The Hoosiers’ offense shot 64.3 percent from 3-point range in the first half. The defense allowed Northwestern to shoot 51.7 percent from the field. One had to give.
IU’s offense ended up bowing out. IU (19-10, 9-7) shot just 29 percent in the second half while Northwestern (14-14, 5-10) continued to shoot at a 51 percent clip for the game.
IU sunk as the shots stopped falling. The Wildcats defeated the Hoosiers 72-65 to win a fourth-consecutive Big Ten game for the first time since 1967.
“Our team has been resilient all year,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “I love how they continue to grow up. The one thing that we have got to learn is when the shots aren’t falling, you define how good of a team you’re going to be when it’s not there.”
Without warning, IU’s offense evaporated in the second half after an efficient opening period.
The Hoosiers went over 10 minutes without a basket and scored just 25 total second-half points. Fifteen of those came in the game’s final three minutes after the outcome had already been decided.
In the first half, IU could hardly miss. In the second, the Hoosiers couldn’t buy ?a basket.
What changed?
Not much, according to Northwestern Coach Chris Collins.
He didn’t change anything schematically. Northwestern stuck to a 2-3 zone, daring IU to make jumpshots because he thought his team had “no chance” in man-to-man.
Junior guard Nick Zeisloft blamed IU’s shot selection. He said they settled too much, ?allowing the zone to prevail.
“We stuck to our guns,” Collins said. “They had some clean looks that just didn’t go down. We’ll take it.”
When IU got into the paint, a swarm of Wildcats players collapsed to alter a shot. When IU shot jumpshots over the zone, they more often than not found the iron and bounced harmlessly away.
Even the good looks wouldn’t fall.
“We missed open shots,” Crean said. “I’d love to tell you it was something different.”
On the defensive end, IU struggled to contain Northwestern big man Alex Olah, who finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The Hoosiers were too often leaving Northwestern wide open, and the Wildcats took advantage. They shot 40 percent from beyond the arc and were led by Tre Demps’ 23 points.
Demps was the name Crean kept repeating after the game. IU simply had no ?answer for him.
“We did not do a good enough job in the second half on Tre Demps,” Crean said. “I’d love to tell you it’s a bunch of other things. But it’s not.”
Wednesday’s loss is nothing new for IU. It’s been a recurring problem all season.
When the Hoosiers’ shots stop falling, they struggle. Crean said IU needs to find new ways to win, and with the Big Ten Tournament just two weeks away, his team is ?running out of time.
“It’s one loss,” Crean said. “We can learn from it, go home, get ready for Iowa.”
