Big Ten Tournament could present perfect revenge opportunity for Indiana

Indiana has a lot to prove this week in the Big Ten Tournament.
Indiana's Lamar Wilkerson (3) during the Indiana versus Northwestern men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026.
Indiana's Lamar Wilkerson (3) during the Indiana versus Northwestern men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Indiana Hoosiers enter the Big Ten Tournament with a lot to prove. With an overall record of 18-13 and a 9-11 mark in conference play, the Hoosiers are the No. 10 seed in the conference tournament and on the bubble when it comes to the NCAA Tournament picture.

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As the No. 10 seed in the conference tournament, Indiana's first games to postseason play is set for Wednesday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Hoosiers will play the winner of Tuesday's matchup between No. 18 Penn State and No. 15 Northwestern.

Northwestern is favored by 6.5 points over the Nittany Lions on DraftKings Sportsbook, and if the the Wildcats advance, it will give IU a perfect chance for revenge.

Indiana could have a chance for revenge vs Northwestern in Big Ten Tournament

Indiana and Northwestern met a short time ago on February 24 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington in what turned out to be a devastating loss for the Hoosiers. Indiana led for the majority of the game and even had a win probability as high as 93.7% with 12 minutes to go in the 2nd half according to ESPN.

However, the Hoosiers were caught playing with their food and let the Wildcats hang around down the stretch. Ultimately falling by a score of 72-68, the loss handed IU a Quad 3 loss at home, which sent their NCAA hopes spiraling.

The play that all IU fans remember from that contest was the controversial no call on a Tucker DeVries three-point attempt in the closing seconds.

As you can see from the video above, Northwestern's Angelo Ciaravino put his hand on DeVries' left forearm as he attempted a game-tying heave from beyond the arc. It's clear the contact from Ciaravino altered DeVries' shot, which resulted in an airball and a crushing loss for the Hoosiers.

DeVries is an excellent free throw shooter, as he owns a strong 86.8% shooting percentage from the charity stripe on the season. In that particular game against Northwestern, DeVries had knocked down all three of his free throw attempts earlier in the contest. However, the controversial no call led IU to a third straight loss which would become a four-game losing streak after falling to No. 13 Michigan State a few days later.

If the Hoosiers do in fact get to face the Wildcats again on Wednesday, enacting revenge will be crucial. Another loss to Northwestern could doom IU's March Madness dreams.

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