The pendulum of momentum swung back and forth between the Indiana Hoosiers and the No. 10 Nebraska Cornhuskers inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday, in a spirited and highly competitive contest that would become an 83-77 Nebraska victory.
Indiana led by as many as 16 in a game that featured both teams orchestrating spectacular scoring runs and deploying defiant defense. In the end, Nebraska put together the final, decisive push that lifted the visiting Cornhuskers to their 16th win of the season.
After the game, Indiana head coach Darian DeVries spoke on the collapse. His primary takeaway involved the 14 turnovers relinquished by the Hoosiers.
“It’s a pretty simple deal,” DeVries said, “if you take care of the basketball, you win the game. We got that lead, and then we had four out of five possessions where we turned the ball over… it’s something that you just can't do if you're going to beat a good team.”
Despite the turnovers and a lead of 16 transforming into a six point loss, Indiana proved to be capable of keeping pace with a highly ranked opponent. There was no shortage of energy or intensity on the court and in the crowd, as evidenced by Indiana’s early success.
Lamar Wilkerson led the Hoosiers in scoring with 32 points, shooting 9-for-20 from the field, 5-for-11 from beyond the arc and 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Wilkerson also logged a team high of four assists. Reed Bailey secured a team high of nine rebounds to accompany his 10 points, and Tucker Devries finished with 17 points as the only other Hoosier in double digits.
As a team, Indiana performed well on the glass, an aspect of the game that was crucial to the success of both teams. Considering the volume of 3-point attempts both of these offenses typically hoist, creating second chance opportunities and relieving pressure from perimeter shooters was essential to each squad’s efforts. The teams were even at 31 rebounds apiece, with the Hoosiers benefiting from a 10-9 advantage in offensive rebounds.
The Cornhuskers, though, remained unfazed throughout the afternoon. For every Wilkerson or Tucker DeVries triple that drew a rise from a raucous crowd, there was a Jamarques Lawrence or Pryce Sandfort response waiting on the other end of the floor.
After the time on the game clock expired and the pendulum of momentum ceased its swinging, Nebraska had shot more efficiently than Indiana from the field and from the 3-point line as the road team.
The Hoosiers defended well for much of the game, primarily in the first half, as they often forced low-percentage shots late in the shot clock. Even so, Nebraska continuously knocked down shots from outside and quieted a noisy Assembly Hall.
Four Cornhuskers reached double digit scoring in Bloomington. Lawrence recorded 27 points and hit five of his eight 3-point attempts, alongside Rienk Mast’s 13 points, Sandfort’s 12 and Braden Frager’s 11. Mast led the team in rebounds with six, and Sam Hoiberg posted a team high of five assists.
Through its 16-0 start, it's undeniable that Nebraska is an incredibly difficult team to top, even when it is on the road. A head start of as many as 16 points is evidently not safe against the irrepressible and resilient Cornhuskers, and the team is consistently the most dangerous one on the court in a close game. On its way to Bloomington, Nebraska’s last two wins were decided by three points or less. Now, the Cornhuskers have won a third straight Big Ten test in crunch time.
In many ways, tangible and intangible, Indiana was the better team on the floor in the first 20 minutes of basketball. A key point of emphasis for the Hoosiers moving forward will be transferring that success from the first half to and through the second half, a place where they have struggled more than once in important games this season.
After the game, Darian DeVries discussed his thoughts on the difference between the triumphant first half and the second half collapse.
“We played well for a good 25, 27, or 28 minutes,” DeVries said, “and then just had a bad stretch there. The game flipped, and the turnovers are a big piece of that.”
The 16-0 Nebraska Cornhuskers are next in action on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. at home against the Oregon Ducks. Indiana will travel to Michigan State to take on the Spartans on the same day at 8 p.m.
Indiana narrowly missed out on a marquee ranked win opportunity and a bolstering of its resume against Nebraska, but the Hoosiers have plenty of opportunities for redemption on the way. This loss tips off a difficult stretch of four consecutive games against ranked opponents, with a visit from No. 5 Purdue not far around the corner.
The upcoming schedule is an arduous one for Indiana, but a competitive loss to No. 10 Nebraska indicates that the Hoosiers will be more than capable of contending for wins against quality competition.
