Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Lean on Effort, Attitude to Keep Fighting
2/28/2020 3:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The calendar is fast approaching March, and the Hoosiers are still trying to find some consistency.
IU's 57-49 loss to Purdue in West Lafayette was a roller coaster that mirrored the way Indiana's season has gone. The Hoosiers' shooting came and went. Their defense ebbed and flowed. IU didn't always value the ball.
The result was a 16-point deficit early in the second half, and it looked like IU was in deep trouble on the road yet again.
But this time around, Indiana showed it still had some fight. Its attitude didn't waver, nor did its effort.
IU closed the lead to five points with :43 to play, Purdue managed to keep the Hoosiers at arm's length, and Indiana couldn't dig itself completely out of the hole it created.
"In the last eight, six, four minutes, we needed some things to go well for us to be able to continue to progress," head coach Archie Miller said. "But I give Purdue credit. They played really hard. Our guys did, too. We just didn't make shots tonight, and (Purdue) had a lot to do with it."
The offensive numbers weren't pretty. IU shot 15-of-59 from the field overall, just 5-of-24 from 3-point range, and no Hoosier made more than three baskets on the night. Indiana also converted just 14-of-21 shot from the free-throw line, which hindered IU's comeback effort, but Miller believed a stretch late in the first half and early in the second half was the biggest issue.
"The last two minutes of the first half, those turnovers," Miller said. "Game over, you know. You can't give up live-ball turnovers on the road."
Indiana turned the ball over 13 times in the game, but the three key turnovers Miller referenced in the final 2:34 of the first half allowed Purdue to turn a 21-18 lead into a nine-point advantage at halftime. The Boilermakers then scored the first seven points of the second half, putting IU in a bad situation.
IU's inconsistency in movement was an issue, too.
"One thing in the first half that I thought hurt us—and a little bit in the second half—was if something didn't work, we stood too much," Miller said. "We needed to get a little bit more movement, a little bit more emotion. Later in the second half, we were able to create some drives, we able to create a couple of plays."
The Hoosiers also have had success recently feeding the post, and they produced some points in the paint early on before Purdue started double-teaming forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Joey Brunk. Indiana went away from feeding the ball inside, making scoring difficult for a team that isn't known for its outside shooting.
"They trapped the post every single time you catch the ball, they're physical around the basket when you do catch the ball, everything around the basket—even our uncontested ones—were rushed," Miller said. "They made it hard on us. … We have to be able to play through that stuff sometimes."
Despite the inconsistency, Miller liked his team's attitude. That hasn't always been the case. He hasn't always been thrilled with the way his Hoosiers have responded when they've fallen behind on the road this season, but at Purdue, he liked his team's fight.
"From a defensive standpoint, especially midway through the second half when we could have caved in and it's not feeling good in there, that wasn't the case with our team," Miller said. "I like that, and we have to keep carrying on effort and attitude is great at this time of year. We have to keep finding a way to tweak and get better."
Effort and attitude. Those are two traits a player can always control regardless of where he's playing. The Hoosiers may be inconsistent in other areas, but with solid effort and a good attitude, anything is possible.
"I give our guys credit," Miller said. "We hung tough. Competed. Now, it's time to do it again. We're back on the road Sunday, and it's going to be much of the same. Three's no time to dwell. It's time to get better, move on, and keep working. I can't fault our effort, and I won't fault our attitude. Our team, in general tonight, tried to play the right way and played hard."
IU's 57-49 loss to Purdue in West Lafayette was a roller coaster that mirrored the way Indiana's season has gone. The Hoosiers' shooting came and went. Their defense ebbed and flowed. IU didn't always value the ball.
The result was a 16-point deficit early in the second half, and it looked like IU was in deep trouble on the road yet again.
But this time around, Indiana showed it still had some fight. Its attitude didn't waver, nor did its effort.
IU closed the lead to five points with :43 to play, Purdue managed to keep the Hoosiers at arm's length, and Indiana couldn't dig itself completely out of the hole it created.
"In the last eight, six, four minutes, we needed some things to go well for us to be able to continue to progress," head coach Archie Miller said. "But I give Purdue credit. They played really hard. Our guys did, too. We just didn't make shots tonight, and (Purdue) had a lot to do with it."
The offensive numbers weren't pretty. IU shot 15-of-59 from the field overall, just 5-of-24 from 3-point range, and no Hoosier made more than three baskets on the night. Indiana also converted just 14-of-21 shot from the free-throw line, which hindered IU's comeback effort, but Miller believed a stretch late in the first half and early in the second half was the biggest issue.
"The last two minutes of the first half, those turnovers," Miller said. "Game over, you know. You can't give up live-ball turnovers on the road."
Indiana turned the ball over 13 times in the game, but the three key turnovers Miller referenced in the final 2:34 of the first half allowed Purdue to turn a 21-18 lead into a nine-point advantage at halftime. The Boilermakers then scored the first seven points of the second half, putting IU in a bad situation.
IU's inconsistency in movement was an issue, too.
"One thing in the first half that I thought hurt us—and a little bit in the second half—was if something didn't work, we stood too much," Miller said. "We needed to get a little bit more movement, a little bit more emotion. Later in the second half, we were able to create some drives, we able to create a couple of plays."
The Hoosiers also have had success recently feeding the post, and they produced some points in the paint early on before Purdue started double-teaming forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Joey Brunk. Indiana went away from feeding the ball inside, making scoring difficult for a team that isn't known for its outside shooting.
"They trapped the post every single time you catch the ball, they're physical around the basket when you do catch the ball, everything around the basket—even our uncontested ones—were rushed," Miller said. "They made it hard on us. … We have to be able to play through that stuff sometimes."
Despite the inconsistency, Miller liked his team's attitude. That hasn't always been the case. He hasn't always been thrilled with the way his Hoosiers have responded when they've fallen behind on the road this season, but at Purdue, he liked his team's fight.
"From a defensive standpoint, especially midway through the second half when we could have caved in and it's not feeling good in there, that wasn't the case with our team," Miller said. "I like that, and we have to keep carrying on effort and attitude is great at this time of year. We have to keep finding a way to tweak and get better."
Effort and attitude. Those are two traits a player can always control regardless of where he's playing. The Hoosiers may be inconsistent in other areas, but with solid effort and a good attitude, anything is possible.
"I give our guys credit," Miller said. "We hung tough. Competed. Now, it's time to do it again. We're back on the road Sunday, and it's going to be much of the same. Three's no time to dwell. It's time to get better, move on, and keep working. I can't fault our effort, and I won't fault our attitude. Our team, in general tonight, tried to play the right way and played hard."
Players Mentioned
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