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(01/25/18 4:27am)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Coming off a tumultuous, yet energizing home victory Monday night against Maryland -- Indiana fell victim to a short turnaround and sloppy play in a 73-71 loss to Illinois on Wednesday.
In the losing effort, Juwan Morgan continued his impressive stretch of play -- tallying a game-high 28 points on just 12-of-14 shooting, collecting eight rebounds while fighting through foul trouble.
Here's our Rapid Reaction:
The Free Throws ... Were Not Free:
It's interesting to compare the recent brands of Indiana basketball throughout the year. Many games came easy, such as Northwestern. Others were up-and-down, yet exciting (Maryland). But there are times where the Hoosiers simply come out flat, undisciplined, or both. Wednesday was an example of that -- as IU shot a putrid 16-of-29 from the free-throw line. The Hoosiers had not been a strong free-throw shooting team to begin with (299th entering Wednesday), but this effort reinstated fears following a 12-of-29 performance in November against Howard.
Things weren't going Indiana's way against the Illini. Both Juwan Morgan and Collin Hartman got themselves into fairly early foul trouble. Robert Johnson was nearly invisible for the majority of the night, hoisting only seven shots. IU head coach Archie Miller was unsure on which hand to go with at point guard -- as both Josh Newkirk and Devonte Green provided the Hoosiers with very little stability or offensive spark. If IU was going to win, it would have come in the grind-it-out fashion. The problem with that, is the difficulty in winning close games when a team misses 13 shots at the free-throw line. Many things were against the Hoosiers, but missing the freebies essentially amounted to Illinois' first Big Ten win of the season.
In the closing seconds, Indiana appeared to make a miraculous comeback after a Juwan Morgan three-point play cut Illinois' lead to 73-70. A defensive stop later, the Illini chose to foul Devonte Green with eight seconds remaining -- who missed the first shot to complete a poor performance at the free-throw line.
One Giant Lost Opportunity:
Despite an incredibly short turnaround on the road, Indiana had a realistic opportunity at improving to 6-3 in the conference against an albeit tough, yet winless team in Illinois. Furthermore, a victory in Champaign would have only added to IU's momentum prior to Sunday's showdown with Purdue at Assembly Hall.
With a loss, the Hoosiers slip to 5-4 in Big Ten play and now prepare for a brutal stretch; which includes Purdue, Ohio State, and Michigan State on the upcoming schedule. The Illini have proved to be a tough out all season -- there's a reason why Illinois has played three overtime games in the Big Ten. But, there's also many reasons why they haven't won any of them.
(01/23/18 2:12am)
In a back-and-forth classic, Indiana survived Maryland, 71-68, to improve to 12-8 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers will play at Illinois Wednesday.
Here's our Rapid Reaction:
Juwan Morgan, Indiana's Hero:
As we've said all season, this Indiana team is a tough out when the likes of Robert Johnson are keeping the Hoosiers afloat. Johnson did more than that tonight -- scoring 12 points on efficient shooting, as well as collecting a critical eight rebounds. After three questionable calls against the Hoosiers late in the second half, Johnson collected a Zach McRoberts steal and finished a layup to give Indiana a two-point lead with minutes remaining.
And boy, how about the play of Juwan Morgan? Fresh off a rolled ankle suffered Friday against Michigan States, Morgan appeared 100 percent against Maryland -- tallying a game-high 25 points while keeping the Hoosiers together throughout a tumultuous ending. Things started to get bleak for the Hoosiers after Josh Newkirk missed a pair of free throws with 30 seconds remaining -- however Morgan was there to snag the offensive rebound and keep Indiana ahead.
Devonte Green's Defense:
An underrated, yet necessary storyline from Monday's game was how Devonte Green held Maryland point guard Anthony Cowan in check during the second half. Playing against Josh Newkirk to start, Cowan scored 13 of his ?? points before halftime. Against Green in the second half? Cowan struggled to find any rhythm, shooting 1-of-10 from the floor with Green following him at every turn.
With Maryland without key starters in Ivan Bender and Justin Jackson, the importance of guarding Cowan was Indiana's most important focus. The 3-point shot of Jared Nickens (4-of-7 from 3-point range) as well as consistent play of Kevin Huerter certainly posed threats, but Green's defense of Cowan was the ultimate gamechanger when comparing halves.
