NU Travels to Bloomington for Sunday Meeting With No. 15 Hoosiers

NORTHWESTERN MEN'S BASKETBALL: GAME INFORMATION
DATE	Opponent	TIME	LOCATION	Watch	Live Stats
Sunday, Jan. 8	No. 15 Indiana	11 a.m. CT	Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Bloomington, Ind.	FS1	Live Stats
Radio: WGN Radio 720 Social: Twitter: @NUMensbball \| Instagram: @numensbball \| Digital Program

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern hits the road for the first time in 2023 as it takes its 11-3 (2-1 B1G) record to No. 15 Indiana for an 11 a.m. CT on Sunday, Jan. 8. Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Stephen Bardo (analyst) have the call on FS1, while Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst) will have the radio call on WGN Radio 720.

The Wildcats, who have won six of their last seven games, closed their season-long six-game homestand with an emphatic 73-60 win over Illinois on Wednesday night, snapping an eight-game losing skid against the Fighting Illini. Chase Audige led the team with 21 points and four steals, and was joined in double figures by Boo Buie (15) and Ty Berry (13). Northwestern utilized a 22-2 run in the second half, and Berry's 10 second stanza points to race past the Illini. For the first time since 2018 against La Salle (43), the 'Cats attempted 40 free throws and connected on 32 of them, led by Buie's 11 makes.

Northwestern will look to open conference play 3-1 for the second time under head coach Chris Collins, and for just the third time in the last 55 seasons: 2020-21 (3-1) and 1967-68 (3-1). Its 11-3 overall record is the program's best start to a season through the first 14 games since 2016-17 (12-2). Northwestern will also look to start a season 3-0 on the road for the first time since 2015-16.

Audige continues his successful senior season and leads the team averaging 15.8 points per game (seventh in the Big Ten), and leads the Big Ten and ranks 10th nationally with 2.6 steals per game. The New York native has 115 career steals in a Northwestern uniform. Audige is four steals away from tying John Shurna (2009-12) and Vic Law (2015-19) for 10th in program history. He is one of just six players in the country averaging over 15 points and 2.5 steals per game.

Buie is second on the team this season, scoring 13.9 points per game, and ranks seventh in the Big Ten dishing out 4.2 assists per game. He has logged 352 career assists, which ranks fifth in program history. Assistant coach Bryant McIntosh (2015-18) is the school's record holder recording 700 assists.

The 'Cats defense continues to shine and held Illinois to just 60 points its last time out. NU has limited its opponent to 60 or fewer points 10 times this season, its most since 2018-19 (11). Opponents are shooting a nation-low 39.9% on 2-point field goals against Northwestern's defense. Northwestern has shaved its scoring defense from 67.4 points per game in 2021-22 to 57.2 points per game in 2022-23 (first 14 games).

No. 15 Indiana (10-4, 1-2 B1G) enters Sunday's tilt coming off a road loss to Iowa, 91-89. The Hoosiers had a 21-point lead in the first half and were outscored 51-39 in the second stanza. Trayce Jackson-Davis leads the team averaging 17.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The Hoosiers are 8-0 at home this year.

The Wildcats and Hoosiers will meet for the 175th time in series history, with Indiana holding an all-time 120-54 advantage. Collins is 6-8 in his career against Indiana and has won three of the last five meetings, including last year's 59-51 victory inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Northwestern returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Jan. 11 against Rutgers.

NU Travels to Bloomington for Sunday Meeting With No. 15 Hoosiers

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Players Mentioned

Chase Audige

Ty Berry

Boo Buie

Northwestern University Athletics