Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Looking For a Bounce-Back Road Effort
2/17/2020 3:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - After knocking off ranked Iowa at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Feb. 13, IU head coach Archie Miller was pleased, but he had a moment of concern.
The Hoosiers rolled to a 12-point win over the Hawkeyes, but they led by as many as 20 in the second half before allowing Iowa to build a little momentum late.
A win in the Big Ten is always tough, but the game is 40 minutes.
"I didn't think our defense was very good the last 10 minutes," Miller said. "but I'm not complaining. Just take it and move on. We'll figure out a way to get a little better."
Miller also was looking for his ballclub to string together a couple of solid performances, something IU hasn't been able to do this season.
"We definitely have not been right on the road," Miller said. "Hopefully down the back stretch, which we have a few to go, we can play better on the road. Got to be more together and tougher to be able to go into Michigan on Sunday and have a chance."
It didn't happen.
Indiana found itself down by seven at halftime en route to an eventual 89-65 loss in Ann Arbor. The Hoosiers fell despite shooting the ball well—they went 28-of-61 from the field overall—and committing just seven turnovers.
Senior De'Ron Davis, one of the bright spots for Indiana, came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points on 9-of-9 shooting, tying an IU single-game record for shooting percentage with former star Will Sheehey, who also went 9-of-9 vs. Purdue in 2013.
But IU's defense was an issue from the opening tip, and Miller was extremely disappointed in what he saw from his team.
"It's a disappointing game for our team," Miller said. "It's not that you lose. It's how you lose. We got completely dominated today, especially midway through the second half. If you look at the rebounding, if you look at their free throws, if you look at their assist-to-turnover ratio… we had no answer for them defensively. Then we couldn't compete long enough to find a way to hang in."
Harsh words from a coach who was clearly disappointed with his squad. Miller was frustrated by IU's lack of effort on the boards, too. The Hoosiers were outrebounded 37-21 on the glass, a number Miller finds completely unacceptable.
"Without being sarcastic, we failed today," Miller said. "It's probably the most vital thing that we have. When you look at a stat sheet if we're successful in a game, it's rebounding. That's why the score was what it was today. Not because (the players) didn't make shots. Not because they didn't do this or that. When you look at minus-16 on the glass, you've got no chance."
The defeat dropped Indiana to 1-6 on the road. Losing on the road in the Big Ten isn't unique to the Hoosiers—all but three teams in the 14-team conference own a losing record away from home this year—but IU's inability to string together stops or get to the free-throw line has been a recurring theme in conference play away from Bloomington.
Worst of all, the Hoosiers have struggled to be competitive away from home, falling by an average of 15.5 points in their six road defeats. With three of their next four games on the road—at Minnesota Feb. 19, at Purdue Feb. 27, and at Illinois March 1—what does IU have to do to turn things around?
"Competitive is the word, plain and simple," Miller said. "When you play at Assembly Hall, the energy and emotion level in that building… obviously, every team feeds off home courts. When you go on the road, you're all you've got. You have to hold yourself accountable and believe in what you do. At some point in time when that belief goes away, you can see it right away. There's a lack of tough plays, the 50-50 rebounds, the plays that go their way… that doesn't happen by chance. When you're on the road, you have to believe in yourself. You believe in what you do and have confident in it. At some level, it can't be one of those things where you have it on Thursday and don't have it on Sunday."
All of which means it's look-in-the-mirror time for the Hoosiers yet again. IU has dropped five of its last six, but this is a team that has shown its potential in wins over Florida State, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Iowa. Sure, those victories came at home, but it showed what the Hoosiers are capable of if they have their minds right.
Miller isn't about to turn his back on his team. Instead, he challenged them to turn up their intensity a notch or two.
"We have to find a way," Miller said. "We have a lot more opportunities coming up, and we're going to have to earn our stripes down the homestretch. We're going to have to take a group that does a little better job here in the next few days preparing to go to Minnesota, or it will be the same thing."
The Hoosiers rolled to a 12-point win over the Hawkeyes, but they led by as many as 20 in the second half before allowing Iowa to build a little momentum late.
A win in the Big Ten is always tough, but the game is 40 minutes.
"I didn't think our defense was very good the last 10 minutes," Miller said. "but I'm not complaining. Just take it and move on. We'll figure out a way to get a little better."
Miller also was looking for his ballclub to string together a couple of solid performances, something IU hasn't been able to do this season.
"We definitely have not been right on the road," Miller said. "Hopefully down the back stretch, which we have a few to go, we can play better on the road. Got to be more together and tougher to be able to go into Michigan on Sunday and have a chance."
It didn't happen.
Indiana found itself down by seven at halftime en route to an eventual 89-65 loss in Ann Arbor. The Hoosiers fell despite shooting the ball well—they went 28-of-61 from the field overall—and committing just seven turnovers.
Senior De'Ron Davis, one of the bright spots for Indiana, came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points on 9-of-9 shooting, tying an IU single-game record for shooting percentage with former star Will Sheehey, who also went 9-of-9 vs. Purdue in 2013.
But IU's defense was an issue from the opening tip, and Miller was extremely disappointed in what he saw from his team.
"It's a disappointing game for our team," Miller said. "It's not that you lose. It's how you lose. We got completely dominated today, especially midway through the second half. If you look at the rebounding, if you look at their free throws, if you look at their assist-to-turnover ratio… we had no answer for them defensively. Then we couldn't compete long enough to find a way to hang in."
Harsh words from a coach who was clearly disappointed with his squad. Miller was frustrated by IU's lack of effort on the boards, too. The Hoosiers were outrebounded 37-21 on the glass, a number Miller finds completely unacceptable.
"Without being sarcastic, we failed today," Miller said. "It's probably the most vital thing that we have. When you look at a stat sheet if we're successful in a game, it's rebounding. That's why the score was what it was today. Not because (the players) didn't make shots. Not because they didn't do this or that. When you look at minus-16 on the glass, you've got no chance."
The defeat dropped Indiana to 1-6 on the road. Losing on the road in the Big Ten isn't unique to the Hoosiers—all but three teams in the 14-team conference own a losing record away from home this year—but IU's inability to string together stops or get to the free-throw line has been a recurring theme in conference play away from Bloomington.
Worst of all, the Hoosiers have struggled to be competitive away from home, falling by an average of 15.5 points in their six road defeats. With three of their next four games on the road—at Minnesota Feb. 19, at Purdue Feb. 27, and at Illinois March 1—what does IU have to do to turn things around?
"Competitive is the word, plain and simple," Miller said. "When you play at Assembly Hall, the energy and emotion level in that building… obviously, every team feeds off home courts. When you go on the road, you're all you've got. You have to hold yourself accountable and believe in what you do. At some point in time when that belief goes away, you can see it right away. There's a lack of tough plays, the 50-50 rebounds, the plays that go their way… that doesn't happen by chance. When you're on the road, you have to believe in yourself. You believe in what you do and have confident in it. At some level, it can't be one of those things where you have it on Thursday and don't have it on Sunday."
All of which means it's look-in-the-mirror time for the Hoosiers yet again. IU has dropped five of its last six, but this is a team that has shown its potential in wins over Florida State, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Iowa. Sure, those victories came at home, but it showed what the Hoosiers are capable of if they have their minds right.
Miller isn't about to turn his back on his team. Instead, he challenged them to turn up their intensity a notch or two.
"We have to find a way," Miller said. "We have a lot more opportunities coming up, and we're going to have to earn our stripes down the homestretch. We're going to have to take a group that does a little better job here in the next few days preparing to go to Minnesota, or it will be the same thing."
Players Mentioned
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