Hoosiers Fall to Wildcats in Big Ten Tournament

Wednesday, March 11

Chicago, Ill.

6:30 PM

Indiana University

18-14,9-11Big Ten

Northwestern

15-18,5-15Big Ten

Northwestern

Indiana

Hoosiers Fall to Wildcats in Big Ten Tournament

3/11/2026 8:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

CHICAGO -- What do you say when Big Ten tourney misery returns, when a final opportunity to make a NCAA Tournament case ends in 74-61 defeat to Northwestern at the United Center, when a season that began with such promise (seven straight victories) likely ends with such disappointment (six losses in the last seven games).

If you're Indiana forward Tucker DeVries, one of the Hoosiers six seniors/graduate students, you think about what might have been.

"We had so many seniors," he said. "We wanted to lay the groundwork for this program ... we had so many opportunities. It really sucks. It's really frustrating."

IU (18-14) has lost seven straight games to Northwestern (15-18). The offseason priority to turn things around, coach Darian DeVries said, comes down to "depth, size and physicality to give us a better chance on the interior."

Here was IU assistant coach Rod Clark, talking with Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer in the post-game radio show, assessing what might have been.

"These six seniors came here and took a chance on the program," Clark told Fischer. "They sacrificed for this year. I feel bad for those guys and the effort they put in.

"We came into the game with high hopes feeling we had some things put together to neutralize those guys. It just didn't come to fruition."

IU's Big Ten tourney frustration continues. It has never won this event, which began in 1998. It has only reached one conference tourney final, and that was a generation ago. The down-the-stretch struggles were never solved.

"I just feel like we just got stagnant," guard Lamar Wilkerson said. "We just weren't playing our best basketball. The other team that we were playing, they executed well. They did what they had to do.

"We made a lot of self-inflictions that cost us games through that last stretch. We just weren't hooked up like we were supposed to be.

Four layups and four 3-pointers helped IU build a 10-point first-half lead, but turnovers helped Northwestern cut it to one at halftime. The Wildcats dominated the second half, 38-24.

Senior forward Nick Martinelli led Northwestern, which will play Purdue Thursday night, with 28 points.

IU opened bigger with 6-foot-10 forward Reed Bailey starting ahead of 6-foot-7 guard Nick Dorn. It helped the Hoosiers score 14 points in the paint in the first half. They finished with 24, 10 fewer than the Wildcats.

"In the early part of the game," Clark told Fischer, "We guarded the ball screens a little different than we had in the past. It was more about keeping the ball out of (Big Ten leading scorer Nick) Martinelli's hands, and stay back more. It was fighting and being tougher on the ball.

"Then (Northwestern) started getting downhill and their guards started to living in the paint on us. We had to switch up our coverage."

Guard Lamar Wilkerson led Indiana with 17 points. Guard Tayton Conerway came off the bench for 14. Forward Tucker DeVries scored five early points, then didn't score again until just three minutes remained in the game. He finished with six points, eight rebounds and six assists.

IU's inside emphasis quickly paid off with layups from Sam Alexis and Wilkerson before a Tucker DeVries 3-pointer boosted the Hoosiers to an 8-2 lead.

A Wilkerson 3-pointer made it 13-6 five minutes into the game. Baskets by Alexis and Wilkerson gave IU a 22-13 lead after 10 minutes. A Dorn 3-pointer made it 25-15.

Northwestern capitalized on three Hoosier turnovers to close within 30-25. An 8-0 run boosted the Wildcats to a 33-32 lead with just under three minutes. Dorn's second 3-pointer and a Conerway basket pushed IU ahead 37-33. The Hoosiers reached halftime with a 37-36 lead. Wilkerson led with 10 points. Conerway, and Dorn came off the bench for a combined 12 points.

Northwestern scored the first four points of the second half to regain the lead. IU countered with a pair of Bailey free throws and a Wilkerson jumper. Dorn was called for a flagrant foul. The Wildcats capitalized to push ahead 53-44 with 12 minutes left.

A pair of Conerway free throws ended IU's scoring drought, but Martinelli's two free throws and Reid's 3-pointer made it 60-47 with 9:33 left. The Wildcats made it 67-49 with seven minutes left before Conerway's 3-pointer offered a final flicker of hope.

It wasn't nearly enough.

IU will wait until Sunday to see if it receives an NCAA tourney bid.

"I certainly think there's a case (to make the NCAA Tournament) there," Darian DeVries said. "Whether it's an enough, we'll see."

Added Clark to Fischer: "This is a process. When you get 13 to 15 new guys together, it's not easy to snap your fingers and hope it all fits together. You have guys from multiple programs and try to get them to play the way you want to play.

"We do have good guys. They tried to perform the way we wanted. It was a rollercoaster season. Guys were getting adjusted to a new league, a new program, a new school. We're not the only program going through this. We're looking forward to building this thing."

Would the Hoosiers consider playing in a postseason tournament other than the NCAA?