Scouting: Northwestern vs. Indiana
Northwestern (19-12) vs. Indiana (10-20)When: 4 p.m. at Conseco FieldhouseTV: ESPN2; Radio: WGN 720-AMSkinny: Six days after suffering an 88-80 overtime loss on Indiana's home court, Northwestern gets a chance to reverse that defeat and claim the program's first Big Ten tournament win since 2005 in one swoop. To accomplish this, lone NU senior Jeremy Nash says the Wildcats need to communicate better defensively when they exchange assignments in their 2-3 matchup zone. Indiana freshman Jordan Hulls, for example, exploited NU's issues for a career-high 8 3-pointers in just 12 tries. "We're just not talking enough," Nash said. "That's been our problem all year-If we talk, he's not going to get those shots next game. That's a guarantee." A little defense should go a long way as Northwestern led the Big Ten with 68.7 points per game in league play - the school's first scoring championship since 1967. Leading scorer John Shurna (18.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg), who lit up Indiana for 31 points on Saturday, earned the Sporting News' award for the nation's Most Improved Player.Advancement: The winner faces No. 2 seed Purdue at 5:30 p.m. Friday (BTN).