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(11/26/20 4:38am)
It can be tough to gain much perspective in a season-opening game against a low-major opponent.
In a number of ways, Indiana’s 89-59 win over Tennessee Tech on Wednesday night in Bloomington looked similar to what expectations of the game might include.
Despite a fan-less Assembly Hall due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a pretty routine first game for the Hoosiers.
Indiana easily took care of a team well below its talent level, Trayce Jackson-Davis dominated with 26 points and 11 rebounds for his 12th career double-double, and Rob Phinisee and Al Durham were also key offensive contributors with 12 and nine points, respectively.
What may have come as a surprise, though, was the impact of freshman wing Trey Galloway. He was the second-leading scorer for the game with 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field.
The performance earned high praise from Indiana’s best player.
“Overall, I thought (Galloway) played really well, especially for his first game,” Jackson-Davis said of his young teammate.
There was a lot of speculation in the offseason about how much Indiana’s freshmen would play and their varying degrees of performance, but Galloway dispelled what the consensus might've been.
Despite being the lowest-rated recruit among IU's four-player freshmen class, Galloway was the first of the four freshmen to enter the game, checking in at the 15:52 mark of the first half, while also receiving the most playing time of the newcomers with 19 minutes.
Galloway seamlessly fit in with the starters and the second unit, providing physical and disciplined defense while also running the floor and finishing around the rim excellently.
All 13 of Galloway’s points came off of finishing layups and dunks in transition and at the free-throw line.
“He’s a really good finisher… especially when it’s one-on-one,” Jackson-Davis said of Galloway in the fast break. “He has really good body control.”
Part of why Galloway played, and had an impact, as much as he did can be attributed the stylistic shift of Indiana’s new-look offense. In just one game, it was evident that the Hoosiers' pace was much quicker and there was a steady emphasis on getting up and down the floor fast.
Indiana head coach Archie Miller said that taking advantage of fast-break opportunities would be unique to this team and something he didn’t have in his previous three years in Bloomington.
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“I think this can be one of our best transition teams,” Miller said. “Your frontcourt can all run, and your perimeter guys are all interchangeable in terms of being able to get wide and push the ball.”
The newly-emphasized effort of running in transition resulted in 19 fast-break points for Indiana against Tennessee Tech. Nine of the points were off the Golden Eagles' 20 turnovers.
For both the new successes of the team playing in transition and Galloway being an integral part of the rotation to continue, it’ll require consistent efficiency of the basics – defense and rebounding.
Miller noted that strong defense and effort on the boards is what fueled Wednesday’s display of faster pace, ball movement and easy opportunities at the rim in transition.
“If we can rebound the ball and our defense is good, I think we’re quicker and we can create some more turnovers,” Miller said.
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Any easy scoring opportunities for Indiana will be needed next week as the Hoosiers' time for tuning up in a low-major setting is now over.
The Hoosiers enter the fire of a difficult non-conference schedule as they play three games next week in the Maui Invitational. The event is being held in Asheville, North Carolina, this year, though, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indiana opens tournament play Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET against Providence.
(11/25/20 4:30am)
After a suspended season and a long eight months and 13 days, the Indiana men's basketball team will finally get to play another game. Indiana opens its shortened, 27-game season against Tennessee Tech on Wednesday night inside an empty Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 9-22 season and are making their first trip to Bloomington since December 2017.
The Ohio Valley Conference squad has seven upperclassmen on the roster and returns its leading scorer from a year ago in Jr. Clay who averaged 13.4 points per game.
However, Tennessee Tech will be without its head coach for the season-opener, announcing Tuesday night that John Pelphrey tested positive for COVID-19 and would not be traveling to Bloomington. Assistant coach Marcus King will serve as the acting head coach.
The Hoosiers are fortunate to be playing, though, as numerous game cancellations and postponements are already wreaking havoc throughout the college basketball landscape.
This is likely going to be a common theme throughout the season and something Indiana continues to navigate.
“I think we’ve tried to handle it the best we could just in terms of, we roll with the punches," Indiana head coach Archie Miller said, “and we have to be ready to go with the game plan if things change.”
(11/24/20 5:36pm)
A year ago, a common notion surrounding the Indiana men’s basketball team was that the Hoosiers would only be as good as senior guard Devonte Green could be.
Green, known for his fancy playmaking, strong ability to shoot from 3-point range and his unpredictability, was an enigma for Indiana. On his best days, Indiana played at its best. But on days that he looked sluggish or uninterested, so too did Indiana.
Green truly was the barometer for Indiana’s level of success last season.
When examining IU's roster this season, one might anticipate a similar situation with junior point guard Rob Phinisee.
Although Phinisee’s game and playing style are far different from Green’s, this year, Phinisee's production output could be indicative of Indiana’s success, similar to Green last season.
Due to Green’s graduation, the Hoosiers are left with 10.8 points per game and a 35.8% 3-point field goal percentage that need immediate replacing. Phinisee has the ability to fill that void, and perhaps even surpass that.
Make no mistake, Phinisee has been vital to IU the past two seasons and is a big reason why Indiana has seen its win totals increase under head coach Archie Miller. But, he'll need to be even better in his third season.
