Through the first ten games, Indiana Basketball has suffered two late road game losses. Take a breath, there is no need to panic.
I know what you’re probably thinking. Indiana Basketball just dropped their second game of the season to an in-state opponent. Afterward, maybe you think to yourself, “just one game, it’s an outlier”.
Saturday comes and the Hoosiers find themselves once again leaving Bankers Life Fieldhouse without a win. Granted, No. 18 Butler outplayed the Hoosiers for virtually the entire first half. For a team that ranks No. 15 in points scored per game, Indiana was only able to muster up 28 before the half was over.
No. 18 Butler, a team that was coming in shooting just below 40% from the three was making it rain early and often. Indiana went without a three-point field goal in the first twenty minutes of play. Butler finished the game shooting 47.6% from the three compared to a lackluster 28.6% from the Hoosiers.
Indiana Hoosiers
The second half turnaround for the Hoosiers was promising, but just not enough. No. 18 Butler held on to cap a resume building win against the Hoosiers. Many took to mecca of panic button platforms, Twitter, to express their concerns. The first coming with the unimpressive showing from the three-point line of late.
Indiana ranks 84th in 3-point percentage, shooting 37.9% through ten games. The previous two seasons the Hoosiers ranked in the top five (6th in 2014-15, 5th in 2015-16).
The cause for concern is understandable. The loss to one of their best three-point threats is starting to show. When the bread and butter of your game plan begins to unravel a bit, holes start to be created.
If the Hoosiers continue to trend slightly above average from three, the team may have to begin to rely on defense. Strangely enough, the Hoosiers rank 7th best in preventing three-point field goals.
The adamant struggles of red shirt junior Josh Newkirk have become problematic. Newkirk through ten games is the third worst in player efficiency on Indiana. Another alarming statistic from Newkirk includes his field goal percentage. He ranks the second worst on the team, shooting just 37.7% overall.
Furthermore, the month of December has not been particularly kind to the Pittsburgh transfer. Over the four games played this month, Newkirk is 10-31 (32.2%). Consequently, Newkirk’s inability to be consistent on the offensive side of the ball is starting to look like a serious problem.
A problem that Tom Crean will have to decide on relatively quickly. For this reason, maybe Crean will consider an adjustment to the rotation of his guards. Curtis Jones has looked impressive thus far and shows the ability to be a playmaker.
All things considered, let us not indulge in hitting the panic button before 2016 has even concluded. Butler simply outplayed Indiana, shooting lights out from three and taking advantage of an atrocious performance on defense from the Hoosiers. Similarly, IPFW did the same on their home floor in the month of November.
By and large Indiana will have to find ways to adjust their game plan when the three ball is not dropping. The non-conference schedule is yet to conclude and the Hoosiers face a tough test in No. 11 ranked Louisville. A Cardinal team that ranks in the top third in scoring and is 11th best in points surrender to opponents thus far.