IU-Northwestern Postgame Show

01/23/25 • 77 min

The Assembly Call IU Basketball Podcast and Postgame Show

Indiana continued its frustrating pattern of inconsistency on Tuesday night, falling 79-70 at Northwestern for their fifth straight loss to the Wildcats. After building a six-point halftime lead with an 18-2 run to close the first half, IU's defense completely fell apart after intermission as Northwestern scored 54 second-half points on a blistering 62.5% shooting.

While Indiana showed brief signs of life with a 10-0 second-half run to take a 52-49 lead, Northwestern responded with a devastating 21-4 run that effectively ended any hopes of IU's first win in Evanston since 2019. The loss drops Indiana to 14-6 (5-4 B1G).

Key Talking Points:

• Northwestern torched IU's defense for 1.69 points per possession in the second half

• Four Wildcats (Barnheizer, Martinelli, Barry, Leach) combined for 77 of Northwestern's 79 points

• IU's offense remained overly reliant on contested mid-range jumpers while Northwestern generated clean looks

• Malik Reneau showed significant rust in his return, going 0-6 in 11 limited minutes

• Another game defined by IU's inability to sustain positive momentum when taking leads

Plus, as always, the Banner Moment, Meaningful Moments You Might Have Missed, Inside the Numbers, and our Game Balls, Hustle Award, and Lingering Questions. That's all in this edition of The Assembly Call.

On the mics: Andy Bottoms, Coach Brian Tonsoni, and Josh Pos

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Key Talking Points:

• Northwestern torched IU's defense for 1.69 points per possession in the second half

• Four Wildcats (Barnheizer, Martinelli, Barry, Leach) combined for 77 of Northwestern's 79 points

• IU's offense remained overly reliant on contested mid-range jumpers while Northwestern generated clean looks

• Malik Reneau showed significant rust in his return, going 0-6 in 11 limited minutes

• Another game defined by IU's inability to sustain positive momentum when taking leads

On the mics: Andy Bottoms, Coach Brian Tonsoni, and Josh Pos

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Previous Episode

IU-Ohio State Postgame Show

Join us immediately following Indiana's Friday night game at Ohio State where the Hoosiers won a 77-76 thriller.

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Next Episode

IU-Maryland Postgame Show

Indiana let a late lead slip away in the final minute as Maryland escaped Assembly Hall with a 79-78 victory, dealing a crushing blow to IU's NCAA tournament hopes.

The Hoosiers built a four-point lead in the closing minutes behind huge plays from Anthony Leal and Myles Rice, but defensive breakdowns and poor late-game execution proved costly.

After getting clutch plays from Leal and a strong second-half shooting performance from Rice (3-5 from three), Indiana seemed poised to secure a crucial home win. However, failing to foul with a foul to give and defensive confusion on Maryland's final possession led to a Rodney Rice three-pointer that put the Terrapins ahead. IU's final offensive possession was marred by substitution confusion and resulted in a forced shot that missed at the buzzer.

Key Talking Points:

Efficient offensive performance (1.24 points per possession) wasted by defensive lapses
Maryland shot 12-24 from three while repeatedly finding open shooters
Myles Rice (12 points) and Anthony Leal provided huge second-half sparks
Lineup and execution issues in critical final minute prove devastating
Another tough home loss further damages NCAA tournament resume

On the mics: Jerod Morris, Coach Bob Moats

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