Without a doubt, he's been the only true point guard on the roster the past two seasons and has moved the ball very well, averaging 2.7 assists per game in his collegiate career.
Phinisee has had other teammates who have shared ball-handling responsibilities, such as Green, Al Durham and Armaan Franklin, but none of them were traditional point guard guards. They couldn't impact the game the way that Phinisee has leading the offense.
Durham, Green and Franklin are all more geared to be shooting guards. Equipped with a scorer's mindset, Green and Durham had significantly more shot attempts, 282 and 211, respectively, compared to Phinisee's 182. Franklin, on the other hand, is 6-foot-5 and has never really been a point guard throughout his basketball career due to his size and skillset.
Phinisee's career assist average is also noticeably larger than all three of them, with Green's at 2.1 assists per game, Durham's at 1.8, and Franklin at 1.3. In just two seasons, Phinisee already has more career assists (187) than Durham does in three seasons (173).
Playmaking aside, Phinisee has also shown flashes of being a capable scorer, knock-down 3-point shooter and a lockdown defender.
Although he's averaged just seven points per game in his IU career, Phinisee has proven to be a scorer when necessary. He's finished 15 games scoring in double figures and is a career 32.1% 3-point shooter.
As the Hoosiers bona fide floor general and leading assist man, Phinisee consistently ignites the offense. The ball movement is also noticeably better for Indiana when he is on the floor.
Phinisee has always been a good defender, too, and he’s arguably Indiana’s best on-ball defender entering this season. Players who can’t defend well often don’t see the floor under Archie Miller. That Phinisee has been a starter since he stepped foot in Bloomington, says a lot about Miller's trust in his point guard.
The junior has proven his defensive value time and again by drawing the opposing team's toughest guard assignment.
In 2018, he guarded prolific Purdue scorer Carsen Edwards and held him to just nine points and a 4-for-24 shooting performance. Late in his freshman season, he defended Michigan State star Cassius Winston and locked him down in the closing seconds of the game. Phinisee forced Winston into a very difficult, midrange, baseline jumper that resulted in a miss and sealed a 63-62 home win over then-No. 6 Michigan State.
But where Phinisee shines brightest is in late, close-game scenarios. That is, he simply makes winning plays when it matters.
Early in his freshman year, Phinisee hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:22 remaining against Louisville at home. The shot put Indiana ahead for good, 60-58, and the Hoosiers eventually pulled out a 68-67 victory.
In the same season, Phinisee made a game-tying 3-pointer on the road at Arkansas with 48 seconds left. Indiana wound up losing, 73-72, but it was by no fault of Phinisee's.
And then there was his iconic buzzer beater in 2018 to defeat Butler in the Crossroads Classic — one of IU's bigger moments in recent seasons.
However, for all of Phinisee's strengths, he's also faced tough luck with injuries at IU, which has slowed his development and consistency. As a freshman, he missed three games and then five more games in his sophomore campaign.
These injury struggles have hindered what many fans think Phinisee can be.
This year, though, he's entering the season fully healthy and has two years of experience under his belt. If Phinisee can truly take the next step and elevate his game, it will also heighten Indiana’s overall potential as a team.
It's no secret Preseason All-Big Ten Team selection and budding superstar Trayce Jackson-Davis will be Indiana’s best player. An upperclassman Phinisee could be the spark that IU needs, though, to raise its ceiling and chances to win in March and beyond.
If you add up all his skills and intangibles, with added development and improvement in the offseason, it’s only a matter of time before Phinisee puts it all together. He already has the experience, maturity and talent to do it.
(11/19/20 2:35am)
The 2020 edition of Hoosier Hysteria was unlike any other.
The preseason pep rally was streamed on Facebook Live on Wednesday night, just a week before the regular season’s start. For the majority of the show, the viewership consisted of about 5,000 people watching.
It was also much shorter by comparison to the usual showing, lasting only about 18 minutes.
Not only was it the first virtual version of the annual event, but the structure and style were far different than years before. The traditional format of player intros, skill and dunk contests, and a full scrimmage was scrapped.
The reactions to this year's event were...mixed:
(11/10/20 6:50pm)
On the latest episode of The Basketball State Podcast, the guy welcome Warren Central standout and junior wing D'Ante Davis as a guest. The 4-star prospect in the 2022 class breaks down his excitement to play for his dad at a new school, lessons he has learned from his brother, Dre, and how he has grown over the past few seasons. Davis also updates the latest in his recruitment and the schools that have offered him to this point.
(11/01/20 10:03pm)
Matthew VanTryon of the Indianapolis Star joins the show to give us a full preview of the rapidly approaching Indiana High School Girls Basketball season. He breaks down the high level of talent in the 2021 and 2022 classes around the state, names the teams to watch for a breakout and who will be contending, and ultimately who will be winning state by the end of the season.
(10/29/20 6:58pm)
For the most part, the 2021 recruiting cycle for Indiana men’s basketball has been stagnant.
Archie Miller and the Indiana coaching staff are not actually being stagnant in their recruiting efforts, but when it comes to commitments, things have been slow.
