The Indiana basketball team passed their first real test on Tuesday night when they beat Florida State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. What did we learn from their win?
The Hoosiers entered December with a 7-0 record, but against inferior competition, so we didn’t quite know how good they really were. If Tuesday is an indication, the Hoosiers are pretty good.
In Indiana’s first test of a tough December schedule, the Hoosiers came out and took care of business. Florida State was newly ranked after winning the Emerald Coast Classic in Florida over the weekend and was thought by many to be the superior team over Indiana. The Seminoles had just beat Purdue in an extra little bit of gratification for Indiana.
The Hoosiers now sit at 8-0 as they finally head away from Assembly Hall this weekend when they travel to Madison to face Wisconsin. It will be another test for Indiana, but one they could very well be favored in.
Is Indiana ready to battle with the big boys of the Big Ten? That is still to be answered but for one night they put the league on notice. The Hoosiers had three guys score in double figures as they overwhelmed the Seminoles taking an 11 point lead into the half and while they made a run in the second half, Indiana’s defense held them scoreless for three minutes late in the game to put it away.
It was a complete team win and one Archie Miller and company have to feel really good about. There are still a few things the Hoosiers need to work on, but overall they have to be satisfied with the win.
So what did we learn about the Hoosiers on Tuesday night? We take a look at the three biggest takeaways from the win.