NUHoops.com

Indiana was unconscious from three-point land in a 77-55 blowout of Northwestern (14-15, 6-10 Big Ten) on Saturday.

The Hoosiers hit 12-of-20 three-pointers and looked like an NCAA team. You have to credit coach Mike Davis for turning his team around. Indiana is playing extremely well right now, but it will still be very difficult for them to make the tournament at 15-12.

As for NU, its NIT hopes are gone. It will take two wins in the Big Ten tournament and an upset of top-ranked Illinois. That is a major longshot. Even with two wins in the Big Ten tournament, I think an NIT bid is unrealistic due to NU's low RPI.

Yet, there is a lot of hope for next year as evidenced by the play Saturday. Vince Scott continues to impress as the team's most improved player. He is an offensive threat now from the outside and even scored on a nifty hook shot against the Hoosiers.

The Cats still do not have a consistent shooter from the outside other than Vedran Vukusic. Vukusic and T.J. Parker both made three shots from outside the arc, but Parker is inconsistent with his ugly jump shot.

However, next year, Bernard Cote should be the threat from three that will add a new dimension to Northwestern's offense. Like last offseason, there are a lot of question marks, but the talent level continues to rise. Next year could be a great year due to a number of factors.

1. The Big Ten could be down due to Illinois losing several players to the NBA such as Deron Williams and Dee Brown. Iowa and Michigan could have coaching changes. Wisconsin loses a few key players like Dan Wilkinson. Indiana, Michigan State and Minnesota should be good, though.
2. Mike Thompson should be healthy and will have a full year under his belt.
3. The Cats only lose Davor Duvancic and gain Sterling Williams, Cote and, hopefully, a return of point guard Brandon Lee.
4. Vince Scott will be physically stronger and even more assured of himself as a front-court player.
5. The Cats will have a tall lineup if the 6-9 Cote plays small forward with Thompson at center and Vukusic at power forward. With Scott off the bench, that should be a decent rebounding team.

Overall, there is a ton to be encouraged by with this season. It has been disappointing, but only because expectations were raised to levels never seen before with Northwestern basketball. That's a credit to Carmody.