Wednesday, December 7
Bloomington, Ind.
8:30 PM
Indiana University
vs
Nebraska
Still Tough – IU Seeks to Return to Form Against Nebraska
12/7/2022 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Miller Kopp finds perspective amid Hoosier Nation basketball anguish.
Big Ten success is fueled on toughness over 20 conference games, not one. Kopp, who displayed on-the-road toughness at Rutgers his teammates couldn't match, offers this assessment as No. 14 Indiana (7-1 overall, 0-1) hosts surging Nebraska (6-3, 0-0) Wednesday night.
"We have it in us," Kopp says. "That's the thing. We wouldn't be in the position we're in now if we didn't have toughness.
"The fact that we got out-toughed in one game doesn't mean it's not there. It just means Rutgers did a better job that we did."
A repeat performance is not in coach Mike Woodson's plans. Bouncing back from the 63-48 loss is.
"You can be beaten by anybody in college basketball if you don't come to play," he says. "For sure in the Big Ten because there are so many good teams and good coaches.
"We did some good things (against Rutgers), but I thought we got out-toughed. That was more glaring to me than anything."
Fixing it starts with rebounding. The Scarlet Knights had a 47-33 edge. That was a big disappointment given IU had out-rebounded North Carolina 40-39 a couple of nights earlier.
"You've got to display it on the floor like we did in the North Carolina game," Woodson says. "If you look at that game, who was the toughest team? You're going to say Indiana. We got the 50-50 balls; we defended the (heck) out of Carolina.
"It wasn't that way against Rutgers. They were the toughest team. We've got to figure out how to not let that happen again. That's the key."
IU has worked on rebounding drills and box-out drills in practice, but that only means so much, Woodson says. He reflects back to his Hoosier playing days under coach Bob Knight.
"There's nothing magical in practice that you can (do) -- I can roll a ball out and say "loose ball drills" like Coach Knight used to do and make you get on the floor and knock the (heck) out of somebody and get a loose ball. I can do all those things.
"But that don't mean (anything) to me. You've got to do it in the game when it counts. Not in practice, knocking the (heck) out of each other, which we do. We beat up each other for almost four months before we actually got an opponent.
"I don't like the fact that we got out-toughed. That just takes guts and hearts to go out, rebound and get the 50-50 balls. That's something we've got to display in the game and not just in practice."
Nebraska figures to follow Rutgers' game plan and double or even triple team All-America forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. Negating that comes down to one thing:
Make outside shots.
Kopp made 5-of-9 three-point attempts at Rutgers. The rest of the Hoosiers were 1-for-16.
"The bottom line," Woodson says, "is you've got to make shots."
Kopp has emerged as the three-point force everyone expected when he transferred from Northwestern. He's 18-for-34 beyond the arc this season (52.9 percent). He's had eight career game with at least three three-pointers.
Hoosiers such as Xavier Johnson, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Tamar Bates have to provide three-point shooting help, especially when Nebraska double teams Jackson-Davis in the post.
"If (Jackson-Davis is) getting double-teamed," Woodson says, "if he's double-teamed down low, if he's double-teamed out top, the ball has got to move around and it's going to fall in somebody's hands, and they've got to make a shot. It's just that simple.
"It's not science. It's not. There's nothing magical about it. You can be double-teamed down low; you can be double-teamed out top, on the side, which we were double-teamed out top. We were double-teamed down low. Guys have got to make shots."
At Rutgers, Woodson says, "We had some good looks. We just didn't knock them down."
This has become a dangerous Nebraska team in coach Fred Hoiberg's fourth season. The Cornhuskers have won three straight games, including an upset of then No. 7 Creighton 64-53 on the road on Sunday.
They have won three straight road games against ranked teams, also winning at No. 22 Ohio State and at No. 10 Wisconsin last season. They are 9-4 in their last 13 games, and have won four of their last five road games.
Nebraska has five double-figure scorers, led by 6-9, 245-pound senior forward Derrick Walker, who averages 16.8 points and 9.5 rebounds while shooting 73.3 percent from the field. He had 22 points and eight rebounds against Creighton.
Sam Griesel, a 6-7 senior guard, averages 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 50.7 percent from the field. He had 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists against Creighton.
Guard Keisei Taminaga averages 10.7 points and shoots 41.7 percent from three-point range, 50.7 percent overall.
Four Cornhuskers have scored at least 20 points in a game, and four have recorded a double-double.
Nebraska defends without fouling. Opponents attempt 9.6 free throws per game compared to the Cornhuskers 16.4 attempts
IU has beaten Nebraska six straight times. Jackson-Davis averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in last season's two victories.
As Woodson said on his Monday night radio show with Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer
"If you're thinking about trying to win a Big Ten title, you've got to win at home.
"Nebraska is a different ball club this season. We've got to commit for 40 minutes because they are playing extremely well."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Miller Kopp finds perspective amid Hoosier Nation basketball anguish.
