In a must win game for Big Ten Title hopes, Indiana proved its legitimacy by defeating the #4 team in the country 85-78. Indiana also proved that all of its past issues stem directly from the mental side of the game.
From the opening of this game, it was clear that this had the potential to be something special. With a sold out crowd at Assembly Hall, both teams looked to begin this game riding that energy. Iowa attempted to neutralize it, while Indiana attempted to ride it into the sunset.
With that said, the first four and half minutes exemplified the exact sloppy and energetic basketball that one should expect. Thomas Bryant and Troy Williams really looked to set the pace and take advantage of the space provided by Iowa’s zone defense. Unfortunately, Bryant was trying a little too hard to set the pace, as he quickly found himself with two fouls four and half minutes into the game.
From there, even without Bryant on the floor, Indiana just began out-hustling Iowa in every facet.
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Troy Williams was getting to the lane at will, guys were getting after it on defense, and Indiana was attacking the offensive glass like it was nobody’s business.
“I wonder if he knows how good he can be?”-Dick Vitale describing the sentiment that every Indiana Basketball fan questions when thinking about Troy Williams
Indiana just kept out-playing Iowa in every way imaginable as some pivotal three point shooting from Nick Zeisloft brought IU a 16 point lead with six minutes left to play in the first half.
Of course, as expected, the #4 team in the country is actually pretty good, and didn’t just roll over.
With Bryant on the bench due to foul trouble, Iowa slowly chipped away at the lead behind the effort of Peter Jok and ended the half only down 45-38.
No matter what, IU clearly out-played Iowa in that first half and one would only hope that they would continue to build on that momentum in the second half. Indiana had only 17 missed shots in the first, grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and created a boatload of second chance opportunities.
No matter how good Indiana has been all season on the offensive boards, this effort was something else. Coming into this game, Indiana was remarkably undersized in comparison to Iowa, and with Thomas Bryant on the bench the Hoosiers were still able to bring in 12 offensive boards.
Then, the mayhem of the second half began and quite quickly IU found itself down. Indiana opened the second half playing sloppy and complacent just as they had against Penn State. Good Troy Williams turned back into bad Troy Williams, Thomas Bryant received his third foul, and Iowa started to show why it is ranked so highly.
With Thomas Bryant on the bench once again, Indiana struggled to handle Iowa’s size as it took over six minutes for IU to hit a field goal with a big three from Robert Johnson.
These teams began to go back and forth blow for blow until the big turning point in this game.
Thomas Bryant received his fourth foul with nine minutes and 40 seconds left in the game.
The call was terrible, fans were mad, and it was time for IU’s most important player to step it up.
HARRISON NIEGO IS BETTER THAN YOU!
Harrison Niego took the charge of the season, and lifted the Bloomington crowd to it’s feet. The importance of that charge can be questioned, as technically all it really did was stop Iowa on one possession, but it was the message that that charge sent which lifted this Indiana team.
When a walk-on like Harrison Niego makes a play like that, it means everyone has to step up. And so they did.
We saw big minutes from Max Bielfelt, Juwan Morgan and Colin Hartman as this game started to head towards its close and Indiana began to pull away thanks to the incredible energy of Assembly Hall.
Back came “Good Troy Williams” and Indiana just simply locked down defensively. The Hoosiers didn’t let Iowa ever get comfortable on offense, and won 85-78.
The success of this Indiana Basketball Team is solely reliant on mental factors
There is no questioning Indiana’s talent anymore. It has the ability to beat any team in the country with its talent and depth. Even when IU’s best player (Yogi) has an off game, there are others that can step up. This team just needs to bring it mentally in every game. Against Iowa, Indiana brought it from the first minute. The Hoosiers out-hustled Iowa in every facet and followed the game plan to a tee. Against Penn State, IU’s head wasn’t in the game. The team was lazy, complacent and unable to adjust.
This win means a lot, but if Indiana doesn’t bring the same mental fortitude to the rest of the season, this win will ultimately be pointless.