While Northwestern’s chance at the NCAA Tournament all but disappeared last week with back-to-back losses to Michigan and Penn State, the team showed true character Saturday, sweeping the season series with the Indiana Hoosiers in a 70-64 victory in Bloomington. This was the second time in three years the Wildcats accomplished this feat, which is fairly remarkable considering it has only happened a total of three times in their series history.
Hero of the game | Juice Thompson
It was Juice coming through down the stretch again that sealed the win for the Wildcats. Thompson, who was making his 121st consecutive start, was not at his best throughout, finishing with five turnovers to two assists, but he got it done when it counted. With 6:14 to go in the first half, he quickly brought the ball up the court and cold-bloodedly drained his third 3-pointer of the half while being fouled by Daniel Moore. He then converted the four-point play, which allowed the ‘Cats to break away to a 10-point halftime lead. He finished with 22 points, two assists, and one rebound while also on the court for the full 40 minutes.
Special mention should also go to Alex Marcotulio, whose impact on both ends of the court was huge in the Wildcats’ first half. He was active on defense and his smooth passing pushed Northwestern along as much as Thompson’s threes. He finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Stat of the game | Juice Thompson, 11-11 from the FT line
After an absolutely abysmal shooting performance against Penn State last Sunday, Northwestern is back to top form. After shooting 43 percent from three-point territory in a 73-70 win over Iowa on Thursday, the ‘Cats improved their three-point shooting on Saturday to 46 percent. But they won the game with free throws, especially down the stretch from their senior leader. He made five of them in the final 6:30, including a one-and-one that kept the charging Hoosiers at bay. As big as Juice’s first half threes were, his composure in the clutch continued to make him the team’s MVP of the season. It cannot be overstated how much Northwestern will miss him next year.
Turning point | Shurna’s boards
With 7:45 to go in the game, John Shurna was called for his fourth foul. But with Indiana fighting to stay in the game, Bill Carmody kept Shurna on the court for the remainder of the game. Although Shurna, who finished with 19 points and five rebounds, was limited offensively for the rest of the contest, he proved his worth with two big rebounds in the clutch to help seal the win. With 2:26 to go and Northwestern up 67-61, Shurna got a huge offensive board on a missed 3-pointer from Luka Mirkovic. Although the ‘Cats were not able to capitalize and score, the big rebound took another 17 seconds off the clock. Then, on Indiana’s next possession, Shurna snagged a Christian Watford missed jumper. These rebounds put the pressure on the Hoosiers to score quickly, and Northwestern was able to play off of the Hoosiers’ failed executions.
Where to improve | Defending backdoor cuts
Northwestern never let Indiana get back in the game after 7:23 in the first half, but it let them get close on multiple occasions. The Wildcats were frequently slow to rotate on their 1-3-1 zone in the first half but Indiana was unable to exploit it, failing to knock down open jumpers and giving Northwestern a 40-30 lead at the half. However, Indiana coach Tom Crean had his boys playing Wildcat basketball in the second half. Not only did he decide to go without a tie (a lá Bill Carmody) for the final 20 minutes, but the Hoosiers were spacing the floor and cutting to the bucket like they had played under Pete Carril himself. Northwestern looked sluggish in getting to the various crimson-and-cream slashers, which allowed Indiana to get back in the game.