#14 Indiana (16-2, 7-1) will host Northwestern (7-12, 2-6) on Sunday, January 28th. Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall is the site for the Hoosier’s annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game and celebration of National Girls and Women In Sports Day. Tip-off is scheduled for 2pm, and the game will be televised on Big10+.
Northwestern fell earlier in the week to Penn State 76-65, despite four Wildcats scoring in double digits. Junior Forward Caileigh Walsh, averaging 13 ppg, led the team with her 3rd double-double of the season, putting up 17 and pulling down 13.
Indiana is coming off of a week’s rest after defeating Purdue on the road. The Hoosiers were challenged during that match-up, with the Boilermakers walking into the 3rd quarter with a 3-point lead. While retaining the Barn Burner Trophy, IU hit 53% of their shots and knocked down 15 of 23 attempts from three-point land. The Hoosiers’ balanced offense included several players stepping up. Guards Sara Scalia and Chloe Moore-McNeil sank 20 points each, Sophomore Guard Yarden Garzon had 17, and Holmes added 15 points.
Indiana will continue to have to adjust to the loss of starting Senior Guard Sydney Parrish, who is out “indefinitely” with a foot injury. While not much has been released about the nature of the injury, Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren had this to say, “She’s out indefinitely and it’ll really hurt. The status is going to be updated. She’s in great hands and we’re trying to get her back as quickly but as safely as we can.”
What to expect . . .
Northwestern will work to pressure Indiana with their different looks at the Zone Defense, making it more difficult to get the ball inside the paint to All-American Graduate Forward Mackenzie Holmes.
Indiana will look to establish a perimeter offense early on. They will likely get 20 or more attempts from beyond the arc during the game.
Look for Chloe Moore-McNeil to switch off Point positioning with Sophomore Guard Lexus Bargesser. Moore-McNeil will need to step-up off the ball in the absence of Parrish.
Indiana’s bench will get a lot of minutes in the game. The Hoosiers will look to rest their starters as much as possible for the 3-game week IU has.
Next up, Indiana takes to the road, heading to College Park to take on Maryland. The game will tip-off at 7pm on Wednesday and will be streamed live on Peacock. Northwestern will host #2 Iowa for a 7pm showdown on Wednesday evening, also broadcast on Peacock.