To the chagrin of many fans, the Indiana men’s basketball season has come to an end with a loss to Rutgers.
You’re probably reading the title and thinking, “Is that a mistake?”. No, the Indiana Hoosiers really lost to arguably the worst team in the Big Ten.
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Just how did this monstrosity happen? Well, we don’t like to blame just one thing. But if we had to choose it would the horrific three point shooting that the Hoosiers put up. From beyond the arc they shot just 24% (6-25). If a team is hoping to win a game, shooting less than 25% is not going to do you any favors.
This loss all but effectively ends Indiana’s season. Some had hoped that they could win this game, then put up a decent showing over Purdue in the quarterfinals, and get an NIT bid. However with the loss to Rutgers, they likely will not receive a bid to play in the second biggest March tournament.
One reason that Indiana failed to win this game was the poor shooting from Robert Johnson. Now, we can go back and forth on whether or not having to deal with Corey Sanders for the majority of the defensive possessions haltered his offensive ability. He may have been tired, but 4-16 in the most important game of the season is not what we had hoped for.
There was one very, very odd statistic for Indiana in this game. Freshman Aljami Durha reached double figures with 10 points, without attempting a field goal. Juwan Morgan led Indiana in both points and rebounds, finishing with 15 and 9 respectively.
For Rutgers, Corey Sanders, as usual kept them in the game and eventually put the contest away with a couple late daggers, including this dunk.
Corey Sanders drops the HAMMER and puts the exclamation point on Rutgers' upset win over Indiana! #B1GTourney #B1GatMSG pic.twitter.com/QQGUrL21x9
— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) March 2, 2018
Freshman Geo Baker chipped in 15 points on 5-9 shooting, while Deshawn Freeman threw in 15 points.
Next: How Romeo Langford can help the 2018 class
Indiana heads into the offseason with a disappointing loss to Rutgers. However, many of us knew that this season was a full on rebuild. If Romeo Langford chooses to attend IU, their fortunes may turn around more quickly than anyone thought next season.