Sunday, March 10
Bloomington, Ind.
12:00 PM
Indiana University
17-14
89
vs
73
Rutgers
14-16
1
2
F
Rutgers
36
37
73
Indiana
46
43
89
Morgan's Big Senior Day Paces IU To Rout of Rutgers
3/10/2019 2:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Juwan Morgan did everything but walk on water Sunday afternoon, and that was only because he didn't try.
The last regular season home game of his career left the senior forward looking to dominate.
Did he ever.
At one point during the 89-73 victory over Rutgers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Morgan was 10-for-10 from the field, 2-for-2 from the line, 1-for-1 from 3-point range, and had seven rebounds, all in just 15 foul-limited minutes. He finished with 25 points on 11-for-13 shooting and those seven rebounds in 22 minutes.
"It was as good as it could have been," Morgan said.
He's among IU's career leaders in scoring (1,298 points), rebounding (729) and more, with the postseason to come.
"Juwan was unstoppable," coach Archie Miller said. "He gave us a big cushion. He's been one of the best players in the Big Ten for the last two years."
Morgan lost a chance to set IU's shooting perfection record when he missed a three-point attempt, thus keeping Will Sheehey's 9-for-9 record intact.
That was never the point, of course.
Winning was.
"We have a good vibe about us in that we want to be in the gym," Miller said. "That's really important in March. We have a group of guys who want to be around each other. That's how this team has operated in the last four weeks."
Morgan was a big reason, but not the only one, for IU's fourth straight victory and second straight blowout.
Guard Devonte Green came off the bench for 16 points. Guard Romeo Langford finished with 20 points and six rebounds. Guard Rob Phinisee had five points, four assists and one turnover, giving him 18 assists and two turnovers in his last four games.
The Hoosiers had 12 assists against six turnovers, were 23-for-29 from the line and shot 53.4 percent from the field.
"A lot of guys stepped up," Miller said. "For the third straight game, Devonte played with a lot of confidence. He's settled in. He knows we don't need him to make flashy plays, we need him to make shots when he's open and make plays for others. He's been excellent in playing the game the right way.
"Rob continues to do a good job of commanding the floor."
At 17-14 overall with a four-game winning streak, the Hoosiers are the hottest team entering this week's Big Ten tourney in Chicago. They will open play on Thursday. To receive an automatic NCAA tourney bid, they'll have to win four games in four days.
What's the key to doing that?
"It's toughness," senior forward Evan Fitzner said. "Every team know what the other teams are running. Everybody is good.
"I think it's toughness and the everyday approach as a collective unit. You can't have a couple of guys who aren't bought in. The whole team has bought in right now. I think we're a dangerous team right now."
Added Morgan: "It's on us. Everything we want is in front of us. We're focused on getting better and taking that to the Big Ten Tournament. All the guys are not taking any days lightly. Any day could be the last day. That's how we're playing."
The Hoosiers have been a different team since last month's 84-63 loss at Minnesota.
"One of the big things was we picked up our intensity in practice," Fitzner said. "Every day we're competing. The game seems easy. That's a big thing. We felt our backs were against the wall. We responded the right way."
Another reason for the improved play, Miller added, is having a healthier team. Phinisee and forward Race Thompson are back from concussions. Center DeRon Davis has battled back from illness, ankle and other injuries.
"We're not so restricted with our lineup anymore," Miller said. "That's helped us. Our bench has been a good boost the last four to five games. That's what you have to have to take the next step. We have more weapons and things we can do."
IU's offense has thrived as never before in Big Ten play under Miller, scoring 92 and 89 points in its last two games after struggling to score 60 for about a month.
"We're doing a better job of running our offense," Miller said. "Rob is doing a good job of setting the table for our guys. As a team we're doing a better job of looking at film and seeing what's going on. We're not as robotic. There's more movement. We're starting to execute better. We have 13 turnovers (in two games) for the week. That's big time."
Morgan's early surge -- 6-for-6 from the field for 12 points – propelled Indiana to a 23-11 lead after the Hoosiers had spotted Rutgers (14-16) the game's first five points.
The Hoosiers built first-half leads as large as 16. It was fueled by scoring balance, attack-the-basket accuracy (53.6 percent), 15-for-18 free throw shooting and lots of Green.
With Morgan limited to 11 minutes after picking up two fouls, Green delivered 12 points and lots of energy.
The result -- IU took a 46-36 halftime lead.
Rutgers briefly hung around in the second half, before Morgan delivered a pair of three-point plays, and a three-pointer to boost the lead to 20.
The Scarlet Knights, who had beaten the Hoosiers two straight times, were finished.
IU certainly isn't, and it has the Big Ten tourney to prove it.
"We have to win," Miller said about NCAA tourney prospects. "We have to try to win as many games as we can. That's how you control your own deal.
