points per game and free throws made and is second in minutes played.

Player to watch — Northwestern: Michael Thompson, senior guard

As leading scorer John Shurna has labored with an ankle injury, Thompson has taken over as the Wildcats’ top scorer.

He led the team in scoring against Purdue with 18 points and scored 12 against Michigan State.

He has terrorized the Hoosiers recently, averaging 17.6 points per game against IU last season.

In IU’s conference tournament loss last year, Thompson scored 13 points in a five-minute stretch to take Northwestern from a two-point deficit to a 10-point lead and an eventual victory.

What they’re saying — IU coach Tom Crean, following his team’s 67-63 loss at Minnesota.

“We had our chances. This would have been a big game to get. I loved our plan. I loved our mindset. I loved our preparation. It’s early in the season. I wish we had the win. I wish we had the win last Monday night, but we don’t. So we just keep moving forward and get ready to go play Northwestern.”