Louisville Looms And Indiana Braces For Attack Mode
12/8/2017 10:24:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana -- De'Ron Davis ducks nothing. The Indiana center knows the question is coming. How could it not? You shoot 45.2 percent from the free line this season after shooting 75.6 percent last year, especially when your position and ability create plenty of free throw opportunities, and everybody wants to know, what's up?
So here it is -- Davis is working on it, and it will get better.
"I'm doing a lot right now," he says. "I'm saying before and after practice.
"If you notice before a game when the team does free shooting, I'm at the line shooting. It's really a mental thing right now."
The good news -- Davis has been here before. He struggled early last season before turning it around. He insists similar improvement is coming.
"Last year I was shooting around this … well … a little better, but around the same. After Christmas break I turned it around.
"My form is good on most shots. I know what I'm doing wrong. That's the biggest thing. Sometimes I'm pushing the ball, sometimes I'm not getting the ball up, not bending my knees.
"I have to stay fluid with it. I'm not too worried about it. I know I'm a good free throw shooter. I talk to my coaches. They know I'm a good free throw shooter. I just have to lock in and hit them."
That's easy to say, not always easy to do. Everyone struggles. Overcoming it centers on persistence and effort.
Oh, and one other thing -- faith.
"I have to have confidence in myself. In the first couple of games, I was like, I don't want to get fouled. I can't think like that. I have to want to draw fouls on the defense.
"I feel once I want to get fouled and get to the line, that just pushes out that mental block. It's like, yeah, I know I can get easy points from here. I can't go 3-for-9. That's easy points out there. It's hurting our team."
Davis would prefer to putting a hurting on Louisville (5-2) Saturday at the KFC Yum Center. The Cardinals' length and athleticism will be a huge challenge Davis could help negate by playing smart, physical and, yes, making his free throws.
Seven Cardinals are 6-7 or taller. They have 59 blocks in seven games, led by 7-foot Anas Mahmoud's 30.
Negating that size, Davis said, starts by not fearing it.
"The whole team has to attack their presence, attack their bigs, get them in foul trouble and attack the rim," Davis said. "We can't let their length bother us. We have to play our game and execute."
Coach Archie Miller couldn't have said it any better.
"They are a very big team," he said. "Maybe one of college basketball's biggest teams. That's how they were constructed."
Inside there is Mahmoud (8.3 points, 7.6 rebounds) and 6-10 Ray Spalding (9.7, 9.1). Outside there is 6-7 Deng Adel (16.0, 4.7), 6-6 V.J. King (9.3, 4.1), 6-2 Quentin Snider (9.6, 3.7) and 6-8 Jordan Nwora (9.1, 3.4).
The Cardinals have combined for 51 steals while holding opponents to 36.6 percent shooting.
"They play a certain style defensively, whether it is their matchup or their man or their zones that they take advantage of the length," Miller said. "That's why over the last how many years, you can put Louisville at the top in defensive efficiency, and one of the hardest teams to score on.
"But it also creates some problems for you on the other end as well. Where their size is overwhelming, they are always big inside. The perimeter guys with Adel and King just being so big and being able to shoot over top of you or drive it to the basket and overpower you. That is a concern as well. It's not going to change who we are or who they are, so we just have to go play."
IU (5-4) seeks to build momentum from its home victory over Iowa on Monday. One key is carrying it over to the road, something the Hoosiers have struggled with in losses at Seton Hall and Michigan.
The fact IU has had several days to practice rather than deal with quick turnovers to the next game has helped, Miller said.
"It's going to take a very concentrated effort to go into a very tough place to play against a very good team and be better. It's the first time in a long time that we have had some space in between game to game where were can get in and practice and focus on cleaning things up and improving.
"(Wednesday's practice) was a step in the right direction. Having some practice time is refreshing for the staff because it seemed like we were really game upon game, stacked up with travel and preparing our guys to play in games rather than continuing to work on the little things that you have to work on every single day to be sharp."
Miller addressed the transfer of Curtis Jones. The sophomore guard will move to another program for the second semester. Miller said he's put no restrictions on where Jones could play.
"Wish Curtis the best. I don't ever really want anybody to leave at the break. It's never a positive thing. But I think Curtis, being here for over a year and a half, he made his own decision. And we support him with that and wherever he ends up, I think he'll be successful."