The lone 2021 pledge comes from four-star, 6-foot-9 center Logan Duncomb of Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati. Duncomb committed over five months ago, on April 7.
Typically, Miller is quick to land the majority of his recruiting class by the early fall.
In the 2018 class, four of the five total players were committed to Indiana by Sept. 11, 2017. Just a year ago, Miller had three of his four players in the 2020 class committed by Sept. 2, 2019.
It should be noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has played a major role in slowing down kids’ recruitments with limited opportunities to take visits to different schools and the inability to play a normal AAU schedule.
Additionally, Indiana would be at two commitments for the 2021 cycle had Khristian Lander not reclassified to 2020 back in May.
Regardless of Indiana being at only one commit right now, there could be good opportunity to land a player or two in the next month or so. Seniors often like to commit before their high school season begins, and with most states typically starting their season around Thanksgiving, the calendar is reaching a point where the number of commitments nationwide should start increasing.
Again, while Indiana’s number of commitments is small, the staff has been evidently been very active. Let’s take a look at some of Indiana’s top remaining targets and where things stand.
Top Targets
Trey Kaufman
Kaufman is, without a doubt, Indiana’s top priority in this recruiting class. A combination of being from southern Indiana, a serious need for post players, a top 50 national ranking, and the time investment the staff has put into him, indicates he is practically a must-get for Indiana.
The Sellersburg, Indiana native and Silver Creek High School standout is considered the No. 41 player in the country. He cut his list down to five schools on Sept. 8, including Indiana, Purdue, North Carolina, Virginia, and Indiana State.
Of the five, it looks to be a three-horse race between Indiana, North Carolina, and Virginia. Indiana has been recruiting Kaufman the longest and has hosted him for a number of visits.
Kaufman unofficially visited Virginia and North Carolina a few days before he cut his list to five. The appeal of playing for a national power in either North Carolina or Virginia, who have each won a national title in the last five years, could be a pull factor for Kaufman, too.
It does look like Indiana is the front-runner, though. The only two experts to log predictions in the 247Sports Crystal Ball predicted Kaufman will commit to Indiana.
Kaufman will announce his decision this Friday at 6 p.m on the radio at 98.5 WHJI FM.
Blake Wesley
Wesley is the only other available in-state option that Indiana seems to be interested in for the 2021 class.
He is from South Bend and attends South Bend Riley, the same high school as former Hoosier and recent transfer Damezi Anderson.
Wesley is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard with lots of athleticism and upside to his game and is ranked as the No. 118 player in the country.
Indiana made Wesley’s recent list-cut of 12 remaining schools, but it seems as if Indiana isn’t in the running anymore.
Notre Dame and Purdue are the likely favorites for Wesley’s talents.
Aminu Mohammed
Mohammed could be right up there with Kaufman as Indiana’s most sought-after recruit in the 2021 class.
Mohammed, a native of Nigeria, currently playing his high school basketball at Greenwood Laboratory School in Missouri, and is a top-tier prospect.
He is listed as a 6-foot-4 small forward and a five-star recruit, also being listed as the No. 14 overall player in the country.
If Indiana were to land Mohammed, he would be the highest rated out-of-state recruit that Miller has ever landed for IU.
Indiana has recruited Mohammed as hard as anyone, and seems to be in good position, as the sole Crystal Ball prediction from 247Sports has Mohammed picking Indiana.
The other top suitors for Mohammed would be Louisville, Maryland, Georgetown, Kansas State, among others.
Mason Miller
For some time, it looked as if Miller’s recruitment was over before it started with Memphis being the former heavy favorite. But, his father, former NBA champion Mike Miller, stepped down from being an assistant coach for the Tigers in June.
With his dad no longer affiliated with Memphis, that opened up the possibility of Miller going elsewhere. Indiana looks to be in the thick of it to land Miller along with Ohio State and Creighton being the top competitors for him.
Miller is ranked as a four-star player and the No. 66 overall prospect in the country out of Germantown, Tennessee.
He would be a very valued asset for the Hoosiers with Miller’s 6-foot-9 stature as a power forward with strong shooting ability. As stated earlier, Indiana desperately needs more size on the roster in the 2021-2022 season.
(10/14/20 12:19am)
Indiana’s virtual media day on Tuesday unofficially kicked off the Indiana men’s basketball season and it became apparent that in a season of complete uncertainty, one thing remains certain.
This is the best basketball team that Indiana head coach Archie Miller has had in his four-year tenure. The expectations should be high.
That is not to say that there is going to be a sixth banner in Assembly Hall by the end of the 2020-2021 season, but Indiana should not only make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Miller’s time in Bloomington (and since 2016) but the team should be getting in comfortably by season’s end. With respectable seeding, too.
Unlike previous years under Miller, there is a healthy combination of depth and star power. Both of those are extremely important, but at the same time, the amount of experience IU has returning could play a gigantic role in the team’s success.
“How you handle what’s thrown at you really comes down to your leadership,” Miller said. “We have some guys here who have been part of a lot of big games. A lot of college experience, they know what it feels like.”
