Indiana University Athletics
Made Shots Make the Difference Against Nebraska
1/19/2020 11:39:00 AM | Men's Basketball
LINCOLN, Neb. - There's something very therapeutic about seeing the ball go through the net.
It seems like such an obvious idea, but when shots are clanging off the rim left and right, it's natural for everyone on the floor to start pressing a bit.
A player catches the ball, and there's a little voice in his head saying, 'I have to make it. We need this basket.'
Clang.
Rinse. Repeat.
At Rutgers earlier in the week, the Hoosiers struggled mightily to put the ball in the basket, making just 31.7 percent of their attempts from the field and just 2-of-19 from 3-point range in a 59-50 loss. IU's offense just wasn't making baskets.
But in what would be an 82-74 win at Nebraska Saturday evening, it took all of 17 seconds for IU to see a shot go down. Junior Joey Brunk scored on an inside shot off a pass from freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis on Indiana's first possession to take a 2-0 lead.
Indiana went 3-of-6 from the field to open the game, and there was a bit of a weight lifted off the Hoosiers. They were on the road, they were battling, and they were making shots. The offensive issues weren't exactly forgotten by anyone, but again, there's power in seeing the ball go through basket.
"Offensively, we were able to make a few shots, gave us some confidence," head coach Archie Miller said. "We then went from being a tight team to being a team that I thought played a little more free."
Nebraska managed to string together some solid possessions and open a nine-point lead midway through the first half, but the Hoosiers didn't press on offense. They already made some shots. They knew their offense was working, and it was a matter of getting the ball in the basket. Confidence matters with the ball in your hands, and the Hoosiers had already felt the warmth of some makes.
Indiana trailed 26-17 with just over 10 minutes left in the half when Jackson-Davis grabbed a rebound off a missed free throw from Nebraska's Cam Mack. On the other end of the floor, Jackson-Davis found redshirt freshman Jerome Hunter—a guy who needed a see a 3-pointer bottom out more than most—at the top of the arc with an open look, and Hunter knocked down the shot.
Hunter came into the game shooting just 14.3 percent from distance, a low number for a player who came to IU with a reputation of being a solid perimeter shooter. His make, along with the triple he made three minutes later from the wing, were part of a 25-8 run that turned that nine-point deficit into a 42-34 advantage with 2:25 left in the half.
The Hoosiers turned things around by pushing the tempo, forcing Nebraska's defense into scramble mode, and creating easy baskets. IU led 46-41 at the break behind 18-of-34 shooting overall and 6-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc.
For a team that had made eight total threes in the previous two games, the six made threes were a big boost. So were the 46 points considering IU scored a total of 50 in it's outing vs. Rutgers.
"You just have to hang in there and weather the storm a little bit," Miller said. "I thought after the first six to eight minutes, our bench made some shots. …. Once we got cooking a little bit, we scored 46 in the first half, that carried over into the second half."
It sure did.
Indiana picked up where it left off after halftime, opening the second half on a 16-2 run that blew the game open. The run was capped by a 3-pointer from junior Justin Smith, and it was preceded by a 3-pointer from freshman Armaan Franklin.
The threes were highlights, but it was IU's work in the paint that served as the foundation for the victory. The starting frontcourt of Brunk, Smith, and Jackson-Davis combined to go 20-of-27 from the floor while grabbing 25 rebounds and handing out eight assists. Jackson-Davis had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Nebraska didn't have an answer for any of the Hoosiers' forwards.
"In the second half, I thought our big guys did a great job of commanding the ball," Miller said. "We were able to play inside-out for a good portion. We played as well offensively as we have in a while. You can't put a price on a game in this league if you are able to win it away from home."
Indiana shot 50.8 percent from the floor for the game, making 31-of-61 shots. IU went 8-of-26 from 3-point range—not a great percentage, but the eight made threes were enough to change the game. From inside the arc, IU was 23-of-35 for the game, a .657 percentage, and Indiana scored 40 points in the paint.
That kind of efficiency is going to give a team a chance to win every time it takes the floor, even on the road in the Big Ten. Now, the challenge for the Hoosiers will be to take that same efficiency back home to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall vs. Michigan State and Maryland in the next seven days.
"It is very hard to win in this league on the road," Miller said. "I think every team is going to experience their ups and downs. We are no different. I am proud of our guys. They had a hard loss at Rutgers on Wednesday. Being able to come out with one tonight is really important for us moving forward. I know what we have coming up."
