CHICAGO — Indiana basketball did its best to play itself out of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday, March 11.
The Hoosiers (18-14) lost 74-61 to Northwestern in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament in front of a sparse crowd at the United Center. They head into Selection Sunday having lost six of seven with five of those losses coming by double-digits.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIndiana’s latest defeat came at the hands of a Northwestern team (15-18) that has won seven straight and nine of 10 in the series.
The Wildcats acted like they were the ones on the bubble down the stretch by fighting for the loose balls and offensive rebounds IU desperately needed. They jumped out in front on the opening possession of the second half on a putback by Nate Martinelli and never looked back.
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Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli sends the Indiana basketball back to Bloomington
Nick Martinnelli did it again.
He orchestrated a comeback in the first meeting between the teams and the rematch unfolded in similar fashion with him scoring 19 of his game-high 28 points coming out of halftime after his team trailed by as many as 10 points in the early going.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe outscored the Hoosiers by himself through the first 10 minutes of the second half with IU going more than six minutes without a field goal during one stretch.
Indiana rotated a series of defenders on Martinelli — Tucker DeVries spent the most time defending him — but he put together a workmanlike effort by battling to get in position in the paint and get the shots he wanted.
The Hoosiers sleep-walked through the second half with lackluster energy and execution on both ends of the floor. They had just as many turnovers (four) as made field goals through the first 15 minutes of the second half while shooting 6 of 13 on attempted layups.
Northwestern was the third team in the past six games to shoot better than 50% against IU. Freshman guard Jake West tied his career-high with 18 points while Lamar Wilkerson led the Hoosiers with 17 points. Tayton Conerway (14 points) was the only other player in double-digits.
Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) shoots against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half at United Center.Indiana basketball makes a change in starting lineup against Northwestern
Indiana started Reed Bailey alongside Sam Alexis for the first time this season on Wednesday. The only meaningful minutes they played together before the Big Ten tournament came in IU’s regular season finale against Ohio State.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile the Hoosiers have struggled against bigger frontcourts, coach Darian DeVries has been reluctant to use them together since he doesn’t have any depth at the five behind them.
It was only the second change he’s made to the starting lineup this season and first that wasn’t in response to an injury. Nick Dorn landed in the starting lineup in January after Tayton Conerway suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for a handful of games. Conerway remained on the bench once he returned to the lineup.
Bailey took Dorn’s spot in the starting five against the Wildcats to mixed results. The two-big lineup solved some of the rebounding problems IU had in the first matchup between the teams, but Bailey struggled on the offensive end.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana basketball's NCAA tournament bid takes hit in Big Ten tourney
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