The Big Picture:
Monday's win does wonders in a realm of categories: Prior to this, Indiana had been lacking a game in which both its players and fans could rally behind of. Assembly Hall was relatively empty, and quiet, early in Monday's game -- but after a spirited effort from the Hoosiers, the level of excitement was palpable and almost equivalent to this season's Duke game. Going forward with home games against the nation's best in Purdue and Michigan State, fans now have a game to rally behind of.
Quantitatively, the Hoosiers improve to 5-3 in the Big Ten with a trip to Illinois Wednesday -- against an Illini team still searching for their first victory in the conference. For the sake of the Big Ten standings, Monday's game hands Indiana its first Top-50 RPI victory in conference play -- and helps the Hoosiers remain in the upper echelon of the conference.
(01/20/18 3:21am)
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The biggest loss Indiana suffered Friday night may not have been the 85-57 blowout loss to Michigan State.
It was suffered with 2:42 remaining in the first half -- when junior forward Juwan Morgan appeared to come down on his own foot, suffering an unevaluated ankle injury and not returning to the game. Morgan left the Breslin Center on crutches to board the team bus and return to Bloomington. IU head coach Archie Miller said Morgan will be evaluated when the Hoosiers return to campus and begin preparations for Monday’s home game vs. Maryland.
“It made it very difficult,” freshman forward Justin Smith said of losing Morgan. “Someone who plays both side of the ball very well, we lost some offense and some defense. Especially with the amount of big guys they have. We really missed him.”
While Morgan’s injury remains in speculation, the possibility of a severe injury could be destructive for the remainder of Indiana’s season. The Hoosiers have lost sophomore forward De’Ron Davis (torn ACL) for the season, altering Miller’s rotations to the tune of Collin Hartman, Freddie McSwain, as well as freshman forward Clifton Moore. Within that rotation, however, has remained Morgan -- buoying the Hoosiers through an impressive 3-game winning streak with the steady hand of 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
It’s hard to say how Morgan’s absence affected the Hoosiers Friday night against Michigan State -- a game in which the Spartans controlled essentially every category from start-to-finish. By the time Morgan suffered the ankle injury, the Hoosiers had already surrendered a 14-0 Spartan run, being outscored 18-4 in the paint en route to trailing, 42-23 at halftime.
“We lost track of our gameplan,” freshman forward Justin Smith said. “We were outrebounded and they got out on transition, that’s when they’re at their best. We didn’t slow that down and they took advantage of it.”
With or without Morgan in the second half, Indiana was lifeless against a revitalized Michigan State side that was determined on recovering from a rocky 3-game stretch that included a pair of losses to Michigan and Ohio State. The Spartans used their size accordingly, as 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Miles Bridges scored a game-high 22 points and 6-foot-8 forward Nick Ward bullied his way to 18 points and 13 rebounds.
The ultimate concern for Indiana is the dire possibility of losing Morgan’s most important characteristic; his consistency. Throughout the early season shooting woes of Robert Johnson, Josh Newkirk, and others, -- Morgan has remained steady. In the Hoosiers’ 19 games this season, Morgan has tallied double-digit points in 13 of them.
Friday night against Michigan State, Indiana began a grueling 17-day stretch containing seven games. The Hoosiers will greet Maryland at home Monday, travel to Illinois next Wednesday, and then endure a savage 3-game stretch of Purdue, Ohio State, and Michigan State -- a slate that pits IU as the undersized team once again.
“I thought tonight, especially when Juwan went out, we had a hard time executing and running good offense,” Miller said. “It became a stagnant halfcourt where you had Rob and Josh trying to make as many plays as they possibly could. That was tough on them.”
The severity of Morgan’s ankle injury will likely not be known until Monday’s game vs. Maryland. Fortunately for the Hoosiers, Indiana’s stalwart has been known to play through injury, as was the case with Morgan’s often dislocated shoulder last season. Speculation is dangerous, yet understood in the case of IU’s state of limited depth and everlasting fragility.
(01/20/18 2:00am)
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Following a three-game winning streak, Indiana ran into a complete buzzsaw against Michigan State -- as the Spartans completed a wire-to-wire blowout, 85-57, Friday night at the Breslin Center.
