DIPRIMIO: Getting It Done – Jerome Hunter and Indiana Hit the Big Ten Road at Rutgers
1/14/2020 9:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Jerome Hunter is not where he will be. You know that, right?
Indiana's redshirt freshman forward lost a year to a serious leg condition that jeopardized his playing career. You don't go from that to Big Ten dominant without a long process, especially when you're adjusting to major college basketball life.
If you've seen what's gone on in the Big Ten this season, heck, in the nation, you understanding how difficult that can be.
We got a better glimpse of what Hunter can become during last Saturday's win against Ohio State. It had nothing to do with light-up-the-scoreboard points, or highlight-reel rebounds or open-court moves that can tear up defenders knees.
It had everything to do with being solid and relentless and reliable.
Hunter had five points on 5-for-6 free throw shooting, huge for a team that keeps finding unwanted complexity from the line. He had a rebound and an assist and defended like it mattered.
Because it did.
"Jerome played the best game of his college career," coach Archie Miller said. "He gave the best minutes all season."
Granted, the 6-7, 214-pound Hunter basically averages 12 minutes a game, all in a reserve role. He'd played just a total of 12 minutes against Maryland and Northwestern before getting 19 against Ohio State.
"Jerome impacted the game in a positive way, particularly defensively," Miller said about his Buckeye performance. "He's big; he's physical; he's going to get more confident; get more rhythm. He's had to teach himself how to play basketball again."
Hunter averages 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds. He has scored as many as 12 points, grabbed as many as three rebounds. But it isn't about numbers with him as much as it is effort and awareness.
"Sometimes you getting it done isn't shooting," Miller said. "Getting it done is what Jerome did -- play really hard, give us great minutes where we felt confident with him out there."
Confidence and energy flowed from the Hoosiers in the aftermath of the Ohio State win. Now comes the key question -- can they sustain that, and more, when they play at Rutgers on Wednesday night.
IU (13-3 overall, 3-2 in the Big Ten) is 0-2 on the road this season, losing by 20 at Wisconsin and by 16 at Maryland.
"You've got to have some humility," Miller said, "and figure out a way to go on the road and compete against Rutgers.
"It's going to be 50 times harder than it was (against Ohio State). Each game that goes by will be 50 times harder than that one. We've got to keep raising our level of intensity."
IU faces a Rutgers team that is 11-0 at home. Wednesday night's game at the Rutgers Athletic Center is sold out.
The Scarlet Knights' patsy days are over. With a 12-4 overall record (3-2 in the Big Ten), they are No. 20 in the NCAA's NET rankings, and No. 32 in KenPom, the highly regarded national statistical website.
For perspective, KenPom's NCAA tourney bubble is No. 56.
Coach Steve Pikiell has turned around a perennially struggling program with defense. Rutgers is No. 13 in defensive efficiency. It is second in the Big Ten to Ohio State in field goal defense, holding opponents to 36.7 percent shooting. That ranks No. 10 nationally. It limits opponents to just 59.4 points, tied with Ohio State for the conference's best scoring defense.
Offense is an issue. The Scarlet Knights are 12th in the Big Ten in offensive efficiency, ahead of only Northwestern and Nebraska. They average 72.2 points.
Against Indiana, they will be without standout guard Geo Baker, who averages 11.5 points. They do have Ron Harper Jr., who averages a team-leading 12.2 points. Harper also averages 6.2 rebounds.
Rutgers has seven players who average at least 6.9 points. Myles Johnson, a 6-11, 255-pound center, averages 9.4 points and 8.4 rebounds, and has 25 blocks. He shoots 71.6 percent from the field, but just 40.0 percent from the line.
Rutgers already has beaten Wisconsin, then No. 20 Penn State and then No. 22 Seton Hall. It has won six of its last seven games. The loss came 54-51 last Saturday at Illinois.
The Big Ten road is always brutal, more so in this season of national parity (six teams have been ranked No. 1).
Visiting Big Ten squads won just five times in their first 36 chances, and conference-leader Michigan State just lost by 29 points at Purdue.
Still, the Spartans (13-4 overall) lead the Big Ten with a No. 15 ranking in the Associated Press poll, a drop of seven spots after suffering their first conference loss. Then comes No. 17 Maryland (13-3), No. 19 Michigan (11-5), No. 21 Ohio State (11-5) and No. 24 Illinois (12-5).
All this is why Miller said on his Monday night radio show that he thought a 14-6 record could win the conference regular season title.
"Based on what I'm looking at and what teams are doing on the road, I think 14 wins will have you in the hunt."
Miller added that, "It's great for our league, but it's not fun."
Fun or not, if the Hoosiers use their Ohio State victory as a springboard for better, more consistent play, then, "Hopefully it spearheads what we're doing," Miller said, "because we have a chance, if we're at our best and maxing our stuff out, to be a really good team."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Jerome Hunter is not where he will be. You know that, right?
