Game Day Essentials:
Northwestern (11-3, 2-1) at No. 15 Indiana (10-4, 1-2)
- Tip Time: 12:00 p.m. Eastern
- Location: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222), Bloomington, Indiana
- Television: FS1 (Matt Schumacher, Stephen Bardo)
- Stream: Fox Sports
- IU Radio Network: IU Radio Network
- Point Spread: Indiana is a 6-point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: No. 19 Indiana 69 No. 58 Northwestern 62
- Series: Indiana leads 120-53. Northwestern won the last meeting 59-51 on February 8, 2022
Northwestern’s Chris Collins:
Chris Collins was named the 24th head coach in program history on March 27, 2013.
Entering the 2022-23 season, Collins has 133 victories at Northwestern, the third-most wins by a head coach in program history.
His most memorable season came in 2016-17. Northwestern won a school-record 24 games while earning the program’s first NCAA tournament berth and victory in school history.
Their 18-4 start, including a six-game winning streak in Big Ten Conference play, saw the team crack the top 25 of the Associated Press poll on Jan. 30, the team’s first national ranking in seven years.
Northwestern recorded 10 wins in league play, its most since the 1932-33 campaign. Five of the victories came on the road, including a 66-59 triumph at No. 7/5 Wisconsin on Feb. 12.
NU was rewarded with an NCAA tournament berth on Selection Sunday and defeated Vanderbilt in an opening-round contest in Salt Lake City before narrowly falling to second-ranked and eventual national runner-up Gonzaga.
Prior to arriving at Northwestern, Collins was an assistant at Duke from 2000-2013, Seton Hall from 1998-2000 and the Detroit Shock in 1998.
Northwestern’s results and roster:
Northwestern has had a solid start to the year, posting an 11-3 overall record and a 2-1 record in conference play.
They are 6-1 in their last seven games, including wins at Michigan State and at home against Illinois. The Wildcats also own wins over high majors DePaul and Georgetown. They are 2-0 in true road games.
Northwestern will look to open conference play 3-1 for the second time under Chris Collins and the third time in the last 55 seasons: 2020-21 (3-1) and 1967-68 (3-1).
• The Wildcats are 2-1 in Big Ten play for the third time in the last 17 seasons: 2005-06 (2-1) and 2020-21 (3-0).
• NU will look to defeat Indiana, Michigan State and Illinois in the same season for the first time since 1967-68. The’67-68 ‘Cats finished fourth in the Big Ten standings with an 8-6 league record.
• Northwestern has won two of the last three meetings against IU, and three of the last five.
Northwestern’s 2022-23 KenPom Highlights:
Overall Tempo: No. 251 (Offense – No. 241 / Defense No. 176)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency – No. 188
- The Wildcats have one of the worst effective field goal percentages in the country at 44.7 percent. That comes in at No. 336 and consists of 43 percent (No. 346) from 2-point range, and 31.3 percent (No. 280) from 3-point range.
- They get 12.3 percent of their shots blocked, which comes in at No. 338 in the country.
- Northwestern doesn’t turn the ball over. Their 16.6 percent turnover rate is No. 52 nationally.
- NU does make their free throws. Their 75.7 percent rate is No. 41.
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency – No. 6
- Northwestern’s defense produces the No. 13 effective field goal percentage (43.5 percent), consisting of the No. 1 2-point defense (39.9 percent) and the No. 109 3-point defense (32 percent).
- A 16.4 percent block rate (No. 4) contributes to the strong defensive field goal percentage.
- The Wildcats create turnovers on 23.1 percent of their possessions which comes in at No. 28 in the country.
- NU tries to make you beat them from behind the arc. 44.9 percent of opponents overall field goal attempts have come from three. That’s the No. 341 rate in the country. 3-point makes account for 40.4 percent of opposing points scored against Northwestern. That’s the seventh highest rate nationally.
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