A mix of experience and talent
Indiana returns four of its five starters from a season ago in seniors Al Durham and Joey Brunk, junior Rob Phinisee, and sophomore Trayce Jackson-Davis. Sophomore wing Jerome Hunter is expected to fill the fifth spot.
To have four of five starters returning is a rarity in college basketball and would be valuable no matter the year, but that experience is especially important for this season.
In an offseason that was completely altered by the COVID-19 pandemic, workouts and team activities have been anything but normal and have been severely limited. Much of player development had to be done individually, especially in the beginning months of the pandemic.
With four starters back and seven players total who all got legitimate playing time returning, Indiana will be in good position to be ready for the season in comparison to many teams around the country.
In addition to the experience, the talent is plentiful with the main star being Jackson-Davis. Jackson-Davis was Indiana’s best player a year ago as a freshman and could be one of the best players in the country this year.
The 6-foot-9 power forward scored 13.5 points per game while averaging 8.4 rebounds as a freshman. Those numbers have garnered high expectations nationally. Blue Ribbon Yearbook listed him as a third-team preseason All-American.
Brunk and redshirt junior Race Thompson will support Jackson-Davis in the post. Brunk provides great size as the team’s largest player at 6-foot-11 and Thompson has been vastly improving from a year ago with more athleticism and is now fully healthy.
“Faster. Stronger. I’m jumping higher than I ever have been in my life,” Thompson said.
More depth on the perimeter
The post anchored the team a year ago, but Indiana should look to be much improved on the perimeter as well. It also looks to be something that will be vital to the team’s level of success.
With more guards in the mix, including three freshmen, Indiana will have six ballhandlers this year, compared to a total of four a year ago.
“The No. 1 thing this team has to do to be successful is move the ball,” Miller said.
Much of that responsibility falls on Phinisee with his role as the primary point guard and now an upperclassman with two years of starting experience. The junior is now fully healthy and looks ready to take the next step as a leader and one of the top scorers behind Jackson-Davis.
Phinisee will get help as usual from Durham and sophomore Armaan Franklin, but the freshmen Anthony Leal, Trey Galloway, and especially Khristian Lander will be instrumental in easing his job.
Lander, a five-star recruit coming out of high school, reclassified to be a freshman a year earlier than anticipated but should make life a bit easier for Phinisee as the other true point guard on the team.
The possibility of a three-guard set with Phinisee, Durham and Lander all on the court looks to be a legitimate one as well.
“I’m really comfortable with it… we’re working on it every day,” Phinisee said of the three-guard lineup.
Wild cards
In addition to Jackson-Davis’ growth into a superstar, the new depth at guard, and experience, Indiana has two possible secret weapons that have potential to breakout on the scene: Hunter and freshman Jordan Geronimo.
Both are 6-foot-7 wings, are long and athletic with shooting ability, and would typically play the small forward position.
Hunter experienced a bit of a breakout in the second half of his freshman season last year. He finished the season only averaging 3.8 points per game but proved to be a capable 3-point shooter at 30.2% on the season with many more looks coming his way this year.
Geronimo is perhaps the biggest unknown of the team. Hailing from Newark, New Jersey and playing at a northeastern prep academy, St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire, he is not a very familiar face quite yet.
His teammates rave about him, specifically about his upside and athleticism.
“Jordan’s been really, really good… He’s really raw right now, but at the end of the day, he’s going to be a really good player,” Jackson-Davis said.
Franklin added more emphasis on what he thought of Geronimo’s ability.
“Jordan is a freak athlete,” Franklin said. “He can stretch the floor.”
Hungry for an opportunity
With all that being said, there is a lot to like with Indiana’s squad this year, and high expectations are fair.
As of now, the biggest question might be, when are they getting started.
There is still a lot of uncertainty about the schedule, as the only thing Indiana knows at this point is that the team will be playing in the Maui Invitational — now relocated to Asheville, North Carolina — on Nov. 30 to start play in the event. They will open with Providence and will play two more games over the course of the week.
It is possible Indiana sneaks a game in before then, though. NCAA Division I basketball is not allowed to begin play until Nov. 25, but nothing is set.
“It’s about just preparing and getting ready and staying hungry for that one opportunity when they say go, you can go, that we’re ready to go,” Miller said.
(05/19/20 12:39pm)
The 2020-2021 Indiana men’s basketball team was expected to be good, but Khristian Lander’s decision to officially reclassify on Monday has heightened those expectations.
Lander, a five-star point guard of Evansville F.J. Reitz High School, had played his entire high school career as a prospect in the 2021 graduating class, but after his commitment to Indiana on Feb. 25, he made it clear that he wanted to move into the 2020 class.
(04/18/20 10:07pm)
Many four-star recruits who are ranked outside of the top 100 are happily accepted, but not immensely celebrated — especially at a program like Indiana.
These kinds of players are recognized to be good talents who will take time to develop and eventually contribute. At the same time, they aren’t viewed in the same light as a nationally regarded prospect like some of Indiana’s recent star-studded commitments over the years, like a Romeo Langford, Trayce Jackson-Davis or Khristian Lander.
