Indiana University Athletics
Hot Shooting Makes Life Easier for Hoosiers
2/18/2021 4:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Life is easier when shots are falling.
That's an immutable fact of basketball, and life was a lot easier for the Hoosiers in the second half of their 82-72 win over Minnesota Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall than it has been at other times this year. Not that the game was cakewalk. Indiana didn't take control of the game until there were five minutes left, and Minnesota rallied enough to make it interesting in the closing 90 seconds.
But when Archie Miller's team needed it most, it saw shots going through the rim to allow Indiana a much-needed victory.
It was two-point shots.
It was from beyond the arc.
It was free throws.
The Hoosiers shot 57.8 percent overall and 58.3 percent from 3-point range, and they converted 76.7 percent of their free-throw attempts. Those numbers are great, but check out the numbers from the second half alone:
2FG: 14-of-21 (66.7%)
3FG: 5-of-7 (71.4%)
FT: 14-of-18 (77.8%)
Rippling twine was a welcome sight.
"Offensively, we were pretty efficient when we did not turn it over and we got some good shots," Miller said. "We made some shots tonight which was good. We were able to make free throws again at the end of the game to keep our cushion."
The Hoosiers came into the game shooting 44.3 percent from the field overall, 34.5 percent from deep, and 65.9 percent from the line. The field goal shooting from 2- or 3-point range aren't bad, but they aren't leading the Big Ten, either, and the free-throw shooting has been a season-long work in progress.
But for one night in frigid Bloomington, the Hoosiers generated their own heat.
And they did it by sharing the basketball, making the extra pass to find the better look. IU recorded 15 assists on 26 made baskets, including 10 on 14 makes in the final 20 minutes. Guard Rob Phinisee handed out six assists. Armaan Franklin added four more. Senior Aljami Durham chipped in a couple of dimes as well.
The result was a scrambling Minnesota defense and some more open looks for the Hoosiers.
"In the second half, we committed to moving the ball more," Miller said. "I thought our guards did a good job with the reads, and I thought our big guys did a good job of making the second read. When you get an advantage, you have to take advantage of it.
We were able to get the ball hopping a little bit. That is what we have to do as a team."
Another welcome sight for IU was a confident Jerome Hunter on the floor. Hunter scored a career-high 16 points off the bench and made 5-of-6 shots from the field, including both of his 3-point attempts. It marked the second-straight game in which Hunter has scored in double figures, and it's the third time in Big Ten play that he has hit double digits.
Hunter's IU career has seen its share of ups-and-downs, but Miller likes what he's seeing out of his forward.
"Jerome is playing well, and he is playing hard," Miller said. "He is playing very physical, and he has brought that back to practice when he has gotten his opportunities to go to work. He is playing like he is practicing right now. He is playing to win. Has great confidence in his shot. He is not hesitating. He is playing through mistakes, and he is giving us a little bit of physicality, a little bit of ruggedness that we need. He will hopefully play a big role for us down the stretch. He can shoot the ball, which has given us an added weapon. Jerome has become a little more comfortable in his role. He has embraced it here recently."
Durham liked what he saw out of his teammate.
"Jerome works hard," Durham said. "Jerome showed you guys a glimpse of what he can do, and I look forward to seeing it from him as we continue out the season."
The Hoosiers' next challenge comes in just finding offensive consistency. Sure, they've won three of their last four outings, and they'll take on Michigan State this Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. There are four games left in the regular season, and the team hopes that the offensive performance vs. the Golden Gophers is a sign the Hoosiers are just starting to play their best basketball by staying focused.
"We are trying to get our team to focus in on doing more of the little things," Miller said. "The little things matter. I thought we made the little plays tonight that were needed. This team worked really hard coming into this game, coming off of this last week on the road. They are going to come back tomorrow and be ready to go. That is what this team has a chance to continue to keep being good at the right time."
That's an immutable fact of basketball, and life was a lot easier for the Hoosiers in the second half of their 82-72 win over Minnesota Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall than it has been at other times this year. Not that the game was cakewalk. Indiana didn't take control of the game until there were five minutes left, and Minnesota rallied enough to make it interesting in the closing 90 seconds.
But when Archie Miller's team needed it most, it saw shots going through the rim to allow Indiana a much-needed victory.
It was two-point shots.
It was from beyond the arc.
It was free throws.
The Hoosiers shot 57.8 percent overall and 58.3 percent from 3-point range, and they converted 76.7 percent of their free-throw attempts. Those numbers are great, but check out the numbers from the second half alone:
2FG: 14-of-21 (66.7%)
3FG: 5-of-7 (71.4%)
FT: 14-of-18 (77.8%)
Rippling twine was a welcome sight.
"Offensively, we were pretty efficient when we did not turn it over and we got some good shots," Miller said. "We made some shots tonight which was good. We were able to make free throws again at the end of the game to keep our cushion."
The Hoosiers came into the game shooting 44.3 percent from the field overall, 34.5 percent from deep, and 65.9 percent from the line. The field goal shooting from 2- or 3-point range aren't bad, but they aren't leading the Big Ten, either, and the free-throw shooting has been a season-long work in progress.
But for one night in frigid Bloomington, the Hoosiers generated their own heat.
And they did it by sharing the basketball, making the extra pass to find the better look. IU recorded 15 assists on 26 made baskets, including 10 on 14 makes in the final 20 minutes. Guard Rob Phinisee handed out six assists. Armaan Franklin added four more. Senior Aljami Durham chipped in a couple of dimes as well.
The result was a scrambling Minnesota defense and some more open looks for the Hoosiers.
"In the second half, we committed to moving the ball more," Miller said. "I thought our guards did a good job with the reads, and I thought our big guys did a good job of making the second read. When you get an advantage, you have to take advantage of it.
We were able to get the ball hopping a little bit. That is what we have to do as a team."
Another welcome sight for IU was a confident Jerome Hunter on the floor. Hunter scored a career-high 16 points off the bench and made 5-of-6 shots from the field, including both of his 3-point attempts. It marked the second-straight game in which Hunter has scored in double figures, and it's the third time in Big Ten play that he has hit double digits.
Hunter's IU career has seen its share of ups-and-downs, but Miller likes what he's seeing out of his forward.
"Jerome is playing well, and he is playing hard," Miller said. "He is playing very physical, and he has brought that back to practice when he has gotten his opportunities to go to work. He is playing like he is practicing right now. He is playing to win. Has great confidence in his shot. He is not hesitating. He is playing through mistakes, and he is giving us a little bit of physicality, a little bit of ruggedness that we need. He will hopefully play a big role for us down the stretch. He can shoot the ball, which has given us an added weapon. Jerome has become a little more comfortable in his role. He has embraced it here recently."
Durham liked what he saw out of his teammate.
"Jerome works hard," Durham said. "Jerome showed you guys a glimpse of what he can do, and I look forward to seeing it from him as we continue out the season."
The Hoosiers' next challenge comes in just finding offensive consistency. Sure, they've won three of their last four outings, and they'll take on Michigan State this Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. There are four games left in the regular season, and the team hopes that the offensive performance vs. the Golden Gophers is a sign the Hoosiers are just starting to play their best basketball by staying focused.
"We are trying to get our team to focus in on doing more of the little things," Miller said. "The little things matter. I thought we made the little plays tonight that were needed. This team worked really hard coming into this game, coming off of this last week on the road. They are going to come back tomorrow and be ready to go. That is what this team has a chance to continue to keep being good at the right time."
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