Here’s our Rapid Reaction:
Simply Overmatched
There’s a reason Indiana hasn’t been able to beat Michigan State in East Lansing since 2013 -- from essentially the opening tip, the Hoosiers came out flat. With four players over 6-foot-5, Michigan State outscored Indiana 18-4 in the paint during the first half. The Hoosiers were buried after 14 consecutive Michigan State points gave the Spartans a 23-10 first-half lead. From there, IU’s decisions on offense were forced and more reminiscent of its early season losses. To the dismay of head coach Archie Miller, IU settled for contested 3-pointers and chaotic chances against Michigan State’s elite bigs.
To be perfectly honest, there wasn’t much Indiana could do Friday night to overcome its odds. The Spartans entered the affair suffering two losses in their last three games -- with an unimpressive 76-72 overtime effort against Rutgers serving as the lone win. Michigan State played like a team focused to restart a previously-snapped 14-game winning streak. It was the first half that simply drowned the Hoosiers, as Michigan State was relatively unexplosive in the second frame.
Juwan Morgan Lost to Injury
Arguably the biggest concern from East Lansing was not the loss -- let’s be honest, Friday’s defeat does little when evaluating the future possibilities of this Indiana team -- but the apparent loss of junior forward Juwan Morgan. With 2:42 remaining in the first half, Morgan came down on his own foot, subsequently hobbling off and not returning for Indiana. The 6-foot-7 forward did not appear in the team’s second-half warmups and remained in the locker room for the rest of the night.
It goes without saying how devastating a long-term injury to Morgan would be for Indiana. Without De’Ron Davis, the Hoosiers have admittedly adapted quite well -- filling the gap with minutes from either Collin Hartman, Freddie McSwain, or even freshman Clifton Moore. However, without Juwan Morgan -- those rotations become depleted and dire. Morgan has been, quite frankly, IU’s only consistent player on a nightly basis. Averaging 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, Morgan’s ascent to another level has been the prime source of optimism this season. Much attention will be towards the health of Morgan, and the apparent ankle/foot injury suffered in East Lansing. The Hoosiers next take the floor Monday night at home against Maryland.
Robert Johnson Stays Hot
In the losing effort, Robert Johnson continued to improve offensively. As said many times this season, the Hoosiers become a different team when Johnson is either shooting or producing well. On seven-of-13 shooting, Johnson tallied a team-high 21 points and overcame James Blackmon Jr. for 33rd on Indiana’s all-time scoring list with 1,244 Points. In the midst of a busy and challenging stretch, a confident Johnson helps the Hoosiers in upcoming games against Maryland, Illinois, and Purdue.
(01/14/18 11:36pm)
Indiana was able to break out of its shooting woes with a 66-46 rout of Northwestern on Sunday afternoon at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers (11-7, 4-2) shot just 9-of-30 (30 percent) in the first half, but a 25-2 second half run began the drubbing of Northwestern.
Here's our Rapid Reaction:
Important Game, Crucial Win
The Hoosiers will travel to East Lansing for a daunting meeting with Michigan State on Friday. From there, IU returns home to face Maryland with another opportunity to separate itself from the rest of the Big Ten's mediocre field. A loss to Northwestern would have thrown the Hoosiers into the masses -- but a resounding ?? victory has instead given Indiana promise for the foreseeable future.
With three consecutive Big Ten victories over Minnesota, Penn State, and Northwestern, the Hoosiers are now tied for third place in the conference at 4-2. Sunday's meeting with Northwestern was an opportunity to solidify Indiana in the upper echelon of the Big Ten -- and IU capitalized accordingly. Albeit a weaker conference than usual, this stretch has suddenly changed the discourse of Indiana's season.
Defense Reigns Supreme
Northwestern was unable to click offensively for the entirety of Sunday's game. At halftime, the Wildcats tallied just 19 points on 6-of-25 shooting. It's no secret that Northwestern simply didn't show up offensively on Sunday -- however the defensive effort from Indiana deserves a fair share of the credit. All afternoon, clean looks were hard to come by for the Wildcats through challenged interior pressure from IU's entire roster. The Hoosiers collected four blocks on the evening, including two first-half rejections from freshman forward Clifton Moore.
