The Big Ten Tournament continues on Wednesday evening with a meeting between Northwestern and Indiana in Chicago. Northwestern arrives with a 14-18 record and enters the contest after a 76-66 victory over Penn State in the opening round of the tournament. Indiana, sitting at 18-13 overall, received a higher seed and now faces a Wildcats group that already proved it can compete with the Hoosiers this season. Northwestern has home-court advantage in this tournament, more or less. I break down how much that will matter in my Northwestern vs Indiana preview.
Pick: Northwestern +4.5 ATS PRO
Confidence: 3 out of 5
Indiana enters the Big Ten Tournament looking to build a late-season run after an inconsistent stretch that saw the Hoosiers go 1-4 in their last five games. Their offense has been capable of putting up points quickly, but defensive lapses have cost them during conference play. The Hoosiers average 78.7 points per game and rely heavily on leading scorer Lamar Wilkerson to drive the offense.
Northwestern arrives with a bit of confidence after its opening-round victory. The Wildcats showed strong ball movement in that game, recording 21 assists while controlling the tempo. Northwestern also holds the psychological edge of having defeated Indiana earlier this season. However, the Wildcats have struggled to string together wins in Big Ten play and finished the regular season with a losing conference record.
Indiana Hoosiers
Northwestern Wildcats
Stat | Northwestern | Indiana |
|---|---|---|
Points per game | 73.3 | 78.7 |
Points allowed per game | 72.0 | 72.1 |
Team Field Goal % | 46% | 47% |
Rebounds per game | 30.8 | 32.5 |
Assists per game | 17.2 | 16.8 |
Score Projection: Northwestern 75 – Indiana 76 ATS PRO
Win Probability: Northwestern 39%, Indiana 61% ATS PRO
I think this is going to be an incredibly close game with very little between the two teams. Northwestern already has a win over Indiana this year and has home-court advantage in this tournament, essentially. While I think Indiana wins, I think we see a one-possession game here and for the Wildcats to cover the number as an underdog.
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