It seems like such an obvious idea, but when shots are clanging off the rim left and right, it's natural for everyone on the floor to start pressing a bit.
A player catches the ball, and there's a little voice in his head saying, 'I have to make it. We need this basket.'
Clang.
Rinse. Repeat.
At Rutgers earlier in the week, the Hoosiers struggled mightily to put the ball in the basket, making just 31.7 percent of their attempts from the field and just 2-of-19 from 3-point range in a 59-50 loss. IU's offense just wasn't making baskets.
But in what would be an 82-74 win at Nebraska Saturday evening, it took all of 17 seconds for IU to see a shot go down. Junior Joey Brunk scored on an inside shot off a pass from freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis on Indiana's first possession to take a 2-0 lead.
Indiana went 3-of-6 from the field to open the game, and there was a bit of a weight lifted off the Hoosiers. They were on the road, they were battling, and they were making shots. The offensive issues weren't exactly forgotten by anyone, but again, there's power in seeing the ball go through basket.
"Offensively, we were able to make a few shots, gave us some confidence," head coach Archie Miller said. "We then went from being a tight team to being a team that I thought played a little more free."
Nebraska managed to string together some solid possessions and open a nine-point lead midway through the first half, but the Hoosiers didn't press on offense. They already made some shots. They knew their offense was working, and it was a matter of getting the ball in the basket. Confidence matters with the ball in your hands, and the Hoosiers had already felt the warmth of some makes.
Indiana trailed 26-17 with just over 10 minutes left in the half when Jackson-Davis grabbed a rebound off a missed free throw from Nebraska's Cam Mack. On the other end of the floor, Jackson-Davis found redshirt freshman Jerome Hunter—a guy who needed a see a 3-pointer bottom out more than most—at the top of the arc with an open look, and Hunter knocked down the shot.
Hunter came into the game shooting just 14.3 percent from distance, a low number for a player who came to IU with a reputation of being a solid perimeter shooter. His make, along with the triple he made three minutes later from the wing, were part of a 25-8 run that turned that nine-point deficit into a 42-34 advantage with 2:25 left in the half.
The Hoosiers turned things around by pushing the tempo, forcing Nebraska's defense into scramble mode, and creating easy baskets. IU led 46-41 at the break behind 18-of-34 shooting overall and 6-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc.
For a team that had made eight total threes in the previous two games, the six made threes were a big boost. So were the 46 points considering IU scored a total of 50 in it's outing vs. Rutgers.
"You just have to hang in there and weather the storm a little bit," Miller said. "I thought after the first six to eight minutes, our bench made some shots. …. Once we got cooking a little bit, we scored 46 in the first half, that carried over into the second half."
It sure did.
Indiana picked up where it left off after halftime, opening the second half on a 16-2 run that blew the game open. The run was capped by a 3-pointer from junior Justin Smith, and it was preceded by a 3-pointer from freshman Armaan Franklin.
The threes were highlights, but it was IU's work in the paint that served as the foundation for the victory. The starting frontcourt of Brunk, Smith, and Jackson-Davis combined to go 20-of-27 from the floor while grabbing 25 rebounds and handing out eight assists. Jackson-Davis had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Nebraska didn't have an answer for any of the Hoosiers' forwards.
"In the second half, I thought our big guys did a great job of commanding the ball," Miller said. "We were able to play inside-out for a good portion. We played as well offensively as we have in a while. You can't put a price on a game in this league if you are able to win it away from home."
Indiana shot 50.8 percent from the floor for the game, making 31-of-61 shots. IU went 8-of-26 from 3-point range—not a great percentage, but the eight made threes were enough to change the game. From inside the arc, IU was 23-of-35 for the game, a .657 percentage, and Indiana scored 40 points in the paint.
That kind of efficiency is going to give a team a chance to win every time it takes the floor, even on the road in the Big Ten. Now, the challenge for the Hoosiers will be to take that same efficiency back home to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall vs. Michigan State and Maryland in the next seven days.
"It is very hard to win in this league on the road," Miller said. "I think every team is going to experience their ups and downs. We are no different. I am proud of our guys. They had a hard loss at Rutgers on Wednesday. Being able to come out with one tonight is really important for us moving forward. I know what we have coming up."
Players Mentioned
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