The first half was certainly not pretty, as the Hoosiers led 24-19 and struggled to find rhythm of their own. It appeared as if both teams would succumb to a low-scoring affair that Sunday's game dictated, but Indiana was able to respond with a resounding 25-2 second-half run to put the game out of reach -- a run that kept Northwestern from scoring for nearly five minutes.
Confident Rob Johnson
Plain and simple, Indiana is a different team when Robert Johnson is shooting well. And a hard one to beat. The senior guard arguably played his most effective game of the season -- scoring a game-high 17 points on 5-of-11 3-point shooting. Along with his offensive output, Johnson also collected six rebounds and three assists to pace the Hoosiers on Sunday night. Outside shooting and guard rebounding has been a point of emphasis all season for Archie Miller in his first season -- and a confident and aggressive Robert Johnson is the formula for both points of emphasis.
(01/13/18 11:33pm)
According to his Instagram account Saturday afternoon, Indiana running back Devonte Williams announced his transfer to Southeastern Louisiana State. Williams, a rising redshirt junior, will be able to play right away for the Lions at the Division-1 FCS level.
Williams doubled as the Hoosiers' primary kick returner for the past two seasons, ranking sixth all-time in program history with 1,511 career returning yards. In a crowded running back room this past season, Williams only rushed 20 times for 70 yards -- catching 12 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns.
Along with Alex Rodriguez (graduate transfer, to be determined), and Tyler Natee (Montana State), Williams becomes the third running back to leave the program prematurely. IU running backs coach Mike Hart will have a bevy of options in 2018 -- as Morgan Ellison, Mike Majette, Cole Gest, and Ricky Brookins are all expected to return for Hart's second season in Bloomington.
Backfield departures were somewhat expected after the Hoosiers were unable to solidify a permanent starter at the position in 2017 -- Ellison led the Hoosiers with 143 carries while Majette, the starter, only played in five games due to injury. IU's running backs will compete with incoming freshman Ronnie Walker for playing time, the highly touted 4-star RB who chose Indiana over Michigan State and Virginia.
Walker led Hopewell (Va.) to the 2017 state title, rushing for 1,344 yards and 19 touchdowns en route to the nation's 21st-best running back by 247Sports. Walker has enrolled early at Indiana and will practice during the spring. The first look at Walker, along with IU's returnees, will be during Indiana's Spring Game in April.
(01/10/18 1:42am)
By Teddy Bailey
In a critical early conference game for both teams, Indiana (10-7, 3-2 Big Ten) battled its way past Penn State, 74-70 to earn its second consecutive Big Ten win.
The Nittany Lions (12-6, 2-3) would seemingly never go away Tuesday night, knocking down a pair of late 3-pointers to force Indiana to the free throw line. Late points from the charity stripe from Josh Newkirk and Devonte Green sealed the game for Indiana.
Next up for Indiana is Northwestern (10-7, 1-3) at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday at Assembly Hall.
Here’s the Rapid Reaction:
Captain Morgan:
If Indiana is a ship, Juwan Morgan steers it. In multiple instances Tuesday evening, the Hoosiers were on the precipice of allowing Penn State to seize the game’s momentum -- either by a string of missed 3-pointers or struggling to defend Lamar Stevens inside. Morgan was there to keep the Nittany Lions at arms length -- scoring a team-high 21 points and adding 11 rebounds en route to his sixth double-double of the season.
With 3:53 remaining in a five-point game, Morgan completed a three-point play to extend IU’s lead to 64-56 down the stretch. Following Justin Smith’s 20-point outburst at Minnesota on Saturday, the freshman forward played just six minutes after collecting two fouls early. Nevertheless, Morgan played a career-high 39 minutes to combat Penn State’s frontcourt duo of Stevens and Mike Watkins.
The Second Half Start:
The Hoosiers led at halftime, 35-31, and led Penn State for the majority of the opening frame -- but it was vital for Indiana to open the second half in the same fashion. The Hoosiers converted five of their first six field goals after halftime, highlighted by a 3-point play from Robert Johnson following a Justin Smith missed dunk.
