THE GOOD:

A hot start. IU rushed out to a 15-7 lead in the first five minutes, but once Northwestern switched to a 1-3-1 zone, they only mustered 38 points the last 35 minutes of the game.

Stopping Kevin Coble … for a half. I’m not sure if it had more to do with IU really D’ing up on Coble or the Wildcats just not finding him on the offensive end, but holding a guy averaging 15.5 points a game to only two points in the first half ain’t too shabby. Coble showed more signs of life in the second half, as he had some easy scores on Northwestern’s patented back-door cuts. He finished with 10 for the game. But where Coble faltered, Craig Moore and Michael Thompson shined.

IU outrebounded Northwestern 31-25 for the game and on the offensive end, buried them 15-5. (Though, we know why that is.)

The Hoosiers also tallied 16 assists on the night, which was their most since Jan. 31 against Ohio State.

THE BAD:

Turnovers. 17 of them. Long scoreless stretches. Holes in the defense. You know, same as it ever was this season.

THE UGLY:

From left to right: Tijan Jobe, Steven Gambles, Michael Santa. (Kory Barnett and Broderick Lewis were also on the floor at the end of the game.)

Who is Michael Santa, you ask? Well, he’s a manager Tom Crean thought deserved a jersey. And, he’s wearing Armon Bassett’s number! Apparently, Crean isn’t stopping there. He wants to suit up another manager, Brandon Profitt. But Proffitt is injured at the moment. Perhaps he pulled a finger reaching into a vending machine to grab a Diet Coke for Crean. (I kid; I’m sure these are both nice, hard-working guys that are giving their all in practice just like the rest of the team.)

But yeah, I’m not sure if it gets any lower than this: IU losing to Northwestern for the first time in 41 years at home and the first time ever in Assembly Hall, as a tiny crowd watches Santa and company in the final minute. Yeesh.

Northwestern: 77 Indiana: 75

THE GOOD:

For the first time in a long time — maybe all season? — the Hoosiers looked like they belonged. Despite the high number of turnovers, IU played so crisp and smooth at points, I had to stop and soak it in. Hey, these guys actually look pretty darn good. In the second half as the intensity crept up and Kevin Coble started dropping in ridiculous shots, IU responded time and time again. Unlike so many other games when I just knew no matter how close it was in the end IU was destined to lose, I genuinely thought they had this game. I was screaming as Matt Roth’s three hit the bottom of the net to tie the game with around 30 seconds or so to go. It’s been a while since I’ve been that emotional about this team.

As the announcers said all second half, this was just a flat-out enjoyable college basketball game to watch. It was extremely physical (who knew?), it was intense, it was two basketball teams that were hell-bent on winning.

Devan Dumes had one of his on nights. Try five 3-pointers in the first half and a career high 26 points on 9-of-16 from the field. IU out-rebounded the crap out of Northwestern, 30-19. And perhaps the best stat of the night: IU hit all 11 free throws it took in the second half, including six from Malik Story. For the game, they made 17-of-19. This is good to see.

THE BAD AND UGLY:

It’s such a cliche, and not to mention, nearsighted, to point to the last moments of the game and peg a loss on one specific play, but hell, I’m going to do it anyways: why, why, why, why, why, did Dumes foul Craig Moore several feet behind the 3-point line at the top of the key with six seconds to go and the game tied? It was an incredibly blatant reach in; it was just plain silly.

Immediately when it happened, I thought to myself: “Did he do that on purpose, so IU would get the ball back and he could hit a game winner?” That’s about the only explanation I can come up with on that.

And then, yup: the final turnover. Fitting, I suppose, that IU squanders its chance to tie or win the game with five seconds left on a turnover on the inbounds pass. It was No. 22 on the night.

So, there you have it: IU’s best game of the season results in its 10th straight loss. But, there was an incredible amount of encouragement tonight. That Big Ten win is coming soon. I can just feel it.

Bill Carmody returns to Northwestern for his eighth season at the helm and will be faced with an uphill battle to field a competitive team in the conference race. Northwestern finished tied for last with Penn State in the Big Ten last year at 2-14.

Tim Doyle, arguably one of the most underrated players in the conference a season ago, graduated and is now an studio analyst for the Big Ten Network. Doyle was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection last season and set a Northwestern season record with 157 assists.

Carmody’s leading scorer a season ago, sophomore Kevin Coble, took a leave of absence in mid-October to be with his mother, Carlys, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Mrs. Coble is scheduled to undergo her fifth chemotherapy treatment in the Phoenix area on December 27. After that, she plans to move to the Chicago area with her husband Randy. Coble is planning to return just in time for the start of conference play.

Northwestern’s slim chances for a successful season rest squarely on the return of Coble. Without him, Northwestern is easily the worst team in the conference. Coble has a unique skill set for a 6-8 player as he can rebound, shoot the three and play solid defense.

As it stands right now, the Wildcats are without Coble and they are leading Big Ten teams in very undesirable categories. Consider these numbers as of Dec. 14: Northwestern is last in scoring offense, last in scoring margin, last in free throw percentage and last in rebounding margin.

Three guards, junior Craig Moore, freshman Michael Thompson and senior Jason Okzesik, are scoring in double figures. Coach Carmody hopes the development of these three players during Coble’s absence will help his team improve upon last year’s finish.

The bottom line: If Kevin Coble returns and picks up where he left off a year ago, Northwestern has a chance to win a couple of games in the conference (at home against Penn State, Iowa and Michigan). Without Coble, Northwestern will struggle to win a conference game.

(Photo via Jon Solomon on Flickr.)