BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana has just four regular-season games remaining, and they don't need to win them all to still make the NCAA Tournament.

But they HAVE TO WIN on Tuesday night. The Hoosiers are hosting a Northwestern team with 16 losses already, and a major upset could destroy Indiana's postseason hopes. There might be margins for error against No. 13 Michigan State on Sunday or at Ohio State on March, but not tonight.

Beating the Wildcats is an absolute must.

The Hoosiers (17-10) have put themselves back squarely on the bubble after two blowouts losses to No. 10 Illinois and No. 8 Purdue. There's no real shame in losing to top-10 teams, but it was more of an issue with how it looked. Indiana got clobbered twice, and didn't look competitive. 

Making it even worse, the Hoosiers had five days to prepare for both games. It sure didn't look like it. 

With just 12 days left in the regular season, the Hoosiers need to get their groove back, and they'll have to do it against a Northwestern team that's beaten them in five straight games, including three of those in Bloomington. Northwestern beat Maryland 78-74 in its last game on Wednesday, with forward Nick Martinelli leading the way with 29 points.

They better be prepared for Martinelli, who leads the Big Ten in scoring with a 22.3 average. Indiana's Lamar Wilkerson is second at 21.1.

Here's how to watch Tuesday's nationally televised game, along with three really cool newsy nuggets:

Who: Northwestern Wildcats (11-16, 3-13 in Big Ten) at Indiana Hoosiers (17-10, 8-8 in Big Ten) 
What: Big Ten conference regular season game.
When: Tuesday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m. ET.
Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
TV: FOX Sports 1 — Connor Onion (play-by-play), Jordan Taylor (analyst).
Radio: IU Radio Network — Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (analyst), John Herrick
Point spread: Indiana is a 9.5-point favorite over Northwestern, and the over/under is 146.5 points, according to the Fanduel.com gambling website.
Series history: Indiana leads the series 120-57, and that's the most wins that the Hoosiers have against any one school. Indiana is 39-5 all-time at Assembly Hall. Northwestern has won five straight games overall in the series and three straight in Bloomington. Indiana's last win over the Wildcats at home came in a 66-62 result on Jan. 8, 2020. Freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis had 21 points, Justin Smith had 18 and Al Durham added 16.
Last meeting: Northwestern beat Indiana 79-70 on Jan. 22, 2025 in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern made 13-of-27 three-pointers and were led by Ty Berry, who scored 23 points on seven made threes. Indiana was led by Mackenzie Mgbako, who had 20 points.

1. NCAA TOURNAMENT IMPLICATIONS: After two straight blowout losses to Illinois and Purdue, Indiana has lost its margin of comfort with NCAA Tournament bracketologists. They are currently still in the field in most brackets, but they are right on the edge, which makes Tuesday night's game a must-win scenario. This one and next week's home game against Minnesota — where the Hoosiers also should be close to a double-digit favorite — are games where IU simply cannot stumble. A bad upset loss just might knock them out.

2. BOB KNIGHT'S DOMINANCE: Bob Knight coached at Indiana for 29 years and won three national championships. His dominance over Northwestern was unreal. He went 26-0 against the Wildcats inside Assembly Hall, the most wins against any school. Pretty amazing that they never slipped, not even once.

3. INDIANA GREAT FROM THREE: Indiana has averaged 10.1 made three-pointers per game, which is fourth in the Big Ten and 34th nationally. The Hoosiers have buried 10 or more triples in 17 games. The Hoosiers have made 273 long balls, fifth-most in program history. The school record is 345 in 2015-16. Indiana has made at least 10 three-pointers in five straight conference games, which has never happened before in IU basketball history.