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Indiana Basketball: Two straight losses drop Hoosiers to No. 25

By Jordan Maly

Dec 31, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers center Thomas Bryant (31) waits to check into the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Louisville defeats Indiana 77-62. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers center Thomas Bryant (31) waits to check into the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Louisville defeats Indiana 77-62. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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A 26 game home win streak snaps against Nebraska and a defensive breakdown to No. 6 Louisville leaves Indiana Basketball with four losses to conclude 2016.

It has been an interesting week around the world of college basketball. No. 9 North Carolina loses to an unranked Georgia Tech, No. 5 Duke drops their second loss to unranked Virginia Tech, and No. 15 Purdue rounds out the week with a loss to unranked Minnesota.

Oh yeah, and No. 16 Indiana drops two straight against Nebraska and No. 6 Louisville. The Nebraska loss goes deeper than just an unranked loss, snapping a 26 game home winning streak with it. No. 6 Louisville dominated defensively (as noted) and Indiana turned the ball over. A lot.

Nebraska came into Assembly Hall and lit it up. Plain and simple. The Cornhuskers shot 48% from the field, including 50% from three. Glynn Watson Jr. had his second 25+ point game against a ranked opponent this season (27 points against No. 4 UCLA). Indiana had no answer for their shooters.

James Blackmon Jr. had one of his worst games all season. He shot 4-14 with one of his seasons lowest 3 point total (2-9). The plague that is turning the ball over seems to follow every Tom Crean lead team. The Hoosiers turned the ball over 19 times and it translated to 21 points for Nebraska. To make matters worse, Juwan Morgan was injured on a flagrant foul from Nebraska’s Jordy Tshimanga.

The game in Indianapolis wasn’t much better. The Hoosiers who came into the game No. 9 in the country in points per game (88.4) put up a season low 62 points. The Louisville defense was suffocating the entire game. The team as a whole shot a season low 19% from the three, including a 1-14 showing from junior guard Robert Johnson.

Crean said in the post game press conference,

"“I don’t see us shooting that way, very often. Like hardly ever. We didn’t make the extra pass and when we settled it was caused because of [Louisville]’s length” – Tom Crean"

The turnovers remain to be consistent problem for the Indiana Basketball team. In stretches of the game on Saturday, Indiana was ruining any possible chance for a run with costly turnovers from the guards. That type of play has been transparent throughout Indiana’s recent skid.

A tough road ahead for the Hoosiers…

Regardless of the weird week it was for college hoops, one thing is expected. Indiana’s schedule means no time to coast.

January 3rd – vs. No. 13 Wisconsin (12-2)
January 7th – vs. Illinois (10-4)
January 10th – at Maryland (13-2)

By now we are able to fully assess where this team is at. They have been notched as the hit-or-miss team of 2016. Indiana has proven to be able to beat some of the best teams in the country and follow it up with losses against sure win opponents. The more telling of the problems comes with the handling of the offense. A true point guard in which Indiana has longed for since the departure of Yogi Ferrell.

Josh Newkirk, transfer from Pittsburgh, has shown flashes of great play this season. His ability to work for a shot and find the open man has been shown, but not consistently. The three starting guards in Josh Newkirk, James Blackmon Jr., and Robert Johnson are combining for nearly 7 turnovers per game. A statistic that proves daunting for the Hoosiers.

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It will only be a matter of time before some of the younger players on this Indiana team start to be given more of an opportunity. Freshman guard Curtis Jones has been a bright spot off the bench at times this season but struggled with the rest of the guards over the past five games. A true consistent facilitator, like Yogi Ferrell, is exactly what Indiana is lacking.

Indiana struggles with defending teams best perimeter shooters has been a serious problem. Kansas’ Frank Mason III had a season high 30 points against Indiana. Butler’s Kelan Martin had 28 points, Glynn Watson of Nebraska dropped 26 points, and Donovan Mitchell had 25 points for Louisville off the bench.

A win against No. 13 Wisconsin at home Tuesday night will serve as a major confidence boost to this team. The Hoosiers will need to find a way to shut down perimeter players such as Bronson Koenig (14.1 ppg) and Ethan Happ (12.6 ppg). Thomas Bryant and Co. in the front court will have their hands full with NBA prospect Nigel Hayes (14.0 ppg).

All things considered, Indiana clings to a No. 25 ranking in the AP Top 25 this week. The lack of true strength in the non-conference schedule outside Kansas, North Carolina, and Louisville is starting to show its true colors. Indiana ranks No. 304 in strength of schedule this season, far below the expectations of a once Top 5 thought team. If Indiana wants to get back to the top of the Big Ten Conference they will need a clear streak of W’s entering 2017.

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