Indiana University Athletics
DIPRIMIO: IU’s Goal Is Clear – Make End-of-Game Plays
2/7/2021 10:22:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Let others gripe or moan about what might have been.
The Indiana Hoosiers, sophomore guard Armaan Franklin says, have too much to do, starting with Sunday's rematch against No. 8 Iowa at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
"In this league," he says via Zoom, "you can't dwell on losses. The next game will always be the most important game. You see what you did on film, go in practice, work to improve and prepare for the next team.
"There's no time to dwell because you have another one coming."
The Hoosiers (9-8 overall, 4-6 in the Big Ten), so full of optimism after upsetting the Hawkeyes in Iowa City a couple of weeks ago, are looking for answers following two straight heartbreaking losses, both at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall -- by four points to Rutgers and by four in overtime to No. 12 Illinois.
In the end, it's about toughness, or the lack of it, at crunch time.
"It goes back to making the little plays at the end of the game," Franklin says. "Down the stretch, lock in and make those plays and the outcome will change."
In so many ways, Indiana is better than its record (see the fact it's made 22 of its last 41 three-pointers while holding opponents to 31.3 percent three-point shooting in the last three games), and the Hoosiers have 10 games left to prove it.
"We are right there," coach Archie Miller says.
An ankle injury first suffered against Maryland that cost Franklin games against Wisconsin and Nebraska, still bothers him, although not enough to sideline him. He's averaged 12.5 points in the four games since his return, basically the same as his season average of 12.7
"I get treatment as much as I can," he says. "It still bugs me a little bit, but I try to play through it."
That means practice as much as games.
"I want to do everything everybody else does. I don't like sitting out and have my teammates work without me. I do what I can do. Try to impact the game as much as I can."
Miller says Franklin is at about 65 percent, which means he has plenty to offer given he ranks as IU's second best scorer and, perhaps, its best perimeter defender (team leading 21 steals).
"If I sit for a long time and then try to do something, it takes a while to warm up. When I'm playing, I don't think about it. I'm so locked into the game. You don't think about being tired or injured. You think about what you usually do."
IU has lost three overtime games. It was positioned to win in the closing minutes against Northwestern, at Illinois, Purdue and Rutgers, and won none of them.
The Hoosiers were out-gunned only in an early season 66-44 loss to a very good Texas team.
"As you go through the film," Franklin says, "it's little plays that decide the outcome. If we fix those things, those five to six plays a game, if we make those, it changes the game. Emphasizing that down the stretch will help us in the long run."
Adds Miller: "You have to be super tough at the right times. You have to able to make couple plays, whether it is a loose ball, made free throws, or whatever it may be.
"We have to grow out of that because I think we can play anybody but we are having a hard time finishing things off."
IU's four freshmen -- Khristian Lander, Trey Galloway, Jordan Geronimo and Anthony Leal -- all played at least 12 minutes against Illinois, combining for 10 points and seven rebounds.
Lander set a career high with basically 19 minutes before fouling out. He had two points, two rebounds and two assists.
"We had four freshmen in that caliber of game," Miller says, "and I think that speak to the development and improvement we showing. We have to stick with it as frustrating or as angry as it may be, we have stick with what we are doing because we are getting better."
Indiana showed its potential in that 81-69 win at Iowa. The Hoosiers made eight three-pointers, committed just eight turnovers and were defensively dominant, especially in the second half, when it ended the game with a 37-16 blitz.
"It was our intensity on the ball," Franklin says about the defense. "We really got into the ballhandlers. We blew up the back screens. It was just being a tightknit group. That was one of our best defensive performances."
Iowa (13-5, 7-4) hasn't been the same since that loss, which came after losing shooting guard CJ Fredrick to a lower leg injury in the first half.
That has cost the Hawkeyes his 8.7 points, near 50-percent three-point shooting and a sparkling 37-4 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The result -- they've lost three of their last four games.
Still, Iowa is geared around superstar center Luka Garza, and Ohio State showed during last week's victory the blueprint in how to slow him down -- get physical without fouling. Garza finished with a Big Ten-low 16 points (10 below his national-leading average), just five in the second half.
Other Hawkeye vulnerabilities have surfaced, starting with holding second-half leads. Iowa had IU down by nine and Ohio State by 11 in the final 20 minutes and still lost. It has given up 81, 80 and 89 points during its three recent defeats.
Garza still leads in scoring (25.9 points) and rebounding (8.7). Guard Joe Wieskamp averages 14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds.
As for IU, a couple of long pandemic-caused breaks (postponed games against Michigan State and Michigan) leaves a hectic final month before the postseason begins.
"We take the time to work on ourselves and make ourselves better," Franklin says about the breaks. "Then as we approach the next game, we work on our game plan. It's keeping our rhythm and being in tune to what we're doing and getting better."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Let others gripe or moan about what might have been.
