8 Must-Watch Conference Tournament Games For Thursday
By Jacob Rude
Feb 25, 2015; Evanston, IL, USA; The Northwestern Wildcats celebrate their win against the Indiana Hoosiers at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Northwestern Wildcats defeated the Indiana Hoosiers 72-65. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
6. Indiana vs. Northwestern, 6:30 PM, ESPN2
Perhaps no team’s collapse this year has been more highly-documented and highly-scrutinized than the Hoosiers’. Once second in the Big Ten in mid-January, the Hoosiers finished the year by losing eight of their final 12 games, with their final three games all being losses, the last two at home. The kickstarter to that final three-game skid was a loss on the road against Northwestern.
Despite the monumental faceplant, the Hoosiers are still in the tournament as of today, but barely. Lunardi has them positioned as the last team in, with a loss today killing their chances of going to the Big Dance next week. The odds are stacked against the Hoosiers, as they are historically bad in the Big Ten tournament, sporting just a 10-17 record in the event.
Even worse for the Hoosier faithful, head coach Tom Crean has just a 4-8 record against Northwestern, an odd record against the often mediocre Wildcats. For the Hoosiers to save themselves from embarrassment, they’ll have to string together a handful of wins. The tournament is set up nicely for that, with their two worst match-ups in conference (Purdue and Wisconsin) on the other side of the bracket. But none of that matters if IU doesn’t win today.
Winner: Indiana