Indiana University Athletics
GRAHAM: Things Looking Black? IU Has To Rally
1/19/2019 11:04:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Andy Graham, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Purdue athletics is calling for a "blackout" in terms of fan apparel Saturday afternoon.
In contrast with predicted "whiteout" weather outside.
And the host Boilermakers will come out seeing red, literally and figuratively.
So color the 2 p.m. tipoff at PU's Mackey Arena challenging for Indiana's visiting Hoosiers.
Purdue comes in hot.
IU does not.
The 12-5 Hoosiers, after a 3-0 start in Big Ten play, have lost three straight games – most recently Monday's desultory 66-51 home defeat to Nebraska.
The 11-6 Boilermakers are coming off Tuesday's 89-54 annihilation of Rutgers at Mackey, on the heels of a gutsy 84-80 overtime win at Wisconsin. Purdue hit 14 of 28 3-point shots against Rutgers.
"Purdue is playing really, really well," IU coach Archie Miller said Friday. "Just in watching them post-Christmas, as they have entered January, they have a lot of guys contributing in a lot of different ways."
The main guy for Purdue remains All-American junior guard Carsen Edwards, whose 24.9 scoring average ranks fourth nationally. He also leads the Boilermakers in steals with 23.
Senior guard Ryan Cline (12.6) is the only other Purdue player averaging double-figure scoring, but six others are averaging at least five points. The Boilermakers rank ninth nationally in offensive efficiency.
"I know all the attention really goes to Carsen and what he's doing, which is phenomenal," Miller said, "but they also have just a ton of other guys right now that they are bringing into the fold that are doing a lot of the dirty work.
"They play extremely hard and they are rebounding the ball great right now on the offensive end. Obviously their execution is something that they take great pride in, but they are playing very hard on defense, as well."
The continued emergence of 6-foot-9, 280-pound freshman Trevion Williams has helped fuel Purdue's recent play at both ends. He had 16 points and 13 boards against Rutgers. At Wisconsin, Williams was the first Purdue player since JuJuan Johnson in 2010 to lead the team in rebounding (11), assists (3), steals (3) and blocks (1) in the single game.
Williams has supplied, in his last 81 minutes on court, 45 points, 39 rebounds, eight assists and six steals.
None of which surprises Miller much. He saw Williams' coming-out party the last time the teams shared a gym, Dec. 15 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the Crossroads Classic. IU beat Butler and Purdue fell to Notre Dame that day, but Williams helped the Boilers rally late with 10 points in nine minutes.
"He's doing really well," Miller said of Williams. "He's going to be a terrific player in this league. You can tell that they are starting to trust him a lot more. You know, he gives them an added dimension because he's got great hands. He's a terrific offensive rebounder. He's skilled and nimble. They can give him the ball at times.
" … He's giving them another strong body that they can play around the basket where it's not always just around the perimeter. He's tough to deal with, and you know, he's definitely made a big, positive impact on their team."
There is plenty of other Purdue size with 7-3 sophomore Matt Haarms (7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 26 blocked shots) and 6-9 junior Evan Boudreaux (7.5, 4.4). Six of Purdue's top seven scorers stand at least 6-6.
IU had issues with the opposition's size and length against both Maryland (a 78-75 road loss Jan. 11) and Nebraska – getting out-rebounded in those two games by a combined 82-56.
But that wasn't the only area in which the Hoosiers fell short, especially against the Cornhuskers. IU immediately incurred a 9-0 deficit and looked lackluster much of the way.
"In general, we were bad at everything," Miller said of his team in the Nebraska game. "That comes back, you know, obviously to the focus of the group – and to be able to realign their minds on what's important."
"At the same time, I do think that we've got to get more guys playing in the games, for either quick stretches or more. We were fatigued, you know, mentally and physically against Nebraska. We weren't ready. I think part of that is, you know, we have some guys playing a lot of minutes.
"We've dealt with a lot of injuries, so our practices have been tough for guys that are in there, and we've got to get some more guys playing with some confidence. I think that's a big thing for us."
Indiana, beset by a dizzying rash of injuries since November, sustained another one Monday when starting guard Aljami Durham was struck in the back of his leg. He exited and didn't return, and his availability for Saturday is uncertain – though Miller was more optimistic about that late in the week.
The Hoosiers recently got freshman point guard (and Lafayette native) Rob Phinisee back after he missed over three weeks in concussion protocol, but the erstwhile starter's minutes are still limited.
"(To) sort of get him back into the flow is good, but he's still not himself in terms of his confidence level and how he was playing before he went out," Miller said of Phinisee. "So that changed us just a little bit, just in terms of having his consistency, especially on the defensive end of the floor.
