Indiana Basketball: Old habits die hard for Hoosiers in win

The Indiana basketball program secured a win against Louisiana Tech but old habits showed up that could be a cause for concern.

On Monday night, the Indiana basketball program won another non-conference game, this time against Louisiana Tech, and were in control for most of the game. Despite the win, the Hoosiers showed that there are still a lot of old habits within the team and they are going to be hard to shake.

Turnovers. Turnovers. Turnovers. They have haunted the Hoosiers for years and through the first five games of the season, they had been held to a minimum. On Monday, however, that was not the case.

Averaging just 11 turnovers a game through the first five games of the year, it all came crashing down in the second half on Monday. The Hoosiers coughed up the ball 12 times alone in the second half, for a grand total of 18 in the game. The worst part? Most of them were unforced, and brought back the bad memories of the last few seasons.

Why should it be a cause for concern moving forward? Rob Phinisee. The sophomore point guard missed another game against Louisiana Tech, his second of the season, and this could be an injury or group of injuries that stick with Phinisee for the long haul.

In his press conference, Archie Miller touched on Phinisee’s injury and his prognosis, saying it’s a lot of issues, such as a rib, abdominal, and head injury that the sophomore is dealing with.

Adamant about wanting Al Durham to be more of a ball handler this season, Miller had been pleased throughout the first month of the year as Durham was posting a 2.14 assist-to-turnover ratio, but against Louisiana Tech, at the first sign of increased pressure, Durham finished with four assists and five turnovers. In addition, Devonte Green, who had been inconsistent throughout his career with taking care of the ball, had eight assists to just two turnovers in his first two games back this season. Against Louisiana Tech, Green had just two assists and four turnovers.

So what’s next? Indiana needs Phinisee back, and need him back as soon as possible. As good as the trio of Durham, Green, and Armaan Franklin have done with handling the ball and getting the offense in rhythm, the offense will only reach its full potential with Phinisee having the ball in his hands.