No rest for the Cats as No. 14 Indiana is in town

FIRST MATCHUP: Takeaways: Northwestern 84, No. 15 Indiana 83

On Sunday, Northwestern took down the top-ranked team in the nation for the first time in school history.

But the Wildcats have no time to bask in the afterglow of that stunning achievement; No. 14 Indiana in town.

The Wildcats (18-7, 9-5 B1G) will be going for the season sweep of the entire state of Indiana Wednesday night as the Hoosiers (18-7, 9-5 B1G) make their way up I-65 to the thunderdome that is Welsh-Ryan Arena for an 8 p.m. tipoff (BTN).

Fresh off a sensational upset of then-No. 1 Purdue, Northwestern will be going for its fourth straight win, a second straight victory over a ranked opponent, as well as sole possession of second place in the Big Ten.

Evanston's finest have never beaten four AP Top 25 teams in one season, but they will have the chance against Indiana, after topping Michigan State, Purdue and these same Hoosiers earlier this season.

Northwestern faced then-No. 15 Indiana on Jan. 8, and the Wildcats came out on top, 84-83, in Assembly Hall to hand the Hoosiers their only home loss of the season. Indiana has rebounded well from that loss, however, going 8-2, including a win over then-No. 1 Purdue, as well.

Huge performances from the usual suspects powered the Cats past the Hoosiers last time. Reigning Big Ten and March Madness Player of the Week Boo Buie led the way 26 points, and there must be some correlation between Buie scoring 26 and Northwestern beating ranked teams from Indiana because that's the same total he posted against the Boilermakers. Chase Audige was not far behind with 19 points, including eight made free throws. Those two guards are mainstays at the top of the box score, but they were joined by Robbie Beran and Ty Berry, who had 13 points each.

Scoring from more than just the senior guards will be crucial for the Wildcats on Wednesday, especially against a team that scores as much as the Hoosiers. The 83 points IU scored against Northwestern is by far the most the Wildcats have allowed in a victory all season; the next highest total is 63, reached by four teams.

Northwestern's 20th-ranked defense will have its hands full with a Hoosier offense that averages 76.5 points per game, which is about eight more than Northwestern scores. Senior Trayce Jackson-Davis leads the way, averaging 20.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. The agile, athletic 6-foot-9 senior brings a whole different set of problems than the one Purdue's 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey presented. Jackson-Davis had 18 points in the last matchup, along with 24 rebounds. Expect Northwestern to play him aggressively, hitting him with double-teams in the post and boxing out hard.

Jackson-Davis is not the only Hoosier the Cats will have to keep an eye out for. Jalen Hood-Schifino dropped 33 points on 71% shooting in the first game, and he has been Indiana's second leading scorer on the season with 12.6 points per game.

Old friend Miller Kopp will also be in town with the Hoosiers. The former Wildcat forward averages 8.1 points per game in his second year at Indiana, and the Wildside student section will likely have him in their crosshairs on Wednesday night. Kopp is 0-2 against Northwestern as a Hoosier.

Rebounding will be important against Indiana and Jackson-Davis. Northwestern has four players -- Matt Nicholson, Beran, Berry and Brooks Barnhizer -- averaging between four and six rebounds per game. Berry and Barnhizer pulled down a combined 12 rebounds against Purdue.

Another key for the Wildcats will be turnover margin. Northwestern won the turnover battle last time, giving away the ball only seven times, while taking it away from the Hoosiers 16 times. The Cats scored 25 points off of those Indiana turnovers, a big reason they reached 80 points for one of just two times in Big Ten play (the other was against Minnesota).

A win on Wednesday night would give the Cats 10 Big Ten wins in a season for just the second time ever (2016-17 was the other time) and put them in a strong position to be ranked come next Monday. In the latest installment of the AP Top 25 poll, Northwestern appeared in the others receiving votes category, effectively ranked 27th after accumulating 96 points, 21 less than No. 25 Florida Atlantic.

Ultimately, it's not the rankings that matter, though. At 9-5 in the conference, Northwestern probably only needs two more wins to be a lock for its second-ever NCAA Tournament. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has the Wildcats seeded seventh in his latest tourney projection.

A win over Indiana on Wednesday night would be the perfect way for the Wildcats to begin their final stretch of six games.