Indiana basketball at rock bottom & more takeaways after 84-65 loss at Penn State
Indiana basketball falls to 1-4 in the Big Ten and 10-6 overall after an embarrassing effort against Penn State on Wednesday night. What is going on?
Honestly, being embarrassed is an understatement. The Hoosiers looked like a team that didn’t care and had no fire after losing two straight games against Iowa and Northwestern at home.
Now, after starting off the “easy part” of conference play, the Hoosiers will have to face No. 18 Wisconsin at home, Illinois in Champaign, and Michigan State at home. If things don’t turn around quickly and our players don’t grow up fast, we’re looking at a record of 10-9 and 1-7 in the Big Ten by January 22.
That’s the worst-case scenario. Of course, the Nittany Lions knocked down 18 of their 31 three-point attempts last night and it seemed like just could not miss from the field. But at what point does the coaching staff make an adjustment and do something different?
Check out the lowlights below:
Here are my six takeaways from the Hoosiers’ embarrassing loss at Penn State:
Six takeaways from Indiana basketball 84-65 loss at Penn State:
#6. The Hoosiers have officially hit rock bottom & it only gets tougher from here
Losers of three straight, five of their last seven, and six of their last nine, the Indiana basketball program has plummetted towards the bottom of the Big Ten and we aren’t even halfway through January yet.
After beginning the season 7-0 with wins over Xavier on the road and the national title runner-ups North Carolina at home, the Hoosiers have nose-dived into one of the most embarrassing teams in Division I basketball, alongside powerhouses Louisville (2-14, last in the ACC) and Kentucky (10-6, 10th in the SEC).
It would just be the cherry on top if Indiana completely shatters all expectations of winning the Big Ten and competing in the NCAA Tournament with a season where they don’t even make the tournament, and at this point, the NIT is looking questionable as well.
The Hoosiers now look ahead to games against No. 18 Wisconsin (No. 55 in KenPom), Illinois (No. 25 in KenPom), and Michigan State (No. 40 in KenPom) over their next three games, hoping to sweep and get back to .500 in Big Ten play.