"He's diligent, he's smart, and I think he knows, right now, that he's going to start to play more and more minutes as the games continue. But he's also a guy that, right now, is just starting to feel his way back into the flow of the game, shooting, passing, playing defense. It's a timing thing. Basketball is so much about rhythm and he got his rhythm sort of knocked out."
Miller mentioned freshman Damezi Anderson might start seeing more time in the backcourt. And with junior center De'Ron Davis (who had already dealt with an Achilles injury last January) hobbled with a bad ankle, Miller is also looking to get Clifton Moore and Jake Forrester more minutes up front.
Moore gave the Hoosiers five points – and some energy at both ends – in 5:27 against Rutgers.
The Hoosiers need to find more consistent scoring to augment freshman winger Romeo Langford (18.8) and senior forward Juwan Morgan (16.5).
Morgan's fellow senior co-captain Zach McRoberts is one of the Hoosiers who has fought injury – in McRoberts' case a back issue – but he has played more minutes recently. And he is one of the few Hoosier regulars who know what going into Mackey Arena is like for IU teams.
McRoberts and Purdue's Cline were teammates on 4A state championship clubs at Carmel in 2012 and 2013. Langford and Purdue's Edwards were teammates on the 2017 USA Under-19 World Cup club in Egypt. Langford, Phinisee and Purdue's Eric Hunter were all 2018 Indiana All-Stars.
And while familiarity has forged some friendships between players on both sides, it just will breed contempt on Saturday. The intrastate rivalry is strong, with the past 110 games producing 55 wins apiece, and the fan bases are passionate. Only one of the fan bases will be represented in full force Saturday, though.
"I think that's something, once we get there, people kind of adjust to," McRoberts said of the Mackey Arena atmosphere, "but obviously the crowd is going to be a huge factor. They don't like us very much up there. It's definitely an interesting environment.
"Obviously every environment in the Big Ten is a little hostile, but there's just something special about Purdue. I think the amount they hate us goes into that.
"(The game is) important to not only us but our fans. People around the state, it's a huge game, not just your average game. It's the IU-Purdue game, big rivalry game. Just trying to instill that into guys, having them be ready, that's a big thing."
The Hoosiers weren't ready in their last game.
The guys wearing red amid a sea of black will have to be ready Saturday.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Purdue athletics is calling for a "blackout" in terms of fan apparel Saturday afternoon.
In contrast with predicted "whiteout" weather outside.
And the host Boilermakers will come out seeing red, literally and figuratively.
So color the 2 p.m. tipoff at PU's Mackey Arena challenging for Indiana's visiting Hoosiers.
Purdue comes in hot.
IU does not.
The 12-5 Hoosiers, after a 3-0 start in Big Ten play, have lost three straight games – most recently Monday's desultory 66-51 home defeat to Nebraska.
The 11-6 Boilermakers are coming off Tuesday's 89-54 annihilation of Rutgers at Mackey, on the heels of a gutsy 84-80 overtime win at Wisconsin. Purdue hit 14 of 28 3-point shots against Rutgers.
"Purdue is playing really, really well," IU coach Archie Miller said Friday. "Just in watching them post-Christmas, as they have entered January, they have a lot of guys contributing in a lot of different ways."
The main guy for Purdue remains All-American junior guard Carsen Edwards, whose 24.9 scoring average ranks fourth nationally. He also leads the Boilermakers in steals with 23.
Senior guard Ryan Cline (12.6) is the only other Purdue player averaging double-figure scoring, but six others are averaging at least five points. The Boilermakers rank ninth nationally in offensive efficiency.
"I know all the attention really goes to Carsen and what he's doing, which is phenomenal," Miller said, "but they also have just a ton of other guys right now that they are bringing into the fold that are doing a lot of the dirty work.
"They play extremely hard and they are rebounding the ball great right now on the offensive end. Obviously their execution is something that they take great pride in, but they are playing very hard on defense, as well."
The continued emergence of 6-foot-9, 280-pound freshman Trevion Williams has helped fuel Purdue's recent play at both ends. He had 16 points and 13 boards against Rutgers. At Wisconsin, Williams was the first Purdue player since JuJuan Johnson in 2010 to lead the team in rebounding (11), assists (3), steals (3) and blocks (1) in the single game.
Williams has supplied, in his last 81 minutes on court, 45 points, 39 rebounds, eight assists and six steals.
None of which surprises Miller much. He saw Williams' coming-out party the last time the teams shared a gym, Dec. 15 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the Crossroads Classic. IU beat Butler and Purdue fell to Notre Dame that day, but Williams helped the Boilers rally late with 10 points in nine minutes.
