Indiana Survives Northwestern in OT

Indiana was finally able to end their 11-game losing streak, knocking off Northwestern in OT 88-80. This win gave Indiana their 10th win, and ended a drought in which Indiana hadn’t won since January 21st. It was a quality win by this young basketball team and staff desperate for a win. This wasn’t a typical looking Indiana basketball game we had seen all this season. They handled the ball, they took quality shots, and they shot the ball well.

It starts with Jordan Hulls who led all scorers with a career-high 24 points, all on 3-pointers. He is emerging as a leader and a model Indiana basketball player. He encompasses everything that stands for Indiana basketball. Hulls is a quality student with a positive attitude that is contagious. Not to mention he is a hard worker and fantastic basketball player. He is the kind of guy I love to see represent Indiana basketball.

Four players scored in double figures (Hulls, Jones III, Elston and Watford) and seven players scored in all. Northwestern only had two players truly contribute, led by John Shurna with 31 points and Michael Thompson with 25, but it was not enough for a school-record 20th win.

Derek Elston has improved the most over the last few games. He posted a career-high 17 points in the win over Northwestern and has contributed a lot over the last 4 games. With the exception of the Iowa game, Elston has knocked down his shots, and rebounded strong inside. He has developed the most over the past month but still has a ways to go.

This program is on the way up, but still is far from the top. Tom Crean is the right guy for this job, and it’s just certainly taking much longer than first expected. The team literally started from scratch. I do wish IU would land a few more big name players but its tough to attract the top talent to a team that may possibly not make the NCAA tournament. Hoosier faithful must continue to support, continue to fight through this dark time because the future is bright.

These years are tough. Another sub-par year that makes it difficult to talk trash to friends. It’s another year that Purdue wins, and now for the 2nd straight year, Indiana won’t make it to the NCAA tournament. These days are tough, but as we saw today, Indiana is capable of big things. The largest student section in the country. One of the largest arenas in the country. 5 national championships. History. Tradition.