Indiana’s Season Ends in a Whimper: Hoosiers Fall to Northwestern, Miss NCAA Tournament for Eighth Time in Ten Years

Chicago, IL — The United Center scoreboard read 74-61, but the numbers felt heavier. Indiana’s 2025-26 campaign ended Wednesday night with a loss to a Northwestern team that entered the game 15-18 overall and 5-15 in Big Ten play, capping a collapse that began with so much promise.

First-year head coach Darian DeVries arrived in Bloomington to immediate optimism. A 12-3 non-conference record and 3-1 league start had Hoosier fans eyeing a return to March Madness. Instead, Indiana won only two true road games after that hot start and dropped 11 of its final 18 contests, eight by double digits. Wednesday’s defeat was the exclamation point on a month-long spiral that saw the Hoosiers tumble from “safely in the field” on Feb. 9 to the wrong side of the bubble.

The Wildcats, who improved to 2-0 against Indiana this season, have now beaten the Hoosiers in seven straight meetings. The last IU victory over Northwestern came on Feb. 10, 2021.

Social media lit up as the clock hit zeros. National analysts labeled the loss “inexcusable” and predicted it would cost Indiana an at-large bid. A split with Northwestern over the past three weeks might have been enough; instead the Hoosiers were swept, including a 13-point defeat in Evanston on Feb. 24.

Since Feb. 9 Indiana lost by 20 at Illinois, 29 at Purdue, 13 to Michigan State, 13 at Ohio State, and twice to Northwestern. The only respite was a home win over Minnesota. The free-fall leaves DeVries heading into an off-season with no postseason momentum and major roster questions. High-dollar NIL spending failed to translate into victories, and the program now faces its eighth NCAA Tournament miss in the last ten years.

Inside the United Center, the scene told the story. Forwards Tucker Devries, guard Lamar Wilkerson, and guard Conor Enright sat the entire second half, a visual reminder of a season that began with hope and ended with shoulders slumped and lockers to clean out.

Indiana basketball, once a February-to-April staple, will watch another March from home.