"It's not about the NCAA tourney right now. Can we get better? Will anyone take the focus off? Do we get distracted?
"We haven't been able to talk about anything except survival. We have got do it the right way. We have a good attitude right now. Take that to Chicago, and we'll feel good about it."
SENIOR DAY HIGHLIGHTS
During the post-game Senior Day festivities, Miller told the crowd that, "I hope you've seen how hard (the Hoosiers have) worked to come back off the ground a few times. It's been a lot of ups and downs. The couple of losing streaks didn't feel real good, but I think we're playing as well as we have all season long. We have an opportunity in the Big Ten tourney. Hopefully we'll have more great moments."
Morgan remembered some of the tough times when, "I wanted to transfer. I was tired of this place. Teammate kept my head on straight."
Then he added, "I was from a small town in Missouri. I'd heard about all the pressure here. I thought I was ready for it. I wasn't."
Morgan thanked former coach Tom Crean and his staff, and former teammates such as Yogi Ferrell, "For bringing me along."
He thanked Miller and the assistant coaches, joking that, "As much as I hated it, they always made me play the 5."
"They helped me branch out."
Morgan said he was with his family at the zoo when Miller got hired at IU in the spring of 2017. Milled called him and "Told me he wanted to get to work, play defense and get out and run. I wasn't sure what to think. I didn't like to run."
Morgan learned to like it, and told Miller, "I can't thank you enough."
Morgan talked about how much he'll miss his teammates, and how much some of them relied on him in tough times, joking that "DeRon has me as one of his emergency contacts."
Morgan also thanked his family for their support, and joked that, "I didn't like to listen a lot, but being from a military family, I was forced to."
Fitzner thanked the coaches for, "Showing me how to compete at such a high level in such a tough league." He also thanked team trainer Tim Garl.
"He's been here for 30 years. He's an unbelievable guy. He's the epitome for what a Hoosier is, except for when Alabama football is on (Garl is an Alabama graduate). You're with us in the tough times. We all appreciate that."
Playing at Assembly Hall, Fitzner added, was nothing like what he'd experienced while at St. Mary's.
"I've played in a lot of cool places, but there's nothing that matches this."
Zach McRoberts, who was injured for much of the season, thanked Garl and team doctors Steve Ahlfeld and Larry Rink and the rest of the medical staff.
"I wish I didn't have to spend so much time with them, but they've been great."
He ended by saying, "This means everything. It's been an honor to play for you. An honor to play in Assembly Hall."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Juwan Morgan did everything but walk on water Sunday afternoon, and that was only because he didn't try.
The last regular season home game of his career left the senior forward looking to dominate.
Did he ever.
At one point during the 89-73 victory over Rutgers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Morgan was 10-for-10 from the field, 2-for-2 from the line, 1-for-1 from 3-point range, and had seven rebounds, all in just 15 foul-limited minutes. He finished with 25 points on 11-for-13 shooting and those seven rebounds in 22 minutes.
"It was as good as it could have been," Morgan said.
He's among IU's career leaders in scoring (1,298 points), rebounding (729) and more, with the postseason to come.
"Juwan was unstoppable," coach Archie Miller said. "He gave us a big cushion. He's been one of the best players in the Big Ten for the last two years."
Morgan lost a chance to set IU's shooting perfection record when he missed a three-point attempt, thus keeping Will Sheehey's 9-for-9 record intact.
That was never the point, of course.
Winning was.
"We have a good vibe about us in that we want to be in the gym," Miller said. "That's really important in March. We have a group of guys who want to be around each other. That's how this team has operated in the last four weeks."
Morgan was a big reason, but not the only one, for IU's fourth straight victory and second straight blowout.
Guard Devonte Green came off the bench for 16 points. Guard Romeo Langford finished with 20 points and six rebounds. Guard Rob Phinisee had five points, four assists and one turnover, giving him 18 assists and two turnovers in his last four games.
The Hoosiers had 12 assists against six turnovers, were 23-for-29 from the line and shot 53.4 percent from the field.
"A lot of guys stepped up," Miller said. "For the third straight game, Devonte played with a lot of confidence. He's settled in. He knows we don't need him to make flashy plays, we need him to make shots when he's open and make plays for others. He's been excellent in playing the game the right way.
"Rob continues to do a good job of commanding the floor."
At 17-14 overall with a four-game winning streak, the Hoosiers are the hottest team entering this week's Big Ten tourney in Chicago. They will open play on Thursday. To receive an automatic NCAA tourney bid, they'll have to win four games in four days.
What's the key to doing that?
"It's toughness," senior forward Evan Fitzner said. "Every team know what the other teams are running. Everybody is good.
"I think it's toughness and the everyday approach as a collective unit. You can't have a couple of guys who aren't bought in. The whole team has bought in right now. I think we're a dangerous team right now."