Indiana’s newest commit, Logan Duncomb, who made it official on April 7, fits the criteria as a four-star recruit who might be a bit overlooked by most. He is a 6-foot-9 center from Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati and is considered the No. 106 player in the 2021 class nationally according to the 247Sports Composite.
“I felt like I knew all the information, it was just the right time,” Duncomb said on why he committed now amidst the coronavirus outbreak and having an official visit to IU canceled.
The timing couldn’t have been better for Indiana because Duncomb is a much more important commitment than people might realize.
Oftentimes in recruiting it is said that a player is needed for some team to fill a need or hole in the roster. In most cases, though, the team will still have a player of that same position on the roster already and they just “need” the depth the recruit would offer.
In the case of Duncomb, that common narrative doesn’t follow suit because Indiana absolutely needs him.
The Indiana program and Duncomb supplied what the other needed. Indiana provided a good fit for Duncomb and Indiana got a much-needed big man.
(03/12/20 2:34pm)
INDIANAPOLIS — It was an eerie night in Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and for the most part it didn’t seem like there was really a basketball game going on.
Yes, No. 11 seed Indiana won 89-64 over No. 14 Nebraska in its opening round game of the Big Ten Tournament. That win will also very well likely seal a berth to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.
At the same time, chaos was breaking loose. COVID-19, better known as coronavirus, continually made its presence known throughout the night and earlier in the day as well with Twitter erupting and news dropping constantly.
“I told our team that that happened, and we'll brace ourselves for what happens next,” Indiana head coach Archie Miller said. “I think it's an evolving situation, and it's rapid, but it puts it into reality of the seriousness of it. When world experts start to recommend things, you obviously better listen.”
Specifically, in IU’s case, opposing head coach Fred Hoiberg of Nebraska left the game with a few minutes left to go to the hospital and the remainder of the Big Ten Tournament was announced to be spectator-free during the Northwestern-Minnesota game prior.
The Nebraska players were briefly held in their locker room as a precaution while Hoiberg was treated at the hospital. They were released after Hoiberg was diagnosed with the flu — not coronavirus.
(03/10/20 2:35pm)
The regular season has concluded and now the real fun begins for Indiana men’s basketball.
An up-and-down, 19-12 regular season with a 9-11 Big Ten record has put Indiana in a state of uncertainty heading into the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis this week.
The ultimate goal of landing their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2016 is very much in play, but it might take a win or two in the conference tournament to make Indiana feel safe come Selection Sunday.
Indiana could in theory win the Big Ten Tournament to automatically secure a bid to the big dance, but that would be awfully difficult considering Indiana’s long road in the conference tourney and IU’s troubled history in the event.
Indiana has never won the Big Ten Tournament in its existence, with only one runner-up appearance in 2001. In recent years, the conference tournament has been a massive struggle for IU, going 2-6 in the event since 2014. Additionally, Indiana is 0-2 in the tournament in the Archie Miller era, losing in the first game in the previous two years.
(03/07/20 9:20pm)
It was the senior day that could have been for Indiana seniors Devonte Green and De’Ron Davis on Saturday afternoon against Wisconsin.
The game started excellently for the two four-year players. Both of them got the nod to be in the starting lineup and came firing out of the gate.
Davis had the first four Indiana points of the game off of two second-chance layups and grabbing two offensive rebounds in the process. Green followed Davis’ quick four points with Indiana’s next 13 points.
The seniors had Indiana’s first 17 points and while Davis did not score for the rest of half, Green finished with 16 points at the end of the first period.
The buzzing energy of senior day subsided come the second half though when Green and Davis failed to score a point and Indiana lost grip of the game, losing 60-56 to the Badgers for the second time this season.
The loss signifies a giant missed opportunity as Indiana falls to 19-12 to finish the regular season and 9-11 in the Big Ten.
“It's just a really hard-fought game that's going to come down to a few plays that you're going to look back on and wish you had back, but in a game of inches, you have to make those winning ones, and Wisconsin did,” Indiana head coach Archie Miller said.
(03/06/20 11:42pm)
Only one game remains for Indiana men’s basketball’s regular season as the Hoosiers host Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon for their senior day.
It’ll be a day of honor for De’Ron Davis and Devonte Green as well as walk-on Adrian Chapman and potentially the last home game for them at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Major implications
With a 19-11 overall record, and being 9-10 in conference, Indiana is currently in good position in the NCAA Tournament picture, but it is by no means guaranteed. A win or loss against Wisconsin could have big implications for Indiana’s chances of a bid.
A win over the Badgers likely moves Indiana’s chances close to a lock. A loss keeps the situation in jeopardy.
While it will be the last regular season game, Indiana is guaranteed at least one more opportunity in the Big Ten Tournament. As it currently stands, Indiana is in the No. 11 spot in the conference standings which would mean playing on the opening Wednesday with no bye or extra days of rest.
Regardless of hopes of improving their Big Ten standing or NCAA Tournament chances, the Hoosiers will look for a bounce-back game against Wisconsin and turn in a better performance than the first time these teams met this season.
