LEXINGTON, Ky. – Indiana didn’t lose the game in a single defining moment. Instead, its margin for error slowly disintegrated — possession by possession — until there was no room left to recover.
Kentucky pulled away for a 72–60 win after outscoring Indiana 40–21 in the second half, despite the Hoosiers controlling much of the game early.
The Hoosiers led for over 22 minutes and trailed for just over 13 minutes, a reflection of how often Indiana was in control. Yet even with extended time in front, the ability to sustain that control gradually slipped away as small disruptions compounded.
Coming off one of the most explosive offensive performances in program history in a 113-72 win over Penn State, the Hoosiers entered the night with confidence and early control. But as the game wore on, small disruptions came about, shrinking Indiana’s ability to make up for mistakes and sustain momentum.
Foul trouble narrows the rotation early
Indiana’s margin tightened almost immediately after halftime. Just two minutes and two seconds into the second half, Lamar Wilkerson picked up his fourth foul, forcing the Hoosiers’ most reliable perimeter scorer back to the bench.
The timing mattered. Wilkerson was coming off a 44-point performance against Penn State, where he connected on 10 of his 15 attempts from 3-point range, stretching out the defense and controlling spacing on the floor. Against Kentucky, that offensive rhythm never had the chance to carry over.
Foul trouble forced Indiana into constant rotation changes, limiting continuity on both ends of the floor. Defensive matchups shifted, rebounding responsibilities became less defined, and offensive flow stalled as players cycled in and out.
Head coach Darian DeVries emphasized that managing foul trouble is part of the challenge, but execution must remain consistent.
“Foul trouble is foul trouble. You have it every night, so you’ve got to figure out a way to deal with it,” DeVries said.
Indiana struggled to do so as the game became more physical, and with each whistle, the margin for error grew thinner.
Defensive stops aren’t the end to possessions
As rotations shifted, Indiana produced stretches of solid defensive effort, but too often failed to close possessions.
Allowing offensive rebounds extended defensive stands and led to second-chance points, particularly in the second half. While not a season-long flaw to this point, the inability to secure the ball erased opportunities to stabilize momentum on a night when Indiana was already operating with little margin. Kentucky outscored Indiana 18-6 on second-chance points, pulling down 14 offensive boards compared to IU’s eight.
DeVries pointed to that breakdown plainly.
“The offensive rebounds — they just went and got them… we didn’t do a good enough job of creating space and getting bodies and going and securing the ball,” he said.
Those extra possessions forced Indiana to defend longer than intended, further taxing lineups already affected by foul trouble.
Cold shooting slumps take over
Indiana’s shooting numbers removed whatever cushion remained. After shooting the lights out in its previous outing, the Hoosiers finished the night 4-for-24 from beyond the arc, a stark contrast that stalled offensive momentum and allowed defenses to collapse inside.
Senior forward Tucker DeVries was candid about the performance.
“I did not shoot it great, as a team we didn’t shoot that great either,” he said. “But there were certainly areas that we needed to be a lot better at, as a group.”
The shooting struggles weren’t the root cause of the loss, but they magnified every other issue. Without reliable perimeter shooting, or the ability to keep their shooters consistently on the floor, Indiana had little room to recover when momentum shifted.
The margin continues to shrink
Kentucky was led by Mouhamed Dioubate, who finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Otega Oweh added 13 points as the Wildcats capitalized on extended possessions in the second half.
None of the issues were overwhelming on their own. Together, they defined a night where Indiana’s margin for error steadily disappeared.
With time between games, the focus now shifts to widening that margin — getting back to normal rotations, finishing defensive possessions and rediscovering offensive rhythm. If Indiana can do that, nights like this become lessons rather than season-defining outcomes dictated by consecutive mistakes.
