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For Miller Kopp, Wednesday night’s game wasn't easy to take in.

He struggled against his former team, again, but it was the outside factors that made it harder to take in. He went back to his former school and was treated like a rival player. He wasn’t viewed in the same light anymore.

He was supposed to go back to a place he used to call home, but instead, he left feeling unsure about the place he started playing college basketball.

A few things were said after the game by Northwestern and Kopp, but both sides just had to move on. The Wildcats got the best of the Hoosiers that night; however, what happened, happened. The relationship had taken a turn, one that changed the others' point of view.

“That night is over. It wasn't fun, but it is what it is, and it's over,” Kopp said.

Three days after the loss in Evanston, Kopp prepared for another game against Illinois. He's coming off an emotional loss against his former team he said it himself, “That night is over." Kopp has been a top defender all year but at times struggled to take a significant amount of shots. He scored a combined six points in the last two games, everything was pointing toward a bounce-back performance.

Kopp shot with confidence, with all 12 of his points coming from behind the three-point line, giving Indiana multiple big plays throughout the game. Kopp was on Illinois forward Matthew Mayer the whole game and even with a difficult first half, locked him down to just one made field goal in the second half. He had 16 points and four made 3s in the first half compared to just eight points on 1-of-8 from the field in the second.

Kopp stepped up and played his role to a much greater degree although he was coming off a tough night in his career, he flushed it and played his style of basketball.

“For me, it was just about locking into this game, and my teammates needed me and I needed them, and we got it done,” Kopp said.

The senior forward credited his teammates after the game for not only coming together for the win but also for helping him get through the Northwestern aftermath. I think it's fair to say that for Kopp, this win served more than just another victory for the Hoosiers.

“I've got an amazing support system around me with teammates, with coaches, with Scott Dolson, just letting me know that they're with me and behind me and have my back no matter what for as long as I'm here and on,” Kopp said.

The game against Illinois showed the type of player Kopp is. He came back after a difficult performance and worked in perfect harmony. This week the team showed how much they believe in him, the fan base showed how much they cared about him, and against Illinois, he showed how much he believes in himself.

“Miller has been around a long time, and that Northwestern scene is not a good scene for him, going back to last season,” Woodson said. “It is what it is, man, but the bottom line, he's played well here at home for us. So I expect him to make shots here. He's got the fan base, and he's got everybody in his corner, so it makes it a lot easier for him."

Indiana will look for more of these types of performances from the entire team, but especially Kopp. Trayce Jackson-Davis wants more, however.

“I'm so angry if he doesn't shoot it,” Jackson-Davis said. “Every time he touches it I want the ball up.

“Every single time.”

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