Furthermore, Indiana was able to contain Lamar Stevens in the second half. Penn State’s 6-foot-8 sophomore forward dominated the Hoosiers to the tune of 20 first-half points -- in the second half, however, Stevens was held to just four points on 2-of-5 shooting. Likewise against Minnesota’s Jordan Murphy, Indiana impressively contained a heralded Penn State frontcourt enough to get the win.
Surviving 3-point shooting woes
Especially true in the first half, Indiana was not shy when it came to hoisting up 3-pointers. The majority of looks were open shots, as Penn State allowed players such as Collin Hartman and Juwan Morgan to fire away early on. They just didn’t fall, as IU shot a lowly 6-of-27 (22 percent) from 3-point range -- its lowest percentage in a victory this season (Youngstown State, 5-of-27).
That being said, clutch second-half shots beyond the arc from Josh Newkirk and Devonte Green helped maintain the Hoosier lead. Green connected from 3-point range with 6:20 remaining to hand IU a 61-53 lead. To combat another poor performance from outside, the Hoosiers committed only nine turnovers on Tuesday night -- the lowest since November 29th against Duke. For the better part of its win against Penn State, IU took care of the ball and rebounded admirably against PSU’s frontcourt -- winning the rebounding battle, 36-31.
(01/08/18 6:01pm)
By Teddy Bailey
Pending further changes, Tom Allen's coaching staff is complete. The Indiana football program announced the hiring of Kane Wommack on Monday morning as the Hoosiers' tenth on-field assistant coach -- now allowed by 2018 NCAA rules.
Wommack will coach linebackers for the Hoosiers in preparation for the 2018 season. Current IU linebackers coach William Inge will now serve as the team's special teams coordinator, per release. Inge has been Indiana linebackers coach since 2013, having also handled special teams duties last season.
Wommack comes to Bloomington after serving as South Alabama's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the last two seasons. The Jaguars, playing in Division-1 FBS with the Sun Belt, were the 13th-most improved scoring defense (-10.8) in the country during Wommack's two years. In 2016, Wommack led South Alabama's unit to a top-ten ranking in passing defense.
"Kane is one of the bright, young coaches in our profession," Allen said. "He has done a tremendous job as a defensive coordinator at two different stops, I have a strong relationship with his family, but more importantly, he is an excellent football coach. Kane is the kind of person that I want in our program mentoring our young men and that will represent Indiana University in an excellent way. He is a guy that I know and trust, and I am very excited to have him join the IU Football family."
Wommack has made plenty of stops along the way en route to Indiana. After playing fullback for Arkansas (2005-06), Wommack transferred to finish his career at Southern Miss to play tight end from 2007-09. Following his playing career, Wommack began at the FCS level -- coaching quarterbacks at Tennessee-Martin in 2010 and the defensive line at Jacksonville State during 2011. His first opportunity as defensive coordinator came at Eastern Illinois in 2014-15, leading the Panthers to the FCS playoffs and its defense to a No. 3 national ranking in takeaways.
Allen and Wommack will be reunited for the coming season. In 2012-13 at Ole Miss, Allen served as linebackers coach under defensive coordinator Dave Wommack, Kane's father. Kane, meanwhile, was a graduate assistant for the Rebels. Wommack's father retired after the 2016 season following 37 years of collegiate coaching. More importantly, Wommack coached the husky position under Allen at Ole Miss -- the same position that has become vital for Indiana's defense under rising junior Marcelino Ball.
"Tom Allen has been an awesome mentor," Wommack said. "We have risen through the ranks together as defensive coordinators and I am thrilled to be reunited with him once again. I am ready to get started and excited to be a Hoosier."
Along with Thursday's announcement of David Ballou becoming IU's next director of athletic performance, Allen now benefits from filling his staff for the remainder of the offseason. Inge, meanwhile, will lead a special teams unit that must replace two-time Big Ten Kicker of the Year Griffin Oakes -- but welcomes back Big Ten Honorable Mention punter Haydon Whitehead as a rising junior.
"Special teams play is a huge priority in our program," Allen said. "We needed someone to take ownership of all of our special teams units and Coach Inge is the man for the job," Allen said. "It's a great opportunity for him to become a coordinator and oversee an area that I believe changes the game."
(Featured Image: BOBBY MCDUFFIE/SOUTH ALABAMA ATHLETICS)
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