Added Morgan: "It's on us. Everything we want is in front of us. We're focused on getting better and taking that to the Big Ten Tournament. All the guys are not taking any days lightly. Any day could be the last day. That's how we're playing."
The Hoosiers have been a different team since last month's 84-63 loss at Minnesota.
"One of the big things was we picked up our intensity in practice," Fitzner said. "Every day we're competing. The game seems easy. That's a big thing. We felt our backs were against the wall. We responded the right way."
Another reason for the improved play, Miller added, is having a healthier team. Phinisee and forward Race Thompson are back from concussions. Center DeRon Davis has battled back from illness, ankle and other injuries.
"We're not so restricted with our lineup anymore," Miller said. "That's helped us. Our bench has been a good boost the last four to five games. That's what you have to have to take the next step. We have more weapons and things we can do."
IU's offense has thrived as never before in Big Ten play under Miller, scoring 92 and 89 points in its last two games after struggling to score 60 for about a month.
"We're doing a better job of running our offense," Miller said. "Rob is doing a good job of setting the table for our guys. As a team we're doing a better job of looking at film and seeing what's going on. We're not as robotic. There's more movement. We're starting to execute better. We have 13 turnovers (in two games) for the week. That's big time."
Morgan's early surge -- 6-for-6 from the field for 12 points – propelled Indiana to a 23-11 lead after the Hoosiers had spotted Rutgers (14-16) the game's first five points.
The Hoosiers built first-half leads as large as 16. It was fueled by scoring balance, attack-the-basket accuracy (53.6 percent), 15-for-18 free throw shooting and lots of Green.
With Morgan limited to 11 minutes after picking up two fouls, Green delivered 12 points and lots of energy.
The result -- IU took a 46-36 halftime lead.
Rutgers briefly hung around in the second half, before Morgan delivered a pair of three-point plays, and a three-pointer to boost the lead to 20.
The Scarlet Knights, who had beaten the Hoosiers two straight times, were finished.
IU certainly isn't, and it has the Big Ten tourney to prove it.
"We have to win," Miller said about NCAA tourney prospects. "We have to try to win as many games as we can. That's how you control your own deal.
"It's not about the NCAA tourney right now. Can we get better? Will anyone take the focus off? Do we get distracted?
"We haven't been able to talk about anything except survival. We have got do it the right way. We have a good attitude right now. Take that to Chicago, and we'll feel good about it."
SENIOR DAY HIGHLIGHTS
During the post-game Senior Day festivities, Miller told the crowd that, "I hope you've seen how hard (the Hoosiers have) worked to come back off the ground a few times. It's been a lot of ups and downs. The couple of losing streaks didn't feel real good, but I think we're playing as well as we have all season long. We have an opportunity in the Big Ten tourney. Hopefully we'll have more great moments."
Morgan remembered some of the tough times when, "I wanted to transfer. I was tired of this place. Teammate kept my head on straight."
Then he added, "I was from a small town in Missouri. I'd heard about all the pressure here. I thought I was ready for it. I wasn't."
Morgan thanked former coach Tom Crean and his staff, and former teammates such as Yogi Ferrell, "For bringing me along."
He thanked Miller and the assistant coaches, joking that, "As much as I hated it, they always made me play the 5."
"They helped me branch out."
Morgan said he was with his family at the zoo when Miller got hired at IU in the spring of 2017. Milled called him and "Told me he wanted to get to work, play defense and get out and run. I wasn't sure what to think. I didn't like to run."
Morgan learned to like it, and told Miller, "I can't thank you enough."
Morgan talked about how much he'll miss his teammates, and how much some of them relied on him in tough times, joking that "DeRon has me as one of his emergency contacts."
Morgan also thanked his family for their support, and joked that, "I didn't like to listen a lot, but being from a military family, I was forced to."
Fitzner thanked the coaches for, "Showing me how to compete at such a high level in such a tough league." He also thanked team trainer Tim Garl.
"He's been here for 30 years. He's an unbelievable guy. He's the epitome for what a Hoosier is, except for when Alabama football is on (Garl is an Alabama graduate). You're with us in the tough times. We all appreciate that."
Playing at Assembly Hall, Fitzner added, was nothing like what he'd experienced while at St. Mary's.
"I've played in a lot of cool places, but there's nothing that matches this."
Zach McRoberts, who was injured for much of the season, thanked Garl and team doctors Steve Ahlfeld and Larry Rink and the rest of the medical staff.
"I wish I didn't have to spend so much time with them, but they've been great."
He ended by saying, "This means everything. It's been an honor to play for you. An honor to play in Assembly Hall."
Team Stats
RUT
IND
FG%
.426
.534
3FG%
.286
.222
FT%
.767
.793
RB
37
33
TO
12
6
STL
3
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
25
FGM
11
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
20
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
8
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
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