The Indiana Hoosiers, sophomore guard Armaan Franklin says, have too much to do, starting with Sunday's rematch against No. 8 Iowa at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
"In this league," he says via Zoom, "you can't dwell on losses. The next game will always be the most important game. You see what you did on film, go in practice, work to improve and prepare for the next team.
"There's no time to dwell because you have another one coming."
The Hoosiers (9-8 overall, 4-6 in the Big Ten), so full of optimism after upsetting the Hawkeyes in Iowa City a couple of weeks ago, are looking for answers following two straight heartbreaking losses, both at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall -- by four points to Rutgers and by four in overtime to No. 12 Illinois.
In the end, it's about toughness, or the lack of it, at crunch time.
"It goes back to making the little plays at the end of the game," Franklin says. "Down the stretch, lock in and make those plays and the outcome will change."
In so many ways, Indiana is better than its record (see the fact it's made 22 of its last 41 three-pointers while holding opponents to 31.3 percent three-point shooting in the last three games), and the Hoosiers have 10 games left to prove it.
"We are right there," coach Archie Miller says.
An ankle injury first suffered against Maryland that cost Franklin games against Wisconsin and Nebraska, still bothers him, although not enough to sideline him. He's averaged 12.5 points in the four games since his return, basically the same as his season average of 12.7
"I get treatment as much as I can," he says. "It still bugs me a little bit, but I try to play through it."
That means practice as much as games.
"I want to do everything everybody else does. I don't like sitting out and have my teammates work without me. I do what I can do. Try to impact the game as much as I can."
Miller says Franklin is at about 65 percent, which means he has plenty to offer given he ranks as IU's second best scorer and, perhaps, its best perimeter defender (team leading 21 steals).
"If I sit for a long time and then try to do something, it takes a while to warm up. When I'm playing, I don't think about it. I'm so locked into the game. You don't think about being tired or injured. You think about what you usually do."
IU has lost three overtime games. It was positioned to win in the closing minutes against Northwestern, at Illinois, Purdue and Rutgers, and won none of them.
The Hoosiers were out-gunned only in an early season 66-44 loss to a very good Texas team.
"As you go through the film," Franklin says, "it's little plays that decide the outcome. If we fix those things, those five to six plays a game, if we make those, it changes the game. Emphasizing that down the stretch will help us in the long run."
Adds Miller: "You have to be super tough at the right times. You have to able to make couple plays, whether it is a loose ball, made free throws, or whatever it may be.
"We have to grow out of that because I think we can play anybody but we are having a hard time finishing things off."
IU's four freshmen -- Khristian Lander, Trey Galloway, Jordan Geronimo and Anthony Leal -- all played at least 12 minutes against Illinois, combining for 10 points and seven rebounds.
Lander set a career high with basically 19 minutes before fouling out. He had two points, two rebounds and two assists.
"We had four freshmen in that caliber of game," Miller says, "and I think that speak to the development and improvement we showing. We have to stick with it as frustrating or as angry as it may be, we have stick with what we are doing because we are getting better."
Indiana showed its potential in that 81-69 win at Iowa. The Hoosiers made eight three-pointers, committed just eight turnovers and were defensively dominant, especially in the second half, when it ended the game with a 37-16 blitz.
"It was our intensity on the ball," Franklin says about the defense. "We really got into the ballhandlers. We blew up the back screens. It was just being a tightknit group. That was one of our best defensive performances."
Iowa (13-5, 7-4) hasn't been the same since that loss, which came after losing shooting guard CJ Fredrick to a lower leg injury in the first half.
That has cost the Hawkeyes his 8.7 points, near 50-percent three-point shooting and a sparkling 37-4 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The result -- they've lost three of their last four games.
Still, Iowa is geared around superstar center Luka Garza, and Ohio State showed during last week's victory the blueprint in how to slow him down -- get physical without fouling. Garza finished with a Big Ten-low 16 points (10 below his national-leading average), just five in the second half.
Other Hawkeye vulnerabilities have surfaced, starting with holding second-half leads. Iowa had IU down by nine and Ohio State by 11 in the final 20 minutes and still lost. It has given up 81, 80 and 89 points during its three recent defeats.
Garza still leads in scoring (25.9 points) and rebounding (8.7). Guard Joe Wieskamp averages 14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds.
As for IU, a couple of long pandemic-caused breaks (postponed games against Michigan State and Michigan) leaves a hectic final month before the postseason begins.
"We take the time to work on ourselves and make ourselves better," Franklin says about the breaks. "Then as we approach the next game, we work on our game plan. It's keeping our rhythm and being in tune to what we're doing and getting better."
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