Tuesday, February 15
Bloomington, Ind.
9:00 PM
Indiana University
vs
Wisconsin
'Humbled' Tamar Bates, Hoosiers Brace for Wisconsin
2/15/2022 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Tamar Bates won't lose perspective. Not now. Not after what he's gone through these last two months.
Yes, Indiana's freshman guard found offense as he hadn't since early December during last Saturday's loss at No. 17 Michigan State.
But his 13 points weren't enough, and with No. 15/16 Wisconsin (19-5 overall, 10-4 in the Big Ten) looming Tuesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and the quest to break a three-game losing streak very much on Hoosier minds, Bates focuses on what could be.
"We didn't want to drop three in a row," he says, "but we have another opportunity."
Bates arrived at IU with five-star recruiting acclaim, but after a fast start (he was averaging 7.5 points after consecutive double-figure scoring games, elite reality hit hard. He averages 4.5 points and shoots 30.4 percent from three-point range.
There were games when he didn't score, games where he barely scored, games when the basket seemed as small as a pinhead.
"It was a humbling experience for me," he says. "It was about not getting too rattled and not get shaken up by the so-called slump. Staying the course. Continue to put the work in and not doubt myself."
Bates persevered. The best players always do, and he didn't do it in a vacuum. Coaches and teammates helped, of course, as did talks with his father, Dr. Tyrone Bates, and brother Trey, who plays at Kansas City (Kansas) Community College.
"My main person is my dad. I can call him. He'll call me. He can watch me, whether he's at the game or watching on TV, and he has an idea of what's going on.
"I have a lot of great conversations with him. My dad and my brother are the ones I look to have open conversations with. They're the ones I turn to talk to when I'm in need."
Their message boils down to this:
"Everything starts up top," Bates says. "That's something my dad is big on. Even last year, in high school, the coaching staff I was around, that was something they stressed. It was recognizing my physical health is just as important as my mental health.
"Take a more serious approach and put action to it."
Beyond that, "It was doing things to keep my head on straight, like reading books and meditating."
The books were by Jon Gordon, an author and speaker renowned for his approach to leadership, team work and the power of positive thinking. Over the years, Gordon has worked with many pro teams and college programs.
Specifically, Bates read the Energy Bus, which lists "Ten rules to fuel your life, work and team with positive energy."
It paid off at Michigan State with those career-high matching 13 points (he also had 13 against Nebraska on Dec. 4), but the turnaround was more than just making shots.
"It's more knowing what will keep me on the floor," he says. "Staying solid on defense. Doing what the coaches ask of me. Doing things that will help me stay on the floor. Sticking to what I know."
What Bates knows about Tuesday night's opportunity comes down to one thing:
Win.
"That's the main focus," he says.
Focus comes with a 16-8 record, 7-7 in the Big Ten, and a struggling offense. The Hoosiers have scored 57, 51 and 61 points in their last three games.
Besides finding more offense, coach Mike Woodson's biggest challenge is restoring Indiana's late-season dominance.
The Hoosiers once rated among the nation's top regular-season-ending closers in February and early March.
But that's changed since their 2016 Big Ten title run.
Last season IU lost seven of its last eight games. In 2020, it lost three of its last five. In 2019, it split its last four games (but was done in by an earlier 1-11 stretch). In 2018, it lost its last three.
One thing the Hoosiers will have in their favor Tuesday night is Big Ten unpredictability.
As Woodson has said, "Anybody can beat anybody."
Case in point, last Saturday, Rutgers won at Wisconsin, and Maryland nearly upset Purdue at Mackey Arena.
Against Rutgers, the Badgers were done in by poor three-point shooting, with guard Brad Davison leading the unwanted way.
Normally one of the Big Ten's best three-point shooters, his recent long-range beyond-the-arc slump includes a 1-for-9 effort against Rutgers. It was his fourth straight game shooting less than 30 percent on three-pointers.
As a team, Wisconsin was just 4-for-19 on three-pointers.
The Badgers consistently rank among the nation's best in turnovers, and average just 8.4 this season. However, they had 11 against Rutgers, eight in the second half.
Big Ten player of the year contender Johnny Davis, a 6-5 guard, averages 20.3 points and 8.2 rebounds. He leads the Badgers with 54 assists.
