Published Feb 11, 2021
Quick Hitters: Takeaways from IU's win over Northwestern
Alec Lasley  •  Hoosier Huddle
Senior Writer
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@allasley
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The Hoosiers came into Wednesday night looking to build on their win over No. 8 Iowa but struggled to look anything like a team ready to compete.

Despite its struggles all game, Indiana came out with a 79-76 double overtime win against Northwestern.

Indiana led for just 2:35 in the entire game but when it mattered most, made winning plays in order to come out on top.

IU now looks ahead to Saturday's showdown with No. 4 Ohio State.

Before that matchup, here are the main takeaways from IU's win over Northwestern.

IU wins a game without much from Jackson-Davis: It was a struggle all night long for the preseason All-American. Not only did he not get his first made field goal until the final offensive possession for IU in the first half, he had just 10 points for the game - a season low. He was just 5-of-11 from the field, and more importantly went to the line just once for two free throws - missing both. IU was still able to find a way to win without its leading scorer being much of an impact.

Armaan Franklin continues to step up: Franklin may very well be this team's most important player. Having someone with his two-way ability on the wing is invaluable, and with his continued confidence on the offensive end, he continues to show up in big games. He had 23 points on Wednesday and hit multiple big shots down the stretch. At times, he was the only player engaged on both ends and able to create offensive opportunities.

Free throws win game for IU: After being 8-of-18 at one point and then 12-of-22 from the line at the end of regulation, Indiana found a groove in overtime. The Hoosiers went 15-of-16 from the line in both overtime periods, which ultimately won Indiana the game. Most of it was from Al Durham and Armaan Franklin (18-of-20 overall), but at least IU recognized that and continued to force feed that duo.

Al Durham's career game: The senior guard continues his good trend of late with a 24-point career-high on Wednesday. He struggled a bit with his shot - who didn't - but hit some big shots late, both in regulation to tie it with 24 seconds and then to send it in double-overtime with 1.4 seconds left. He also went 11-of-12 from the line. He is averaging 13.5 points and shooting 43.9% from three in his last 10 outings.

Indiana get rid of TO bug after tough start: Indiana had 7 turnovers in the first half and had four in the first four minutes of the second half. After that, it was just 2 total turnovers in the final 24 minutes of the game, including none in the overtime periods. IU was, at one point, being outscored 14-2 on turnovers but ultimately made that number almost even for the game, losing the battle slightly, 19-15.

Fast break points help Hoosiers: IU's offensive efficiency struggled all night in the halfcourt setting. At one point halfway through the first half, Indiana was scoring .37 points per possession. Later in the second half was when Indiana was able to get out on the break and get some easy buckets or get fouled in transition. Overall, IU finished with 20 fast break points, outscoring Northwestern by a 20-8 margin.

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