Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Show Progress Despite Falling at Illinois
12/28/2020 12:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - When a team loses a game, everyone looks for someone to blame.
Sometimes, it's just a matter of one team hitting more shots than the other.
Indiana's 69-60 loss at Illinois is a perfect example.
The Hoosiers shot 40 percent from the floor overall, they knocked down 7-of-18 shots from 3-point range, and they turned the ball over just eight times.
That's the good news.
The bad news for Indiana? Illinois out-shot the Hoosiers by 4.4 percent, the Illini out-rebounded them 40-28, and Illinois simply made more baskets down the stretch. Oh, and guard Ayo Dosunmu scored 20 second-half points and finished with 30 on the game.
The answer for IU head coach Archie Miller was just that simple.
"I thought Illinois, in the last six to two minutes of the game, stepped up and made winning plays," Miller said. "Loose balls played a role in it, and some second shots. The bottom line is Ayo played at an MVP level and made every big play for them. When you have a guy like that to go to at the end of the game, it makes lots of problems for everyone else."
Dosunmu made 11-of-17 shots from the floor and converted 4-of-5 attempts from the free-throw line. Teammate Kofi Cockburn added 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, and he went 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Illinois made 24 field goals in the game and 14 free throws, which means Dosunmu and Cockburn combined for 17 of the field goals and seven of the freebies.
Illinois was essentially a two-man team, but when those two players are performing at a high level—and you're missing some opportunities at your own end—it can be enough to beat you.
"Their two studs really produced," Miller said. "Our guys competed. We've got to bag this one up, get back home, and get back in the race Wednesday night against a really good Penn State team."
Miller admitted Illinois made scoring around the basket difficult, and he credited the Illini with harassing forward Trayce Jackson-Davis into 3-of-13 shooting. Guard Armaan Franklin added 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, continuing his hot play, and IU's ball movement was good even if it didn't always lead to a bucket.
Despite the defeat, Miller wasn't upset with how his team played on either end of the floor. He just wants to see a bit more depth when it comes to scoring.
"I thought we defended pretty well," Miller said. "Offensively, we played without turning the ball over, which is a huge step for us moving forward in the league. They made things difficult for Trayce… but we got a lot of good looks. It just didn't go in, and we're going to have to keep banging away. We showed today we can play, and we could compete the right way, which is a good thing.
"We have to get a couple different guys playing with a bit more confidence offensively to help the cause. It wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but from an offensive perspective, with a one-possession game with three (minutes) to go, our offense wasn't getting us beat. We had our plays. We had our two-point shots. They're hard makes, and we have to get some guys to step up and make some shots. We had a couple open ones that didn't go down."
Miller isn't a coach who tends to sugarcoat things as a matter of habit. Following the loss to Northwestern Dec. 23, he talked about being more accountable and possibly making some changes to his lineup. He did shuffle things up a bit vs. Illinois, and although Indiana came away with a road loss vs. a very good Illinois team, he isn't ready to panic.
It's a long season, and although he wants his team to get back in the win column, he knows that in basketball, sometimes a team simply scores a few more points. A loss doesn't mean there has been a systemic breakdown.
"The bottom line is I'm proud of our effort and level in terms of our turnovers," Miller said. "That's how we have to play. If we play with 10 or fewer turnovers, we're going to have a chance in every game. We'll keep working on defense, but we definitely have to get more confidence. Today was a positive just in terms of taking care of the ball."
Sometimes, it's just a matter of one team hitting more shots than the other.
Indiana's 69-60 loss at Illinois is a perfect example.
The Hoosiers shot 40 percent from the floor overall, they knocked down 7-of-18 shots from 3-point range, and they turned the ball over just eight times.
That's the good news.
The bad news for Indiana? Illinois out-shot the Hoosiers by 4.4 percent, the Illini out-rebounded them 40-28, and Illinois simply made more baskets down the stretch. Oh, and guard Ayo Dosunmu scored 20 second-half points and finished with 30 on the game.
The answer for IU head coach Archie Miller was just that simple.
"I thought Illinois, in the last six to two minutes of the game, stepped up and made winning plays," Miller said. "Loose balls played a role in it, and some second shots. The bottom line is Ayo played at an MVP level and made every big play for them. When you have a guy like that to go to at the end of the game, it makes lots of problems for everyone else."
Dosunmu made 11-of-17 shots from the floor and converted 4-of-5 attempts from the free-throw line. Teammate Kofi Cockburn added 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, and he went 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Illinois made 24 field goals in the game and 14 free throws, which means Dosunmu and Cockburn combined for 17 of the field goals and seven of the freebies.
Illinois was essentially a two-man team, but when those two players are performing at a high level—and you're missing some opportunities at your own end—it can be enough to beat you.
"Their two studs really produced," Miller said. "Our guys competed. We've got to bag this one up, get back home, and get back in the race Wednesday night against a really good Penn State team."
Miller admitted Illinois made scoring around the basket difficult, and he credited the Illini with harassing forward Trayce Jackson-Davis into 3-of-13 shooting. Guard Armaan Franklin added 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, continuing his hot play, and IU's ball movement was good even if it didn't always lead to a bucket.
Despite the defeat, Miller wasn't upset with how his team played on either end of the floor. He just wants to see a bit more depth when it comes to scoring.
"I thought we defended pretty well," Miller said. "Offensively, we played without turning the ball over, which is a huge step for us moving forward in the league. They made things difficult for Trayce… but we got a lot of good looks. It just didn't go in, and we're going to have to keep banging away. We showed today we can play, and we could compete the right way, which is a good thing.
"We have to get a couple different guys playing with a bit more confidence offensively to help the cause. It wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but from an offensive perspective, with a one-possession game with three (minutes) to go, our offense wasn't getting us beat. We had our plays. We had our two-point shots. They're hard makes, and we have to get some guys to step up and make some shots. We had a couple open ones that didn't go down."
Miller isn't a coach who tends to sugarcoat things as a matter of habit. Following the loss to Northwestern Dec. 23, he talked about being more accountable and possibly making some changes to his lineup. He did shuffle things up a bit vs. Illinois, and although Indiana came away with a road loss vs. a very good Illinois team, he isn't ready to panic.
It's a long season, and although he wants his team to get back in the win column, he knows that in basketball, sometimes a team simply scores a few more points. A loss doesn't mean there has been a systemic breakdown.
"The bottom line is I'm proud of our effort and level in terms of our turnovers," Miller said. "That's how we have to play. If we play with 10 or fewer turnovers, we're going to have a chance in every game. We'll keep working on defense, but we definitely have to get more confidence. Today was a positive just in terms of taking care of the ball."
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