Hoosier State of Mind
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Indiana Basketball: Three most important players for Hoosiers’ success in tournament

By Adam Childs

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - MARCH 04: Justin Smith #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers steals the ball in the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first half at Assembly Hall on March 04, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - MARCH 04: Justin Smith #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers steals the ball in the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first half at Assembly Hall on March 04, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – JANUARY 29: Rob Phinisee #10 of the Indiana Hoosiers dribbles the ball during a college basketball game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Bryce Joyce Center on January 29, 2020 in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – JANUARY 29: Rob Phinisee #10 of the Indiana Hoosiers dribbles the ball during a college basketball game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Bryce Joyce Center on January 29, 2020 in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

1. Rob Phinisee

Phinisee is a guy you might not always notice in the box score but one that is vitally important to the Hoosiers’ success. He is the guy in charge of running the offense and when he is playing well at point guard the whole offense seems to run better.

He is the top assist guy on the Hoosiers and when he can get the offense moving and the ball in the hands of Trayce Jackson-Davis and Joey Brunk down low, or out to Al Durham and Devonte Green for open threes the offense just looks better.

Phinisee is also a high energy guy and it can be contagious when he is playing well. The Hoosiers lack grit too often during games and Phinisee needs to be the one to get them back on track.

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He may not score a lot of points, but a hard-nosed player can get things going and that is exactly what the Hoosiers need. Phinisee needs to lead on the defensive end as well and he has shown he can do that at times.

The Hoosiers need him to play well and facilitate the offense while also being a leader of the defense. The big men can only do so much but if they don’t have someone getting them the ball it is hard for them to get any work done down low. When Phinisee is playing well at the point the Hoosiers play better.

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