Indiana Basketball: 3 improvements for Archie Miller next season

2. Get Away From Pack-Line Defense

For the year, Indiana is allowing opponents to shoot 33.6 percent from three-point range, which ranks 221st out of 353 division one teams. Obviously that’s not great and becomes a problem for a team that’s even worse compared to the rest of division one when it comes to scoring from three-point range themselves. The Hoosiers are 229th in that category.

When it comes to Big Ten play, however, the numbers are even more telling. Indiana is allowing Big Ten opponents to shoot 35.7 percent from three, which ranks near the very bottom of the conference (13th). For context, IU only has two players who shoot above that mark for the season in Devonte Green (38.2%) and Rob Phinisee (38%). The disparity in scoring from three is not going away anytime soon, although Jerome Hunter has been a revelation of late in terms of outside shooting and how he could bring a new dimension to the Indiana offense.

With three-point shooting likely to be similar next year with the loss of their best shooter Devonte Green, Indiana is going to have to make up the gap in three-point scoring with major defensive adjustments. The pack-line style of defense that Indiana has been playing in Archie’s tenure has left Indiana susceptible to giving up easy open looks from deep.

Big Ten teams have struggled to get to the free-throw line against Indiana, and have compensated by getting out and transition and nailing open looks from three.

Archie Miller and his staff should seriously consider tailoring the defense to prevent teams from beating Indiana from three.