"He's doing really well," Miller said of Williams. "He's going to be a terrific player in this league. You can tell that they are starting to trust him a lot more. You know, he gives them an added dimension because he's got great hands. He's a terrific offensive rebounder. He's skilled and nimble. They can give him the ball at times.
" … He's giving them another strong body that they can play around the basket where it's not always just around the perimeter. He's tough to deal with, and you know, he's definitely made a big, positive impact on their team."
There is plenty of other Purdue size with 7-3 sophomore Matt Haarms (7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 26 blocked shots) and 6-9 junior Evan Boudreaux (7.5, 4.4). Six of Purdue's top seven scorers stand at least 6-6.
IU had issues with the opposition's size and length against both Maryland (a 78-75 road loss Jan. 11) and Nebraska – getting out-rebounded in those two games by a combined 82-56.
But that wasn't the only area in which the Hoosiers fell short, especially against the Cornhuskers. IU immediately incurred a 9-0 deficit and looked lackluster much of the way.
"In general, we were bad at everything," Miller said of his team in the Nebraska game. "That comes back, you know, obviously to the focus of the group – and to be able to realign their minds on what's important."
"At the same time, I do think that we've got to get more guys playing in the games, for either quick stretches or more. We were fatigued, you know, mentally and physically against Nebraska. We weren't ready. I think part of that is, you know, we have some guys playing a lot of minutes.
"We've dealt with a lot of injuries, so our practices have been tough for guys that are in there, and we've got to get some more guys playing with some confidence. I think that's a big thing for us."
Indiana, beset by a dizzying rash of injuries since November, sustained another one Monday when starting guard Aljami Durham was struck in the back of his leg. He exited and didn't return, and his availability for Saturday is uncertain – though Miller was more optimistic about that late in the week.
The Hoosiers recently got freshman point guard (and Lafayette native) Rob Phinisee back after he missed over three weeks in concussion protocol, but the erstwhile starter's minutes are still limited.
"(To) sort of get him back into the flow is good, but he's still not himself in terms of his confidence level and how he was playing before he went out," Miller said of Phinisee. "So that changed us just a little bit, just in terms of having his consistency, especially on the defensive end of the floor.
"He's diligent, he's smart, and I think he knows, right now, that he's going to start to play more and more minutes as the games continue. But he's also a guy that, right now, is just starting to feel his way back into the flow of the game, shooting, passing, playing defense. It's a timing thing. Basketball is so much about rhythm and he got his rhythm sort of knocked out."
Miller mentioned freshman Damezi Anderson might start seeing more time in the backcourt. And with junior center De'Ron Davis (who had already dealt with an Achilles injury last January) hobbled with a bad ankle, Miller is also looking to get Clifton Moore and Jake Forrester more minutes up front.
Moore gave the Hoosiers five points – and some energy at both ends – in 5:27 against Rutgers.
The Hoosiers need to find more consistent scoring to augment freshman winger Romeo Langford (18.8) and senior forward Juwan Morgan (16.5).
Morgan's fellow senior co-captain Zach McRoberts is one of the Hoosiers who has fought injury – in McRoberts' case a back issue – but he has played more minutes recently. And he is one of the few Hoosier regulars who know what going into Mackey Arena is like for IU teams.
McRoberts and Purdue's Cline were teammates on 4A state championship clubs at Carmel in 2012 and 2013. Langford and Purdue's Edwards were teammates on the 2017 USA Under-19 World Cup club in Egypt. Langford, Phinisee and Purdue's Eric Hunter were all 2018 Indiana All-Stars.
And while familiarity has forged some friendships between players on both sides, it just will breed contempt on Saturday. The intrastate rivalry is strong, with the past 110 games producing 55 wins apiece, and the fan bases are passionate. Only one of the fan bases will be represented in full force Saturday, though.
"I think that's something, once we get there, people kind of adjust to," McRoberts said of the Mackey Arena atmosphere, "but obviously the crowd is going to be a huge factor. They don't like us very much up there. It's definitely an interesting environment.
"Obviously every environment in the Big Ten is a little hostile, but there's just something special about Purdue. I think the amount they hate us goes into that.
"(The game is) important to not only us but our fans. People around the state, it's a huge game, not just your average game. It's the IU-Purdue game, big rivalry game. Just trying to instill that into guys, having them be ready, that's a big thing."
The Hoosiers weren't ready in their last game.
The guys wearing red amid a sea of black will have to be ready Saturday.
Players Mentioned
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