Indiana University Athletics
GRAHAM: No More Gift-Giving. Big Ten Time Has Arrived
1/3/2019 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Andy Graham, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The holiday season has come and gone, so Indiana's Hoosiers need to get out of gift-giving mode by the time Thursday's 7 p.m. home tipoff against Illinois rolls around.
The Illini thrive when the other team gives the ball away.
Illinois has 100 steals through 13 games and has benefited from 237 total turnovers by the opposition (18.2 per contest). Indiana has had some issues in that category, having committed 184 through its 11-2 start (14.5).
And the Hoosiers will play Thursday – and probably Sunday's assignment at unbeaten, No. 2-ranked Michigan – without their primary ball-handler, freshman point guard Rob Phinisee, who remains in concussion protocol.
"It's the whole key to the game," IU coach Archie Miller said of protecting the ball against Illinois' defensive pressure. "It's not just us. Everybody who plays them has to deal with it.
"There will be five to 10 possessions in the game where you look out there and you say, 'This doesn't even look like a basketball game, it's just a firestorm.' "
The Illini can and do create havoc. Illinois (4-9) has struggled with winning but not with competing. Fixation upon the Illini win-loss record is misleading.
The teams that have beaten Illinois have a combined 93-26 record (.782). The Illini played now-No. 7 Gonzaga to a six-point game (84-78) on a neutral court in Hawaii. They lost by two (76-74) at Notre Dame. They tested No. 12 Ohio State in Chicago before falling by 10 (77-67).
They have basically played everybody tough. Opponents have outscored Illinois, on average, just 75.0 to 74.6.
Coach Brad Underwood's Illini also figure to come in especially hungry after sustaining an overtime home loss to a 9-4 Florida Atlantic team Saturday (73-71). The Illini have shot a respectable .360 from 3-point range for the season but were just 9 of 38 (.237) Saturday.
Ayo Dosunmu – a 6-foot-5 freshman guard who led Morgan Park to the Class 3A Illinois state title last season – had 21 points Saturday for Illinois, which also got 20 from 6-5 senior Aaron Jordan.
Sophomore guard Trent Frazier usually spurs the Illinois attack, leading the team this season in scoring (15.9), assists (3.0) and steals (23). Dosunmu (11.9) and Jordan (10.8) also average double-figure scoring.
Giorgi Bezhanishvili, a 6-9 freshman from The Democratic Republic of Georgia, and 6-6 junior Kipper Nichols, who scored 16 points on the last Illinois trip to Bloomington, are the starting frontliners and both average just over nine points.
Andres Feliz, a 6-2 junior guard and former JUCO All-American, has started three games and averages 7.5. The Illini have a pair of 7-footers in grad-transfer Adonis De La Rosa (from Kent State) and Senegalese freshman Samba Kane, but both have seen limited minutes.
Indiana's minutes will stretch among fewer regular rotation members, with Phinisee out and senior co-captain Zach McRoberts still likely limited after exiting the Central Arkansas game with back issues Dec. 19 and missing the Dec. 22 win over Jacksonville entirely.
Junior point guard Devonte Green has filled in capably for Phinisee since the freshman left the Central Arkansas game after taking a knee to the head during a loose-ball scramble. Green also won the gold jersey, given weekly to the IU player who accumulates the most quantifiable stats in practice, last week.
Green will have primary ball-handling duties, with help from Al Durham, Romeo Langford and others.
"Devonte is obviously a guy that's used to it," Miller said. "Al will be in there, Romeo is going to get more opportunities now to handle the ball. And Damezi (Anderson) and Zach (McRoberts) also – hopefully those two guys are going to see more action, just how the backcourt shapes up without Rob.
"Rob plays an important role on our team without question, but these other guys have also worked hard, and some of them have good experience here coming through the early part of the year, being able to be a part of what we're doing. We'll move forward.
"The biggest thing is these guys, defensively, are really going to be taxed, as you start to play against the best of the best. You've got to be smart. The other thing that's concerning, I think, is the foul trouble. We've got to be able to play hard without fouling, and Rob is a big part of our defense. Obviously he's played on offense, as well, but he's a big, big part of our defensive depth on the perimeter."
IU senior stalwart Juwan Morgan feels Green will capably help defend the perimeter, in lieu of Phinisee – especially if Green keeps within the defensive structure.
"I think he's one of the most laterally quick people I've ever met," Morgan said of Green. "And his hands are so quick, just being able to get steals, on ball and off ball.
"And I know he gambles sometimes. Just getting him to stay sound and be able to be in the right position (is key) – and as quick as he is, he can recover, even if he is out of position a little bit. But I think just getting him to stay within the principles will do a lot for our team."
