It will hit the record books as a win.
Much of the game in Evanston, Indiana, looked like it would fall to a Northwestern team that had lost nine consecutive games.
After beating No. 8 Iowa on Sunday, the statistic that kept popping up was Indiana’s record 2-9 after beating a top-25 opponent in Archie Miller’s tenure. Everything about Indiana’s game on Wednesday pointed to it going 2-10 as the Hoosiers trailed late in the regulations and in the first overtime.
Had Indiana been in the same situation a month ago, they most likely would have come up short.
Instead, the Hoosiers escaped what would have been a gruesome loss and pulled in a 79-76 win in double overtime. It was a game Indiana absolutely shouldn’t have won. But they did, thanks to clutch plays down the stretch by Armaan Franklin, Al Durham, and a huge 3-pointer by Jerome Hunter.
“This one here puts more of a smile on my face than any of them just because we had to walk through to find out to do it,” said IU head coach Archie Miller after the game. “You don’t win today if you’re not together, if you’re not gritty, if you’re not tough.”
Here are five takeaways from the win:
• Armaan Franklin and Al Durham carry Indiana to victoryIndiana’s backcourt of Armaan Franklin and Al Durham combined for 47 of Indiana’s 79 points, including 7-of-13 from outside the 3-point line. Franklin and Durham hit clutch shot after clutch shot as the rest of Indiana’s attack sank.
When the Hoosiers were trailing seven with less than two minutes remaining under the rules, Durham hit five free throws in less than a minute to draw Indiana within two runs. Durham then went on to hit a jumpshot with 24 seconds left to tie the game, eventually sending it to overtime.
In the first overtime, Franklin scored ten runs, including seven free throws. Durham also came through again, hitting a jump shot just inside the 3-point arc to tie the game by less than two seconds and send the game to double overtime.
“I think we’ve had a better performance here later in the game lately, so we can hit the bull’s-eye,” said Miller. “I think we struggled to perform so often during extra time in previous games that we struggled to get a good shot.”
It is fitting that Durham hit four free throws in the second extra period and the game was icy cold with three seconds to go.
“We needed this win,” said Durham. “I feel like this win was very important to us because we couldn’t bring two together. We have not been able to string two. “
• Free-throw shooting is becoming a decisive factor: Indiana has had to deal with its share of the fight of the line this season. Earlier in the year, Miller compared missing free throws to essentially a turnover.
To start the game, the Hoosiers were terrible from the line, making only 2 of 8 in the first half. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Rob Phinisee were both missing a pair.
But Indiana improved in the second half, converting 10 of the streak’s 14 tries. Then Indiana broke through in the two overtime.
Franklin made 7-of-8 in the first overtime. In second overtime, Phinisee and Jerome Hunter both hit two and Durham hit four more. By the end of the game, the Hoosiers converted after 14 of their last 15 free throws.
One of the falls from Indiana in the first half was the redeeming quality in the clutch.
• Indiana gives terrible offensive performances: This offensive performance was arguably Indiana’s worst since the game against Texas, where they scored only 44 runs. If it wasn’t that bad, it would be close.
The Hoosiers scored just 20 points in the first half with only four players. Franklin and Durham had eight, and Jackson-Davis and Jordan Geronimo each had two. Indiana was only 7 of 29 off the field.
The second half was not much better. Indiana went 11-of-33 and made 2-of-6 on 3-pointers. Race Thompson added seven points, while Franklin and Durham carried the load. But apart from those three, there were many mistakes.
The Hoosiers ended the game by making 8-of-16 lay-ups and scoring only one point per possession.
• Trayce Jackson-Davis does not dominate and Rob Phinisee continues to struggle: Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds, but was not a factor for most of the game. He was constantly bullied by the Northwestern great men in isolation situations.
In the first half, Jackson-Davis shot only 1-of-6 off the floor and had a plus / minus of -5. He contributed six points in the second half, but was far from the dominant player Indiana needs him.
There was nothing out of the ordinary about the northwest front line, and Jackson-Davis didn’t seem to get into any rhythm.
Then there was Phinisee, who has been a mystery all season. In 32 minutes of action on Wednesday, Phinisee had only two points and was 2-of-5 from the free-throw line and 0-of-4 from outside the arc. However, he got five assists and his two free throws were extremely important.
Phinisee’s veteran guard in Durham has recently done his part, but Phinisee has still not managed to hit his groove.
• Turnover will be a major problem: Indiana’s inability to take care of the ball nearly lost them the game on Wednesday. Miller has constantly reiterated the importance of his team holding onto the rock.
In the first half, the Wildcats turned seven Hoosier turnovers into eight runs. Indiana coughed it up six more times in the second half, leading to 11 additional northwestern points.
Much of the sales could be recovered. There were many false passes and miscommunication. Franklin finished with four turns, while Jackson-Davis, Durham, and Khristian Lander each had a pair.
In the end, however, Indiana managed to overcome all mistakes.
“We’ve fought our way through it defensively all along,” Miller said. “Even when we gave up a few runs late, we could find a way to get it back in.”
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
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