Indiana Basketball: 3 ways to jumpstart the offense

Indiana suffered a potentially crippling wound on Saturday, losing to arch-rival and fellow NCAA Tournament bubble team, Purdue.

In one of the most important days in this century of Indiana Basketball, the Hoosiers laid an egg. Bobby Knight’s return to Assembly Hall warmed the hearts of viewers, but the warmth was quickly dampened by Indiana’s performance.

It’s clear at this point that there are fissures at nearly every level on this team, with both coaches and players. Fans are beginning to think that the recurring problems which the Hoosiers deal with won’t vanish no matter who is on Archie Miller’s roster. Is Archie Miller in Bloomington just not meant to be?

The players have to be held accountable too. Their effort is questionable quite often, and low IQ play after low IQ play is made by even the best players on the team. Whether it be poor decisions on shot selection or bonehead passes, there needs to be better accountability for those certain players who continue to make those plays.

Archie Miller asks his team to play freelance offense frequently, but they aren’t talented enough to figure out how to manufacture points on their own. This team needs structure, which they have not been given so far. It’s the reason why Indiana’s offense is so brutal to watch game in and game out. They’re in over their heads.

In an effort to try to figure out what is wrong with Indiana’s offense, I watched plenty of game film and am presenting three options Archie Miller could tinker with to try to spark this Hoosier offense and save this sinking ship.