Indiana traveled to Wisconsin on Dec. 7 for the team's first Big Ten game of the season and got manhandled, losing by 20, 84-64.
Badgers surging
Wisconsin is a much different team than it was back in December. Going into the first matchup, Wisconsin was 4-4 with some rough losses. The Badgers are now 20-10 and have been solid in conference with a 13-6 Big Ten record.
The Big Ten’s third-ranked team is also riding a seven-game winning streak. Wisconsin’s success can be attributed to its usual identity of stellar defense with a slower-paced, lower-scoring offense.
The Badgers are only scoring about 67 points per game and giving up nearly 62 points per game. They shoot the ball decently from the field, at about 43 percent but are a great 3-point shooting team with an average of 35 percent from 3-point range as a team.
While Wisconsin’s stout defense messed up Indiana in the first matchup, holding them to at the time their lowest-scoring output of the season, Indiana can seek advantage on the boards. Wisconsin is currently being outrebounded by opponents on average while Indiana typically outrebounds teams by about six.
A multi-faceted attack
Offensively, Wisconsin has plenty of balance to its attack. Six Badgers average between eight to 13 points per game, giving any one of those guys the ability to have a big game on any given night.
Wisconsin junior forward Nate Reuvers is the team’s most reliable option, scoring about 13 points per game but only gets 4.4 rebounds for a 6-foot-11 post player. Reuvers went off on Indiana the first time, scoring 20 points.
Reuvers has the ability to space the floor with being a decent 3-point shooter. He went 2-for-3 against Indiana earlier this season, and watching what Indiana does on defense with Reuvers will be key. Joey Brunk guarded Reuvers for the majority of the first contest but he struggled defending out on the perimeter.
Along with Reuvers, fellow junior D’mitrik Trice is their only other scorer averaging double-digits with 10 points per game while also being the team’s best 3-point shooter (38 percent) and the team’s facilitator with 126 assists on the year.
Brad Davison, Aleem Ford, Brevin Pritzl and Micah Potter round out the usual contributors for the Badgers with each of them averaging either eight or nine points per game.
With the Badgers’ multi-faceted offense, the Hoosiers will need to bring a stout defensive effort with extensive on-ball defense to limit good shot opportunities, especially from the 3-point line.
This is something that that the Hoosiers have been particularly good at as of late and have lowered their opponent’s season average 3-point percentage to just 32 percent.
In summary, this game is huge, just like the win over Minnesota over Wednesday. Indiana is in good position for the NCAA Tournament, but the Hoosiers are in no position of security.
The Wisconsin game and the Big Ten Tournament could spiral Indiana’s season into a number of different directions.
One more win though, especially one over a team that is ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten and has won seven in a row, and Indiana will be feeling a whole lot better when it enters the conference tournament in the following week.
It could be one step closer, or back, from reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 for Indiana, depending on how Saturday plays out.
(03/05/20 4:12am)
There was 10:44 left in the second half, and the story was looking all too familiar for Indiana hosting Minnesota on at home Wednesday night.
At that 10:44 mark, Minnesota center Daniel Oturu stole the ball and put down a one-hand jam of a dunk to take the lead 52-51.
The Hoosiers were doing it again. Another stretch of lackadaisical play was plaguing them, blowing a previous seven-point lead and 8-0 run to start the second half in spite of being the game being a desperately needed win for Indiana.
Not too long after, Rob Phinisee made a game-changing play, a momentum shifting one, to swing the game to IU’s favor and propel the team to a 72-67 win over Minnesota.
Phinisee came from behind and worked through multiple Minnesota defenders to clean up a missed Justin Smith fastbreak layup by tipping it in to give Indiana the lead back. As important as it was to take the lead back in that moment, it was equally as important for Indiana to show some grit in its game.
Too often, Indiana falls into long spans of basketball with little energy which generally is followed by blown leads and lost games. Phinisee helped Indiana avoid that usual struggle with that play.
Phinisee is one of the guys for Indiana who consistently gives the team fight and energy and provides in ways that others can’t. Phinisee contributed on multiple fronts, scoring 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting with six rebounds and five assists to facilitate the offense.
In addition to Phinisee, Joey Brunk gave tremendous effort and made a big difference when he was on the floor. Brunk had the team’s best plus-minus rating of anyone for Indiana at +17.
“I thought the whole key to the game was Joey Brunk,” head coach Archie Miller said. “His impact on the game on both ends of the floor, him being able to play as many minutes as he did was huge.”
Brunk had 12 points while shooting the ball efficiently, going 6-for-10 from the field. It was his highest scoring output and first time reaching double-digits since the Michigan State game on Jan 23.
To go along with the scoring, he had eight rebounds, three of them coming off the offensive glass, giving Indiana some needed extra opportunities.
“I thought he did a better job kicking our butts on the offensive glass than anything tonight,” Miller said. “He was just quicker to balls. He was hungry to get the 50/50 long ones off of other misses.”
(03/03/20 5:28am)
Per usual this season, Indiana has found itself in a state of uncertainty.
