Indiana University Athletics
Defensive Improvement Remains Focus Against McNeese State
12/12/2015 10:02:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com | Twitter
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana's defense is a work in progress. Players and coaches will be the first ones to admit it.
But in the two games since allowing 94 points on the road to Duke, IU held Morehead State to just 31.4 percent shooting before limiting IPFW to 34.8 percent shooting in a pair of runaway wins. The Hoosiers' aggressiveness led to more defensive production and less stress on their offense to carry the load.
The back-to-back games with defensive improvement reflect Indiana's outspoken commitment to finding a defensive identity one way or another in the non-conference season. IU (7-3) hopes to build on in tonight's 6:30 p.m. matchup against McNeese State (1-6).
"It's a mentality," junior guard Collin Hartman said. "Just refocusing every possession because every possession can and does matter. It comes down to one possession every game and you don't know what possession it's going to be."
The loss against Duke was the tangible reminder assistant coach Rob Judson said Indiana needed to make positive changes on the defensive end.
Though only two games after the fact, Judson said he's been pleased with the way his team responded.
"The practices after our Duke game really had a strong, strong focus on defense because our guys were disappointed in the defensive play they had at Duke," Judson said. "We really wanted to make strides after that, and so we have. We still have a lot of room to grow in that area also."
Fellow assistant coach Tim Buckley made a point to stress defensive demeanor in practice over the last week or so as part of the wholesale defensive changes. The commitment to playing defense with confidence has paid immediate dividends, Hartman said, as evident in the early results.
"One of the things coach Buckley always talks about is having a demeanor on defense, letting teams know they're not going to score on you just by the way you carry yourself," Hartman said. "The stance that you're in, the mentality of saying 'This guy's not scoring on me. We're going to get a stop.' Just more of an aggressive mindset on defense."
McNeese State presents Indiana with another opportunity to grow on the defensive end at Assembly Hall before a week off from competition to prepare for Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic next weekend. The Cowboys' lone win on the season came against Dillard University, an NAIA opponent.
Junior guard Jamaya Burr leads the way for McNeese State averaging 13.9 points per game while shooting 41.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Cowboys have five players averaging seven points or more, a result of a deep rotation that has 11 players averaging more than nine minutes per game.
"They are a team that can score," Judson said. "We'll have to have very good sharpness on our defensive coverages and very good sharpness defensively with our fundamentals in one-on-one situations as well."
One-third of the way through the season, Judson stressed the importance of continuing to improve defensively with the Big Ten season creeping closer and closer.
Fifth-year senior forward Max Bielfeldt took it one step further, saying IU needed to continue to pursue its identity whether it be with team defense, rebounding or getting out and running offensively.
"As a coach, it may sound like coach-speak, but you really want to improve on that every day," Judson said. "You want to do that in practice and you want to see that happening in the games as well, so this is another opportunity to see that and be consistent with all those coverages and all those fundamentals."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana's defense is a work in progress. Players and coaches will be the first ones to admit it.
But in the two games since allowing 94 points on the road to Duke, IU held Morehead State to just 31.4 percent shooting before limiting IPFW to 34.8 percent shooting in a pair of runaway wins. The Hoosiers' aggressiveness led to more defensive production and less stress on their offense to carry the load.
The back-to-back games with defensive improvement reflect Indiana's outspoken commitment to finding a defensive identity one way or another in the non-conference season. IU (7-3) hopes to build on in tonight's 6:30 p.m. matchup against McNeese State (1-6).
"It's a mentality," junior guard Collin Hartman said. "Just refocusing every possession because every possession can and does matter. It comes down to one possession every game and you don't know what possession it's going to be."
The loss against Duke was the tangible reminder assistant coach Rob Judson said Indiana needed to make positive changes on the defensive end.
Though only two games after the fact, Judson said he's been pleased with the way his team responded.
"The practices after our Duke game really had a strong, strong focus on defense because our guys were disappointed in the defensive play they had at Duke," Judson said. "We really wanted to make strides after that, and so we have. We still have a lot of room to grow in that area also."
Fellow assistant coach Tim Buckley made a point to stress defensive demeanor in practice over the last week or so as part of the wholesale defensive changes. The commitment to playing defense with confidence has paid immediate dividends, Hartman said, as evident in the early results.
"One of the things coach Buckley always talks about is having a demeanor on defense, letting teams know they're not going to score on you just by the way you carry yourself," Hartman said. "The stance that you're in, the mentality of saying 'This guy's not scoring on me. We're going to get a stop.' Just more of an aggressive mindset on defense."
McNeese State presents Indiana with another opportunity to grow on the defensive end at Assembly Hall before a week off from competition to prepare for Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic next weekend. The Cowboys' lone win on the season came against Dillard University, an NAIA opponent.
Junior guard Jamaya Burr leads the way for McNeese State averaging 13.9 points per game while shooting 41.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Cowboys have five players averaging seven points or more, a result of a deep rotation that has 11 players averaging more than nine minutes per game.
"They are a team that can score," Judson said. "We'll have to have very good sharpness on our defensive coverages and very good sharpness defensively with our fundamentals in one-on-one situations as well."
One-third of the way through the season, Judson stressed the importance of continuing to improve defensively with the Big Ten season creeping closer and closer.
Fifth-year senior forward Max Bielfeldt took it one step further, saying IU needed to continue to pursue its identity whether it be with team defense, rebounding or getting out and running offensively.
"As a coach, it may sound like coach-speak, but you really want to improve on that every day," Judson said. "You want to do that in practice and you want to see that happening in the games as well, so this is another opportunity to see that and be consistent with all those coverages and all those fundamentals."
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