Big Ten play is here and Indiana is set to square off against Northwestern on Wednesday in its conference opener.
Indiana enters conference play at 5-2, while Northwestern is currently 4-1 (1-0) and coming off of a win against No. 4 Michigan State.
Chris Collins enters his eighth season at Northwestern and this looks to be one of his better teams since he took over the program - outside of the 2016-17 season when he took the program to the NCAA Tournament.
Boo Buie leads the Wildcats into Assembly Hall as he ranks first in scoring (15.2 ppg) and assists (5.6 apg). He is a 6-foot-2 guard who is coming off of a 30-point outing against Michigan State. 50 percent of his shot attempts come from deep and 55 percent of his made field goals come from deep.
Miller Kopp is a long wing - at 6-foot-7 - who can use his versatility in a few different ways. He is second on the team in scoring (14.0 ppg) and is 10-for-20 from deep. While he likes to hover around the three-point line, he also uses his length to get to the free throw line at a good rate. He averages 5.2 attempts per game. He has struggled against more athletic wings (Pitt, MSU) averaging just 6.5 points and shooting 4-of-12.
In the frontcourt, Pete Nance is someone that the Wildcats like to run their offense through at times. He averages 2.2 assists per game at 6-foot-10. His ability to stretch the floor and allow Northwestern to play 5-out offense will be interesting against Indiana. He also averages 11.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Chase Audige (13.2 ppg) plays alongside Buie in the backcourt but despite his scoring average, shoots just 36.9 percent from the field. He'll get his numbers, but tends to be less efficient doing so. A name off of the bench to keep an eye on is freshman guard Ty Berry. Berry is averaging 10.6 points on 56.3 percent from the field and 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from three. He provides a big scoring punch off of the bench as someone whose role is to score.
Northwestern Projected Starters:
PG - Boo Buie (So; 6-2; 180)
Stats: 15.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5.6 apg
SG - Chase Audige (So; 6-4; 200)
Stats: 13.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.4 apg
SF - Miller Kopp (Jr; 6-7; 215)
Stats: 14.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg
PF - Pete Nance (Jr; 6-10; 225)
Stats 11.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.2 apg
C - Robbie Beran (So; 6-9; 215)
Stats: 9.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.6 apg
Things To Watch For Indiana:
Something's got to give - Indiana ranks first in the Big Ten in 3pt field goal defense, holding opponents to just 27.5 percent from deep. Northwestern, however, leads the league in made 3's per game at 11.4. The Wildcats are also shooting 43.5 percent. In total, 42.5 percent of Northwestern's shot attempts come from behind the arc.
The Wildcats average 45 rebounds per game - but that number drops to 33 per game against high-major programs (Pitt, MSU). IU will once again need to be able to control the glass. Northwestern's offensive rebound percentage rate is just 22 percent at 288th in the country.
With most of the recent matchups being close in the series, it could easily be decided at the free throw line. Indiana connects on just 65.9 percent while Northwestern is at 73.6 percent on the season.
Game Information:
Who: Tennessee Tech (0-0) at Indiana (5-2)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 23 @ 8:30 pm ET
Where: Bloomington, IN
TV: BTN (Brandon Gaudin and Jess Settles)
Radio: IU Radio Network with Don Fischer, Errek Suhr and Joe Smith
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QUICK HITTERS
• Indiana starts non-conference play after going 9-11 in 2019-20, finishing tied for 11th.
• The Hoosiers own the head-to-head matchup 118-52. Indiana won the only matchup last season, 66-62.
• Four of the last five matchups between these teams have been decided by seven points or fewer.
• The Wildcats are looking for their first win at Assembly Hall since Jan. 18, 2014
• Northwestern has seven players averaging over 8.0 points per game and also five players shooting over 40 percent from three with at least 12 attempts on the season.
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