After an 0-2 week, losses at Purdue and at Illinois have mitigated previous momentum built up from Indiana winning three of its past four prior to the Purdue and Illinois losses.
Now, with Indiana holding an 18-11 overall record and 8-10 conference record, there is still much to be determined both for its conference standing and where it fits in the NCAA Tournament picture.
For now, the Hoosiers look to be in the big dance, but by no means are they a lock. In terms of the Big Ten Tournament, the Hoosiers are currently are at a disadvantage.
With the two consecutive losses and Purdue holding the tiebreaker, Indiana is currently at the No. 11 spot in the Big Ten standings. This means that if the regular season were to end today, Indiana would be without a bye in the tournament and open play on the Wednesday of the tournament.
Strong performances in Indiana’s last two regular season games is imperative to potentially gain another day of rest for the conference tournament, while also solidifying any chances at an NCAA Tournament bid.
The second-to-last game comes at home on Wednesday when Indiana hosts Minnesota. The two teams met not that long ago on Feb. 19 when Indiana beat Minnesota on the road 68-56 for the team's second road win of the year.
Since that loss, Minnesota has gone 1-2, beating Northwestern handily on the road and narrowly losing to Maryland and Wisconsin by a combined three points. Minnesota is now 13-15 with a 7-11 record in the Big Ten, good for No. 12 in the conference standings.
The losing record doesn’t really tell the story though, as Minnesota is still a very talented team and should challenge Indiana, just as it did in the first matchup.
In that first game, Minnesota led for the majority of the first half and had it at a three-point game with 3:49 to go, but Indiana eventually pulled away to finish the game.
A major reason why Indiana handled Minnesota the way it did was because Indiana severely limited Minnesota’s star power, and especially sophomore center Daniel Oturu. Following suit of this strategy will be important for another possible Hoosier win over the Golden Gophers.
Oturu was held to just 11 points, nine points under his average of 20. Oturu also shot poorly, only making 5-of-15 of his looks from the field.
Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis dominated the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer defensively and got the best of him on the offensive end too. Jackson-Davis finished with career highs of 27 points and 16 rebounds.
(03/01/20 10:45pm)
In a tightly contested thriller at Illinois, Indiana fell just short, losing 67-66 and missing a big opportunity on Sunday afternoon.
The loss would have added to the tally of Indiana’s road wins, which stands at just two, and IU would have welcomed another for the sake of the team’s NCAA Tournament resume.
Additionally, now with an 18-11 record and 8-10 record in the Big Ten, Indiana has put itself in difficult position, again. The Hoosiers are currently the 11th-best team in the Big Ten after the 0-2 week, which means if the season ended today, Indiana would be without a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament and be playing on the opening Wednesday of the conference tournament.
There haven’t been many games that have come down to the wire for Indiana this year, but this one lived up to the billing.
With the Hoosiers down 65-63 and 13 seconds remaining, Trayce Jackson-Davis missed both free throws at the line but got his offensive rebound. He passed it off to Rob Phinisee, who slipped, turned the ball over and Illinois called timeout to seal the Hoosiers’ fate.
(02/29/20 2:32am)
Indiana has lost a bit of its momentum after taking a punch to the gut in a 59-47 loss at Purdue.
The now 18-10 Hoosiers had one of their worst offensive showings of the season, tying their season-low output in scoring. Poor shot selection, lack of ball movement and extended scoring droughts defined Indiana’s offensive struggles.
In the heat of the moment, and in consideration of it being Indiana’s seventh consecutive loss to its rival, the Purdue loss puts a damper over Indiana’s recent success. At the same time, the Hoosiers are in a safe spot right now for their NCAA Tournament outlook and have plenty of time to fix their offensive execution.
Indiana has three games remaining and the next one comes Sunday at Illinois for the team’s last true road game of the year.
Illinois has been playing good basketball as of late, winning its last three games and owning a record of 19-9. The Illini are in a four-way tie for second place in the Big Ten with an 11-6 conference record.
The records are similar, and the Fighting Illini are statistically similar to Indiana on paper. Both teams average the same exact amount of points per game at 72.5 and they both shoot nearly the same field-goal percentage of 45 percent from Indiana and 44 percent from Illinois.
Additionally, both squads put up 13 assists per game as well.
(02/28/20 4:12am)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Same matchup, same result for Indiana men’s basketball.
Once again, the Hoosiers were on the wrong end of the lopsided rivalry as of late as Indiana fell to Purdue 57-49 on the road Thursday night to drop its record to 18-10 and 8-9 in the Big Ten.
This is Indiana’s seventh straight loss to Purdue, and IU has not beaten the Boilermakers since 2016.
Unlike the first game this season in the series, where Indiana lost at home 74-62 on Feb. 8, Indiana had a lot more fight. In the Bloomington edition of the series, it was a relatively uninspiring effort from Indiana that included plenty of sloppiness and lack of toughness.
Despite showing a lot more hustle and heart this time around, dismal offensive execution cost IU a chance at victory.
“Our inability to stretch the floor and make some shots was a problem,” Indiana head coach Archie Miller said.