Indiana's redshirt freshman forward lost a year to a serious leg condition that jeopardized his playing career. You don't go from that to Big Ten dominant without a long process, especially when you're adjusting to major college basketball life.
If you've seen what's gone on in the Big Ten this season, heck, in the nation, you understanding how difficult that can be.
We got a better glimpse of what Hunter can become during last Saturday's win against Ohio State. It had nothing to do with light-up-the-scoreboard points, or highlight-reel rebounds or open-court moves that can tear up defenders knees.
It had everything to do with being solid and relentless and reliable.
Hunter had five points on 5-for-6 free throw shooting, huge for a team that keeps finding unwanted complexity from the line. He had a rebound and an assist and defended like it mattered.
Because it did.
"Jerome played the best game of his college career," coach Archie Miller said. "He gave the best minutes all season."
Granted, the 6-7, 214-pound Hunter basically averages 12 minutes a game, all in a reserve role. He'd played just a total of 12 minutes against Maryland and Northwestern before getting 19 against Ohio State.
"Jerome impacted the game in a positive way, particularly defensively," Miller said about his Buckeye performance. "He's big; he's physical; he's going to get more confident; get more rhythm. He's had to teach himself how to play basketball again."
Hunter averages 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds. He has scored as many as 12 points, grabbed as many as three rebounds. But it isn't about numbers with him as much as it is effort and awareness.
"Sometimes you getting it done isn't shooting," Miller said. "Getting it done is what Jerome did -- play really hard, give us great minutes where we felt confident with him out there."
Confidence and energy flowed from the Hoosiers in the aftermath of the Ohio State win. Now comes the key question -- can they sustain that, and more, when they play at Rutgers on Wednesday night.
IU (13-3 overall, 3-2 in the Big Ten) is 0-2 on the road this season, losing by 20 at Wisconsin and by 16 at Maryland.
"You've got to have some humility," Miller said, "and figure out a way to go on the road and compete against Rutgers.
"It's going to be 50 times harder than it was (against Ohio State). Each game that goes by will be 50 times harder than that one. We've got to keep raising our level of intensity."
IU faces a Rutgers team that is 11-0 at home. Wednesday night's game at the Rutgers Athletic Center is sold out.
The Scarlet Knights' patsy days are over. With a 12-4 overall record (3-2 in the Big Ten), they are No. 20 in the NCAA's NET rankings, and No. 32 in KenPom, the highly regarded national statistical website.
For perspective, KenPom's NCAA tourney bubble is No. 56.
Coach Steve Pikiell has turned around a perennially struggling program with defense. Rutgers is No. 13 in defensive efficiency. It is second in the Big Ten to Ohio State in field goal defense, holding opponents to 36.7 percent shooting. That ranks No. 10 nationally. It limits opponents to just 59.4 points, tied with Ohio State for the conference's best scoring defense.
Offense is an issue. The Scarlet Knights are 12th in the Big Ten in offensive efficiency, ahead of only Northwestern and Nebraska. They average 72.2 points.
Against Indiana, they will be without standout guard Geo Baker, who averages 11.5 points. They do have Ron Harper Jr., who averages a team-leading 12.2 points. Harper also averages 6.2 rebounds.
Rutgers has seven players who average at least 6.9 points. Myles Johnson, a 6-11, 255-pound center, averages 9.4 points and 8.4 rebounds, and has 25 blocks. He shoots 71.6 percent from the field, but just 40.0 percent from the line.
Rutgers already has beaten Wisconsin, then No. 20 Penn State and then No. 22 Seton Hall. It has won six of its last seven games. The loss came 54-51 last Saturday at Illinois.
The Big Ten road is always brutal, more so in this season of national parity (six teams have been ranked No. 1).
Visiting Big Ten squads won just five times in their first 36 chances, and conference-leader Michigan State just lost by 29 points at Purdue.
Still, the Spartans (13-4 overall) lead the Big Ten with a No. 15 ranking in the Associated Press poll, a drop of seven spots after suffering their first conference loss. Then comes No. 17 Maryland (13-3), No. 19 Michigan (11-5), No. 21 Ohio State (11-5) and No. 24 Illinois (12-5).
All this is why Miller said on his Monday night radio show that he thought a 14-6 record could win the conference regular season title.
"Based on what I'm looking at and what teams are doing on the road, I think 14 wins will have you in the hunt."
Miller added that, "It's great for our league, but it's not fun."
Fun or not, if the Hoosiers use their Ohio State victory as a springboard for better, more consistent play, then, "Hopefully it spearheads what we're doing," Miller said, "because we have a chance, if we're at our best and maxing our stuff out, to be a really good team."
Players Mentioned
Forward
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