Indiana Hoosiers cap forgettable season with a first round NIT loss to Georgia Tech
Tuesday night was a rough time to be an Indiana Hoosier fan, as they fell to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first round of the NIT, 75-63.
It was a game that seemed to be a fitting representation of how their season went. There were too many turnovers, a lack of strong defense and an absence of a true leader on the court. Right from the tip, the Hoosiers had found themselves in a 19-6 hole. It was an all too familiar scene for Indiana.
After missing out on a bid to the NCAA Tournament with a regular season record of 18-15, the Hoosiers found themselves with the No. 3 seed in the NIT. To make matters worse, Indiana Athletic Director Fred Glass dubbed Simon-Skjodt Assembly Hall “unavailable” for what should have been a first-round home game for the Hoosiers.
This forced the Hoosiers to Atlanta where they would play in Georgia Tech’s home arena. The Yellow Jackets’ head coach and ACC Coach of the Year Josh Pastner bought tickets for the entire student section.
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Indiana spent the majority of the game catching up and falling behind without ever working with a comfortable lead. The bench only managed to put up a lousy 13 points despite playing a large portion of the game. On top of that, Indiana guard Robert Johnson went 1-for-8 from the field including 0-for-5 from behind the arc. A lack of contribution from two parts of the team that Indiana has learned to rely on was a large reason for the outcome of the game.
The biggest notable performance from Georgia Tech was big man Ben Lammers. The ACC Defensive Player of the Year proved his title to the Hoosiers. Lammers seemed to be all over the court defensively adding six blocks and two steals to his totals. It felt like every other shot Indiana was taking they had Ben Lammers’ hand contesting it. He ended the game with 11 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
In a disappointing end to the season, there are many different question marks on what’s to come for the Hoosiers. Coach Tom Crean has been sitting on the hot seat while many fans are calling for a buy-out. Crean’s current buy-out is $4 million until July 1 where it will reduce to $1 million. If Indiana does decide to move on from Crean it will have to come sooner rather than later. The Hoosiers will not wait until July 1 to make a decision on their head coach.
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Hoosier fans also patiently wait to see if players OG Anunoby and Thomas Bryant decide to stay or declare for the NBA draft. All things considered, it’s safe to say any Hoosier fan is happy that this train-wreck of a season has come to an end.