As Miller points out, not being able to hit shots was a major problem for Indiana. In turn, this created something even more problematic — multiple scoring droughts. Which is something that has plagued the Hoosiers all season.
Early on in the game, Indiana went scoreless from the 15:54 mark until 9:31 left in the first half. Over six minutes without a point was troubling, but the scoring drought to end the first half and into the second was what cost IU the game.
After two free throws from Indiana junior guard Al Durham made it a 23-20 game with 1:01 left in the first half, Purdue went on a 6-0 run. The run was capped off by an Eric Hunter dunk off a Durham turnover right before the buzzer to go into halftime with all the momentum and a nine-point lead.
“You can’t give live ball turnovers on the road, and in particular here,” Miller said.
(02/25/20 2:17am)
Indiana men’s basketball is playing its best at the right time after winning two in a row and three of the past four down the stretch of the regular season.
The Hoosiers have used their recent success to improve to No. 9 in the conference standings thanks to an 8-8 Big Ten record while being 18-9 overall.
Their next opponent is one that has been of particular difficulty though and will challenge Indiana’s recent run of success — at Purdue on Thursday.
The Boilermakers have easily dominated the in-state rivalry in recent years, as Purdue has beaten IU in nine of the past 10 meetings. Additionally, Indiana has not beaten Purdue since 2016.
To make things more daunting, Indiana has not beaten Purdue in West Lafayette since 2013.
Both teams need a win
While Indiana is seeking to get the first win over the Boilermakers in years, as well as the first win over Purdue in the Archie Miller era, there is a lot on the line that extends beyond the rivalry.
With Indiana’s good string of play as of late, the Hoosiers are nearing a lock status for solidifying their spot in the NCAA Tournament. A win over Purdue on the road would be very impressive considering the rivalry status of the game and the difficulty of playing in Mackey Arena.
Moreover, Purdue is in full desperation mode to get a win after losing four in a row and their record dropping to 14-14. Purdue is not totally out of it, but the odds are looking bleak and the Boilermakers have little time to fix it.
Trying to avoid a repeat
Purdue’s last win came at Indiana on Feb. 8, beating IU 74-62 in Bob Knight’s return to Assembly Hall. That game was one of Indiana’s worst performances of the season and definitely its worst home effort.
In order to avoid a repeat of the first game, Indiana is going to need to prioritize what the team failed to do previously.
Particularly, Indiana will need a much better offensive output as a team and lock in on defending the perimeter.
Purdue owned Indiana defensively in the first game, forcing Indiana 10.5 points under its season average and limiting the guards’ efficiency. None of Indiana’s guards scored more than five points in the game.
Getting the guards to outperform that effort with a much bigger scoring output this time is going to be necessary if Indiana wants to win. Combining this with the excellent post play of Trayce Jackson-Davis will get Indiana’s offense where it needs to be.
Jackson-Davis has been playing great as of late, averaging 20 points and 13 rebounds in his past two games. The first time against Purdue he was IU’s only reliable weapon on offense as well, finishing with a team-high 16 points.
Defensively, Indiana did not do nearly enough to stop the thing that was the ultimate dagger in that game — the 3-pointer.
Purdue shot 50 percent from beyond the arc (8-for-16) which was a deciding factor in the game. What makes Purdue so difficult to defend from deep is the team's plethora of shooters. Eric Hunter, Isaiah Thompson and Aaron Wheeler all made at least 3-point shots in that game and Wheeler was 3-for-3.
As a team, the Boilermakers shoot 34.2 percent from the 3-point line and they have four players who shoot 35 percent or better. The top two shooters for them are Hunter and fellow sophomore Sasha Stefanovic, both players make 38 percent of their threes.
Locking down the paint
The other difficulty in defending Purdue is they play a consistent rotation of nine guys who can all truly score and contribute on any given night. In the initial IU-Purdue matchup, Purdue’s nine rotation players all scored in the range of five to 12 points.
That same nine-man rotation on the season averages between four and 11 points per game. Evidently, the scoring is very balanced among the team.
In addition to guarding the perimeter better, the key thing IU must do on the defensive end is limit Purdue’s inside presence again.
Purdue’s Matt Haarms and Trevion Williams are the team’s two centers who are both effective, yet different.
Indiana did a good job of guarding the two the first time, but both are capable of being standout players from night to night. Williams is the team’s leading scorer at 11.4 points per game with 7.7 rebounds per game as well. Haarms averages 8.8 points per game while shooting a very efficient 53.7 percent from the field.
Indiana held the two in check, one of the few positives for the Hoosiers in that game, with Williams and Haarms scoring six and eight points, respectively. Also, Williams was held to 3-for-11 shooting on the day.
Indiana has the momentum as of late and there is a blueprint to win, but playing on the road is certainly a question mark. Yes, Indiana’s win at Minnesota last Wednesday was a sign of progress, but the Hoosiers are still 2-6 in true road games this year.
With it being a rivalry game on the road, in a raucous environment against a team that desperately needs a win, this should be quite the test for Indiana and its hot streak.
Regardless of Purdue’s 14-14 record, this game will be anything but easy for Indiana.