Indiana University Athletics
Self-Reflection Helps Hoosiers Find Defensive Focus at Iowa
1/22/2021 5:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Following Indiana's loss to Purdue Jan. 14, IU head basketball coach Archie Miller said his team would take its unexpected week off—the Jan. 17 game at Michigan State was postponed due to COVID issues in East Lansing—and concentrate on getting better defensively.
Whatever Miller used to focus his team worked perfectly vs. Iowa.
The Hoosiers turned in one of the best defensive efforts of the Miller Era in an 81-69 win over the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes, a team that is among the top-scoring programs in college basketball. IU shook off a rough defensive start—Iowa scored 25 points in the first eight-plus minutes of the game—to lock down and hold the Hawkeyes to just 32 second-half points in the win.
"From a defensive standpoint, we gave great effort," Miller said. "So more importantly than the win, which we're excited about, I'm just excited that our team was able to see the benefits of getting back and having a great attitude and working hard in practice and doing some things that we're going to need to do moving forward."
Miller wants his team to be known for its defense first and foremost, and the Hoosiers have shown flashes of being the ballclub its coach wants it to be this season. Consistency has been an issue, but Indiana put together its best defensive run of the year when it needed it most.
The light bulb came on for the Hoosiers in the second half vs. Iowa. The Hawkeyes' Jack Nunge scored on a put back with 12:00 left in the game, and he converted an ensuing free throw to give his team a 53-44 lead. IU was on the road and on the ropes.
But the Hoosiers' defense came alive, harassing the Hawkeyes on every possession and holding the high-octane Iowa offense without a field goal until there were 60 seconds left on the clock. By that time, IU held a 10-point lead, and Iowa was in scramble mode.
"We always emphasize that our defensive intensity has to rise because in the past, it hasn't been that good," forward Trayce Jackson-Davis said. "I thought we did that really, really well besides the last two minutes when they kind of went on their little run again. But overall, I thought we did a really good job on defense."
The effort in Iowa was as much about the Hoosiers getting a chance to work on themselves than anything else. Miller and his players talked about the intensity that has existed in practice for the past week, and it's clear the unexpected pause in the season, especially one that came following that tough loss to Purdue, was a positive.
"The way we played the other night defensively, I think it just became apparent that if we don't kind of draw a line in the sand for ourselves and start to accept a little bit better from certain guys—not in the game, but what we're doing every day—we're not going to be able to get to where we want to go," Miller said. "At some point, you've got to be able to do what you want to do in the game every day. If you don't, you're going to have slippage, and we had a lot of slippage through the early part of January.
"This period of time sort of was drawing a line in the sand for ourselves, not so much about how we're playing in games, but how we're working right now. We had to challenge some guys, and guys challenged each other. But the practices needed to get back to being a team that's competing and playing. You can't do it all the time, but from a fundamental defensive standpoint and from a system standpoint, just being accountable, doing your job… we were better tonight."
Now, of course, the key for the Hoosiers will be to find the consistency that has been lacking at times. Bouncing back from the loss to Purdue with a huge win over Iowa is critical, but it can't be a highlight. It has to be a starting point.
Whatever Miller used to focus his team worked perfectly vs. Iowa.
The Hoosiers turned in one of the best defensive efforts of the Miller Era in an 81-69 win over the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes, a team that is among the top-scoring programs in college basketball. IU shook off a rough defensive start—Iowa scored 25 points in the first eight-plus minutes of the game—to lock down and hold the Hawkeyes to just 32 second-half points in the win.
"From a defensive standpoint, we gave great effort," Miller said. "So more importantly than the win, which we're excited about, I'm just excited that our team was able to see the benefits of getting back and having a great attitude and working hard in practice and doing some things that we're going to need to do moving forward."
Miller wants his team to be known for its defense first and foremost, and the Hoosiers have shown flashes of being the ballclub its coach wants it to be this season. Consistency has been an issue, but Indiana put together its best defensive run of the year when it needed it most.
The light bulb came on for the Hoosiers in the second half vs. Iowa. The Hawkeyes' Jack Nunge scored on a put back with 12:00 left in the game, and he converted an ensuing free throw to give his team a 53-44 lead. IU was on the road and on the ropes.
But the Hoosiers' defense came alive, harassing the Hawkeyes on every possession and holding the high-octane Iowa offense without a field goal until there were 60 seconds left on the clock. By that time, IU held a 10-point lead, and Iowa was in scramble mode.
"We always emphasize that our defensive intensity has to rise because in the past, it hasn't been that good," forward Trayce Jackson-Davis said. "I thought we did that really, really well besides the last two minutes when they kind of went on their little run again. But overall, I thought we did a really good job on defense."
The effort in Iowa was as much about the Hoosiers getting a chance to work on themselves than anything else. Miller and his players talked about the intensity that has existed in practice for the past week, and it's clear the unexpected pause in the season, especially one that came following that tough loss to Purdue, was a positive.
"The way we played the other night defensively, I think it just became apparent that if we don't kind of draw a line in the sand for ourselves and start to accept a little bit better from certain guys—not in the game, but what we're doing every day—we're not going to be able to get to where we want to go," Miller said. "At some point, you've got to be able to do what you want to do in the game every day. If you don't, you're going to have slippage, and we had a lot of slippage through the early part of January.
"This period of time sort of was drawing a line in the sand for ourselves, not so much about how we're playing in games, but how we're working right now. We had to challenge some guys, and guys challenged each other. But the practices needed to get back to being a team that's competing and playing. You can't do it all the time, but from a fundamental defensive standpoint and from a system standpoint, just being accountable, doing your job… we were better tonight."
Now, of course, the key for the Hoosiers will be to find the consistency that has been lacking at times. Bouncing back from the loss to Purdue with a huge win over Iowa is critical, but it can't be a highlight. It has to be a starting point.
Players Mentioned
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