In addition to defending the perimeter and handling the ball, another key for the Hoosiers could be how well they handle success, having built a six-game winning streak during an unbeaten December before a 12-day holiday break.
"We talked about it yesterday," Miller said. "As you head into January here early, everything that we've done to get here so far has been very, very hard-earned, whether that's been tough, gritty wins, or ugly play that's led to stellar, so to speak, defensive stops.
"We've had guys also step up and make timely baskets, and different people have stepped up at the end of the games. There's a lot of that good, blue-collar togetherness that has sort of been a part of what we've done. Now, it can't ever go away, obviously, as you hit Big Ten play. We have to remember how we've gotten here. And if … we have any slippage on either side of the ball, or we're not improving, or we're not continuing to play hard, now those 50/50 games, they become a little bit harder to win.
"We also can't lose the fact that there's still a lot of room to get better. A team in January can be a lot different in February, and that's sort of our hope. We're going to play against the best of the best here, and we're going to be tested."
Morgan, Green and other veterans will try to convey to IU's newcomers about how playing Illinois is a bit different sort of test.
"You almost can't prepare for a team like that," Morgan said. "You just have to deliver the first blow, I guess. They're going to get in there, they're going to try to muddy everything up. They're a real intense team, and when you play a team like that, you have to be able to run things and … make something of it (if a play breaks down).
"So I think that will be the key, just making sure we stay calm and confident in what we do, and even if a play breaks down, we can't get frazzled and just pick up the ball or just throw it away. I think that will come down on guys like me and Evan (Fitzner) and Devonte, just having been in big games before, just (telling) the younger guys that it'll be frantic, it'll be a very hectic game, but you've just got to stay sound."
Miller is hammering home that same message.
"Illinois is such a tough team to play against because of their style," Miller said. "It's so unique. It's unlike anything you've ever seen. You can watch as many teams as you want play against them (but, still) they just really force your hand to make plays, handle the ball. They thrive on transition and turnovers, making 3s. They have good guard play, and it's going to be a very difficult game for us
"You've got young guys in the game; it's the first time they've seen it. But I've watched every one of their games from Maui all the way through, their Big Ten games, to Missouri, and every game is the same. It's just a rock fight. You have to understand when you play the game, that's what it's going to feel like."
Morgan and Fitzner kept the holiday spirit going Monday, volunteering at a Bloomington homeless shelter before meeting the media.
But Thursday night the proverbial rocks start flying.
And it'll be no time for gifts.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The holiday season has come and gone, so Indiana's Hoosiers need to get out of gift-giving mode by the time Thursday's 7 p.m. home tipoff against Illinois rolls around.
The Illini thrive when the other team gives the ball away.
Illinois has 100 steals through 13 games and has benefited from 237 total turnovers by the opposition (18.2 per contest). Indiana has had some issues in that category, having committed 184 through its 11-2 start (14.5).
And the Hoosiers will play Thursday – and probably Sunday's assignment at unbeaten, No. 2-ranked Michigan – without their primary ball-handler, freshman point guard Rob Phinisee, who remains in concussion protocol.
"It's the whole key to the game," IU coach Archie Miller said of protecting the ball against Illinois' defensive pressure. "It's not just us. Everybody who plays them has to deal with it.
"There will be five to 10 possessions in the game where you look out there and you say, 'This doesn't even look like a basketball game, it's just a firestorm.' "
The Illini can and do create havoc. Illinois (4-9) has struggled with winning but not with competing. Fixation upon the Illini win-loss record is misleading.
The teams that have beaten Illinois have a combined 93-26 record (.782). The Illini played now-No. 7 Gonzaga to a six-point game (84-78) on a neutral court in Hawaii. They lost by two (76-74) at Notre Dame. They tested No. 12 Ohio State in Chicago before falling by 10 (77-67).
They have basically played everybody tough. Opponents have outscored Illinois, on average, just 75.0 to 74.6.
Coach Brad Underwood's Illini also figure to come in especially hungry after sustaining an overtime home loss to a 9-4 Florida Atlantic team Saturday (73-71). The Illini have shot a respectable .360 from 3-point range for the season but were just 9 of 38 (.237) Saturday.
Ayo Dosunmu – a 6-foot-5 freshman guard who led Morgan Park to the Class 3A Illinois state title last season – had 21 points Saturday for Illinois, which also got 20 from 6-5 senior Aaron Jordan.
Sophomore guard Trent Frazier usually spurs the Illinois attack, leading the team this season in scoring (15.9), assists (3.0) and steals (23). Dosunmu (11.9) and Jordan (10.8) also average double-figure scoring.
Giorgi Bezhanishvili, a 6-9 freshman from The Democratic Republic of Georgia, and 6-6 junior Kipper Nichols, who scored 16 points on the last Illinois trip to Bloomington, are the starting frontliners and both average just over nine points.
