NU-Indiana

11:59, first half: NU heads into the under-12 timeout down only five at 19-14. Offensively, the Cats' Princeton offense is working almost to perfection; the team is fooling the Hoosiers with off-the-ball movement, especially backdoor cuts, which have led to a couple easy laypus. On defense, though, it's double jeopardy for NU. If they play zone, Gordon gets wide-open looks from deep, but if they play man, White will kill them inside. Oh, and NU doesn't have a single rebound yet.

11:28, first half: Jeff Ryan hits the deck after being fouled hard on his way to the hoop, but he walks off ok (holding his right wrist...)

9:57, first half: Indiana calls timeout up 25-22. NU has decided to shoot unconsciously well from the field (8-11, 4-4 from three).

9:14, first half: NU gets its first rebound of the game!!!!! (defensive board by Michael Thompson).

2:38, first half: IU, 35-30. With White out of the game, the Hoosiers have lost their edge inside, and the Cats have kept the game close with a mix of threes and backdoor cuts for layups. An interesting note: Both head coaches, NU's Bill Carmody and IU's Kelvin Sampson, are wearing sneakers with their suits as part of Coaches vs. Cancer weekend. I never thought Carmody could look more like a clown, but he can. Oh he can.

1:12, first half: IU, 38-32. Gordon is killing NU right now. He's got five threes in the half, continually finding the soft spots in the Cats' zone.

Halftime: IU 40-37. That's got to be the best half of basketball the team has played all season. They shot 14-21 from the field, including 7-8 on 3-pointers. Of course, they only have six rebounds, but that's due more to the dramatic size disadvantage than a lack of hustle on the part of the Cats. Who'd have thought the Hoosier faithful at Assembly Hall would boo IU on their way to the locker room? Whatever happens in the second half, this is a big step forward for NU.
15:58, second half: IU, 46-42. This is incredible. NU just won't go away. Moore's cutting for layups, the defense is shutting down Gordon, and Baran is causing the mighty White to get frustrated inside. Moore actually had an open three for the lead, but it bricked out.

11:52, second half: IU, 52-48. THEY WON'T GO AWAY. White is killing them inside, and IU has stepped up its defense, and still the Cats are hanging around.

9:02, second half: IU, 56-50. You can a sense a momentum shift in the offing. At 52-50, Coble missed a three that would've given NU the lead. Since then, the Hoosiers have scored twice quickly and the crowd is getting into it.

7:47, second half: IU, 58-52. Coble's lack of execution is the main reason the Cats aren't winning right now. He's shooting only 2-7 and 0-2 from three in the second half, along with 1-3 from the line. After committing an offensive foul on the last possession, you could see him hanging his head in frustration. That doesn't bode well.

4:39, second half: IU, 65-52. Well, the Hoosiers finally asserted themselves and blew this game open. A Gordon three sent the crowd into hysterics and pushed the lead up to 13.

Endgame: IU, 75-63. That's all there is. I can only hope those who only see the final score don't mistake this for another NU debacle. They hung with the No. 11 team in the country for 32 minutes. They play like this against Iowa or Michigan, they'll will. Guaranteed.

-Jake Simpson