How a benching unlocked a spark for Northwestern basketball guard Ty Berry

Ty Berry put up video game numbers on Wednesday.

He kept lining up shots and they kept falling, sending Welsh-Ryan Arena into a frenzy as Northwestern basketball's fifth-straight win over Indiana came to fruition.

"I just felt like in the second half, there's just a whole lot of green beans all around," Berry said. "As soon as you released them, it just felt good and you just knew they were going in."

Green beans is an NBA2K reference, of course. Time your shot perfectly with your controller and it's going in, no matter what the circumstances.

That's what Berry felt in the second half of Northwestern's 79-70 win over the Hoosiers on Wednesday, where Berry's 23 points lifted the Wildcats as part of a 54-point second half for NU.

It was a stellar response for Northwestern after a frigid first half. For Berry, it was another response after moving from the starting lineup to the bench following Northwestern's loss to Michigan State. Berry has come off the bench in the last three games for NU. He's scored 15, 12 and 23 points in those contests. 

"You always just go to stay confident and at the end of the day, I'm going to do whatever is best for the team and what coach wants," Berry said. "Just coming in off the bench, being a spark and giving our team an extra boost of energy and confidence I think has been what's helped a lot."

Benchings are never simple. They're not easy. Some players respond well, others check out entirely.

Collins said on Tuesday that he brought Berry off the bench to bring a veteran presence off the bench while also giving him a bit of a reset.

Berry suffered a serious knee injury against Nebraska last season and missed the final month of the season, including the NCAA Tournament. Coming back from that injury has been a challenge for Berry mentally more than it has been physically. Health-wise, Berry is fine, but Collins could tell he wasn't 100 percent mentally.

"I've always loved Ty. I'm an enthusiastic, high-energy person," Collins said. "Coaches need to get some of that in return. He fills my bucket a lot with that. When he's not right, it affects me."

Collins opted to move Collins to the bench not as a punishment, but as a way to help him refocus his talents. 

It worked.

"When you do that it's hard because you know Brooks and Nick are going to play a lot, so Justin just has to stay ready," Collins said Tuesday. "We had three games where we lost, so I just wanted to shake things up a little bit and try some different rotations. And then we won."

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Ty Berry makes 7 3s, scores 23 to lead Northwestern to its fifth straight win against Indiana, 79-70

Ty Berry made seven 3-pointers and finished with 23 points, Brooks Barnhizer added 21 points and Northwestern beat Indiana 79-70 on Wednesday night.

A big reason why Berry's move to the bench works so well is because he shoots so well. Just having him on the floor commands attention at the perimeter, opening up natural space elsewhere.

If teams wanted to clog the lane to prevent Barnhizer and Martinelli drives, Berry just being on the floor means one of those defenders has to come out of the lane. That extra space worked on Wednesday. Berry kept getting open, and Berry kept hitting his shots. He hit seven 3-pointers by the time the dust settled in the second half.

Once Berry started hitting, that opened up Leach from the perimeter. The makes proved to be contagious as Leach caught fire in the second half, too.

"When he gets hot he's unbelievable," Leach said. "The way he can shoot the ball, every shot I'm confident that's going go in. When he's playing that well, it gives not only me but everyone else on the team confidence."

When Berry started coming off the bench, it also changed his perspective a bit.

Now, before he comes into games, he can look at what's happening on the court and discern where to attack the game first.

"You see how the game's being played," Berry said. "You know what's open, what's there, and as an older guy, that's what I'm looking for those first four minutes of the game just to kind of see what's available and, and how I can get my shots and how I can get active on defense."

Northwestern needed to make a change. Collins mentioned that after NU started Big Ten play 1-4. 

Moving Berry to the bench was something the team needed, especially to find a way to get the 'Cats best shooter in the best chance to affect a game. Once Berry gets going, the rest of the Wildcats, including the coach, follow.

"I feed off his energy, enthusiasm," Collins said. "That smile when he's playing with joy."

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