Big Ten success is fueled on toughness over 20 conference games, not one. Kopp, who displayed on-the-road toughness at Rutgers his teammates couldn't match, offers this assessment as No. 14 Indiana (7-1 overall, 0-1) hosts surging Nebraska (6-3, 0-0) Wednesday night.
"We have it in us," Kopp says. "That's the thing. We wouldn't be in the position we're in now if we didn't have toughness.
"The fact that we got out-toughed in one game doesn't mean it's not there. It just means Rutgers did a better job that we did."
A repeat performance is not in coach Mike Woodson's plans. Bouncing back from the 63-48 loss is.
"You can be beaten by anybody in college basketball if you don't come to play," he says. "For sure in the Big Ten because there are so many good teams and good coaches.
"We did some good things (against Rutgers), but I thought we got out-toughed. That was more glaring to me than anything."
Fixing it starts with rebounding. The Scarlet Knights had a 47-33 edge. That was a big disappointment given IU had out-rebounded North Carolina 40-39 a couple of nights earlier.
"You've got to display it on the floor like we did in the North Carolina game," Woodson says. "If you look at that game, who was the toughest team? You're going to say Indiana. We got the 50-50 balls; we defended the (heck) out of Carolina.
"It wasn't that way against Rutgers. They were the toughest team. We've got to figure out how to not let that happen again. That's the key."
IU has worked on rebounding drills and box-out drills in practice, but that only means so much, Woodson says. He reflects back to his Hoosier playing days under coach Bob Knight.
"There's nothing magical in practice that you can (do) -- I can roll a ball out and say "loose ball drills" like Coach Knight used to do and make you get on the floor and knock the (heck) out of somebody and get a loose ball. I can do all those things.
"But that don't mean (anything) to me. You've got to do it in the game when it counts. Not in practice, knocking the (heck) out of each other, which we do. We beat up each other for almost four months before we actually got an opponent.
"I don't like the fact that we got out-toughed. That just takes guts and hearts to go out, rebound and get the 50-50 balls. That's something we've got to display in the game and not just in practice."
Nebraska figures to follow Rutgers' game plan and double or even triple team All-America forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. Negating that comes down to one thing:
Make outside shots.
Kopp made 5-of-9 three-point attempts at Rutgers. The rest of the Hoosiers were 1-for-16.
"The bottom line," Woodson says, "is you've got to make shots."
Kopp has emerged as the three-point force everyone expected when he transferred from Northwestern. He's 18-for-34 beyond the arc this season (52.9 percent). He's had eight career game with at least three three-pointers.
Hoosiers such as Xavier Johnson, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Tamar Bates have to provide three-point shooting help, especially when Nebraska double teams Jackson-Davis in the post.
"If (Jackson-Davis is) getting double-teamed," Woodson says, "if he's double-teamed down low, if he's double-teamed out top, the ball has got to move around and it's going to fall in somebody's hands, and they've got to make a shot. It's just that simple.
"It's not science. It's not. There's nothing magical about it. You can be double-teamed down low; you can be double-teamed out top, on the side, which we were double-teamed out top. We were double-teamed down low. Guys have got to make shots."
At Rutgers, Woodson says, "We had some good looks. We just didn't knock them down."
This has become a dangerous Nebraska team in coach Fred Hoiberg's fourth season. The Cornhuskers have won three straight games, including an upset of then No. 7 Creighton 64-53 on the road on Sunday.
They have won three straight road games against ranked teams, also winning at No. 22 Ohio State and at No. 10 Wisconsin last season. They are 9-4 in their last 13 games, and have won four of their last five road games.
Nebraska has five double-figure scorers, led by 6-9, 245-pound senior forward Derrick Walker, who averages 16.8 points and 9.5 rebounds while shooting 73.3 percent from the field. He had 22 points and eight rebounds against Creighton.
Sam Griesel, a 6-7 senior guard, averages 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 50.7 percent from the field. He had 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists against Creighton.
Guard Keisei Taminaga averages 10.7 points and shoots 41.7 percent from three-point range, 50.7 percent overall.
Four Cornhuskers have scored at least 20 points in a game, and four have recorded a double-double.
Nebraska defends without fouling. Opponents attempt 9.6 free throws per game compared to the Cornhuskers 16.4 attempts
IU has beaten Nebraska six straight times. Jackson-Davis averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in last season's two victories.
As Woodson said on his Monday night radio show with Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer
"If you're thinking about trying to win a Big Ten title, you've got to win at home.
"Nebraska is a different ball club this season. We've got to commit for 40 minutes because they are playing extremely well."
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballFB: Under the Hood with Indiana Football - Week 4 (Illinois)
Wednesday, September 17
FB: Kellan Wyatt Media Availability (9/16/25)
Tuesday, September 16
FB: Mikail Kamara Media Availability (9/16/25)
Tuesday, September 16
FB: Curt Cignetti Media Availability (9/15/25)
Monday, September 15