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana -- De'Ron Davis ducks nothing. The Indiana center knows the question is coming. How could it not? You shoot 45.2 percent from the free line this season after shooting 75.6 percent last year, especially when your position and ability create plenty of free throw opportunities, and everybody wants to know, what's up?
So here it is -- Davis is working on it, and it will get better.
"I'm doing a lot right now," he says. "I'm saying before and after practice.
"If you notice before a game when the team does free shooting, I'm at the line shooting. It's really a mental thing right now."
The good news -- Davis has been here before. He struggled early last season before turning it around. He insists similar improvement is coming.
"Last year I was shooting around this … well … a little better, but around the same. After Christmas break I turned it around.
"My form is good on most shots. I know what I'm doing wrong. That's the biggest thing. Sometimes I'm pushing the ball, sometimes I'm not getting the ball up, not bending my knees.
"I have to stay fluid with it. I'm not too worried about it. I know I'm a good free throw shooter. I talk to my coaches. They know I'm a good free throw shooter. I just have to lock in and hit them."
That's easy to say, not always easy to do. Everyone struggles. Overcoming it centers on persistence and effort.
Oh, and one other thing -- faith.
"I have to have confidence in myself. In the first couple of games, I was like, I don't want to get fouled. I can't think like that. I have to want to draw fouls on the defense.
"I feel once I want to get fouled and get to the line, that just pushes out that mental block. It's like, yeah, I know I can get easy points from here. I can't go 3-for-9. That's easy points out there. It's hurting our team."
Davis would prefer to putting a hurting on Louisville (5-2) Saturday at the KFC Yum Center. The Cardinals' length and athleticism will be a huge challenge Davis could help negate by playing smart, physical and, yes, making his free throws.
Seven Cardinals are 6-7 or taller. They have 59 blocks in seven games, led by 7-foot Anas Mahmoud's 30.
Negating that size, Davis said, starts by not fearing it.
"The whole team has to attack their presence, attack their bigs, get them in foul trouble and attack the rim," Davis said. "We can't let their length bother us. We have to play our game and execute."
Coach Archie Miller couldn't have said it any better.
"They are a very big team," he said. "Maybe one of college basketball's biggest teams. That's how they were constructed."
Inside there is Mahmoud (8.3 points, 7.6 rebounds) and 6-10 Ray Spalding (9.7, 9.1). Outside there is 6-7 Deng Adel (16.0, 4.7), 6-6 V.J. King (9.3, 4.1), 6-2 Quentin Snider (9.6, 3.7) and 6-8 Jordan Nwora (9.1, 3.4).
The Cardinals have combined for 51 steals while holding opponents to 36.6 percent shooting.
"They play a certain style defensively, whether it is their matchup or their man or their zones that they take advantage of the length," Miller said. "That's why over the last how many years, you can put Louisville at the top in defensive efficiency, and one of the hardest teams to score on.
"But it also creates some problems for you on the other end as well. Where their size is overwhelming, they are always big inside. The perimeter guys with Adel and King just being so big and being able to shoot over top of you or drive it to the basket and overpower you. That is a concern as well. It's not going to change who we are or who they are, so we just have to go play."
IU (5-4) seeks to build momentum from its home victory over Iowa on Monday. One key is carrying it over to the road, something the Hoosiers have struggled with in losses at Seton Hall and Michigan.
The fact IU has had several days to practice rather than deal with quick turnovers to the next game has helped, Miller said.
"It's going to take a very concentrated effort to go into a very tough place to play against a very good team and be better. It's the first time in a long time that we have had some space in between game to game where were can get in and practice and focus on cleaning things up and improving.
"(Wednesday's practice) was a step in the right direction. Having some practice time is refreshing for the staff because it seemed like we were really game upon game, stacked up with travel and preparing our guys to play in games rather than continuing to work on the little things that you have to work on every single day to be sharp."
Miller addressed the transfer of Curtis Jones. The sophomore guard will move to another program for the second semester. Miller said he's put no restrictions on where Jones could play.
"Wish Curtis the best. I don't ever really want anybody to leave at the break. It's never a positive thing. But I think Curtis, being here for over a year and a half, he made his own decision. And we support him with that and wherever he ends up, I think he'll be successful."
Players Mentioned
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