Andres Feliz, a 6-2 junior guard and former JUCO All-American, has started three games and averages 7.5. The Illini have a pair of 7-footers in grad-transfer Adonis De La Rosa (from Kent State) and Senegalese freshman Samba Kane, but both have seen limited minutes.
Indiana's minutes will stretch among fewer regular rotation members, with Phinisee out and senior co-captain Zach McRoberts still likely limited after exiting the Central Arkansas game with back issues Dec. 19 and missing the Dec. 22 win over Jacksonville entirely.
Junior point guard Devonte Green has filled in capably for Phinisee since the freshman left the Central Arkansas game after taking a knee to the head during a loose-ball scramble. Green also won the gold jersey, given weekly to the IU player who accumulates the most quantifiable stats in practice, last week.
Green will have primary ball-handling duties, with help from Al Durham, Romeo Langford and others.
"Devonte is obviously a guy that's used to it," Miller said. "Al will be in there, Romeo is going to get more opportunities now to handle the ball. And Damezi (Anderson) and Zach (McRoberts) also – hopefully those two guys are going to see more action, just how the backcourt shapes up without Rob.
"Rob plays an important role on our team without question, but these other guys have also worked hard, and some of them have good experience here coming through the early part of the year, being able to be a part of what we're doing. We'll move forward.
"The biggest thing is these guys, defensively, are really going to be taxed, as you start to play against the best of the best. You've got to be smart. The other thing that's concerning, I think, is the foul trouble. We've got to be able to play hard without fouling, and Rob is a big part of our defense. Obviously he's played on offense, as well, but he's a big, big part of our defensive depth on the perimeter."
IU senior stalwart Juwan Morgan feels Green will capably help defend the perimeter, in lieu of Phinisee – especially if Green keeps within the defensive structure.
"I think he's one of the most laterally quick people I've ever met," Morgan said of Green. "And his hands are so quick, just being able to get steals, on ball and off ball.
"And I know he gambles sometimes. Just getting him to stay sound and be able to be in the right position (is key) – and as quick as he is, he can recover, even if he is out of position a little bit. But I think just getting him to stay within the principles will do a lot for our team."
In addition to defending the perimeter and handling the ball, another key for the Hoosiers could be how well they handle success, having built a six-game winning streak during an unbeaten December before a 12-day holiday break.
"We talked about it yesterday," Miller said. "As you head into January here early, everything that we've done to get here so far has been very, very hard-earned, whether that's been tough, gritty wins, or ugly play that's led to stellar, so to speak, defensive stops.
"We've had guys also step up and make timely baskets, and different people have stepped up at the end of the games. There's a lot of that good, blue-collar togetherness that has sort of been a part of what we've done. Now, it can't ever go away, obviously, as you hit Big Ten play. We have to remember how we've gotten here. And if … we have any slippage on either side of the ball, or we're not improving, or we're not continuing to play hard, now those 50/50 games, they become a little bit harder to win.
"We also can't lose the fact that there's still a lot of room to get better. A team in January can be a lot different in February, and that's sort of our hope. We're going to play against the best of the best here, and we're going to be tested."
Morgan, Green and other veterans will try to convey to IU's newcomers about how playing Illinois is a bit different sort of test.
"You almost can't prepare for a team like that," Morgan said. "You just have to deliver the first blow, I guess. They're going to get in there, they're going to try to muddy everything up. They're a real intense team, and when you play a team like that, you have to be able to run things and … make something of it (if a play breaks down).
"So I think that will be the key, just making sure we stay calm and confident in what we do, and even if a play breaks down, we can't get frazzled and just pick up the ball or just throw it away. I think that will come down on guys like me and Evan (Fitzner) and Devonte, just having been in big games before, just (telling) the younger guys that it'll be frantic, it'll be a very hectic game, but you've just got to stay sound."
Miller is hammering home that same message.
"Illinois is such a tough team to play against because of their style," Miller said. "It's so unique. It's unlike anything you've ever seen. You can watch as many teams as you want play against them (but, still) they just really force your hand to make plays, handle the ball. They thrive on transition and turnovers, making 3s. They have good guard play, and it's going to be a very difficult game for us
"You've got young guys in the game; it's the first time they've seen it. But I've watched every one of their games from Maui all the way through, their Big Ten games, to Missouri, and every game is the same. It's just a rock fight. You have to understand when you play the game, that's what it's going to feel like."
Morgan and Fitzner kept the holiday spirit going Monday, volunteering at a Bloomington homeless shelter before meeting the media.
But Thursday night the proverbial rocks start flying.
And it'll be no time for gifts.
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