Davison averages 14.4 points and 4.1 rebounds. He has a 48-23 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Tyler Wahl, a 6-9 junior forward, averages 11.6 points and 5.7 rebounds. He's coming off a career-high 23 points against Rutgers.
"You look at Johnny Davis," Woodson told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during his Monday night radio show. "This guy is considered a player of the year candidate, and has played that way. They've got a solid starting five. That's where the bulk of the minutes come."
IU had Wisconsin on the brink at the Kohl Center on Dec. 8. It built a 22-point lead before fading in the second half to lose 64-59.
"We have to commit for 40 minutes," Woodson told Fischer. "The last time, we committed to 38 and a half minutes and it wasn't enough.
"We can't take them lightly. Their last game they lost to Rutgers at home. It will be a challenge. I'm always anxious to see who will step up and make plays to get us over the hump.
"We have to continue to grow and see where we go to get this team over the hump."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Tamar Bates won't lose perspective. Not now. Not after what he's gone through these last two months.
Yes, Indiana's freshman guard found offense as he hadn't since early December during last Saturday's loss at No. 17 Michigan State.
But his 13 points weren't enough, and with No. 15/16 Wisconsin (19-5 overall, 10-4 in the Big Ten) looming Tuesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and the quest to break a three-game losing streak very much on Hoosier minds, Bates focuses on what could be.
"We didn't want to drop three in a row," he says, "but we have another opportunity."
Bates arrived at IU with five-star recruiting acclaim, but after a fast start (he was averaging 7.5 points after consecutive double-figure scoring games, elite reality hit hard. He averages 4.5 points and shoots 30.4 percent from three-point range.
There were games when he didn't score, games where he barely scored, games when the basket seemed as small as a pinhead.
"It was a humbling experience for me," he says. "It was about not getting too rattled and not get shaken up by the so-called slump. Staying the course. Continue to put the work in and not doubt myself."
Bates persevered. The best players always do, and he didn't do it in a vacuum. Coaches and teammates helped, of course, as did talks with his father, Dr. Tyrone Bates, and brother Trey, who plays at Kansas City (Kansas) Community College.
"My main person is my dad. I can call him. He'll call me. He can watch me, whether he's at the game or watching on TV, and he has an idea of what's going on.
"I have a lot of great conversations with him. My dad and my brother are the ones I look to have open conversations with. They're the ones I turn to talk to when I'm in need."
Their message boils down to this:
"Everything starts up top," Bates says. "That's something my dad is big on. Even last year, in high school, the coaching staff I was around, that was something they stressed. It was recognizing my physical health is just as important as my mental health.
"Take a more serious approach and put action to it."
Beyond that, "It was doing things to keep my head on straight, like reading books and meditating."
The books were by Jon Gordon, an author and speaker renowned for his approach to leadership, team work and the power of positive thinking. Over the years, Gordon has worked with many pro teams and college programs.
Specifically, Bates read the Energy Bus, which lists "Ten rules to fuel your life, work and team with positive energy."
It paid off at Michigan State with those career-high matching 13 points (he also had 13 against Nebraska on Dec. 4), but the turnaround was more than just making shots.
"It's more knowing what will keep me on the floor," he says. "Staying solid on defense. Doing what the coaches ask of me. Doing things that will help me stay on the floor. Sticking to what I know."
What Bates knows about Tuesday night's opportunity comes down to one thing:
Win.
"That's the main focus," he says.
Focus comes with a 16-8 record, 7-7 in the Big Ten, and a struggling offense. The Hoosiers have scored 57, 51 and 61 points in their last three games.
Besides finding more offense, coach Mike Woodson's biggest challenge is restoring Indiana's late-season dominance.
The Hoosiers once rated among the nation's top regular-season-ending closers in February and early March.
But that's changed since their 2016 Big Ten title run.
Last season IU lost seven of its last eight games. In 2020, it lost three of its last five. In 2019, it split its last four games (but was done in by an earlier 1-11 stretch). In 2018, it lost its last three.
One thing the Hoosiers will have in their favor Tuesday night is Big Ten unpredictability.
As Woodson has said, "Anybody can beat anybody."
Case in point, last Saturday, Rutgers won at Wisconsin, and Maryland nearly upset Purdue at Mackey Arena.
Against Rutgers, the Badgers were done in by poor three-point shooting, with guard Brad Davison leading the unwanted way.
Normally one of the Big Ten's best three-point shooters, his recent long-range beyond-the-arc slump includes a 1-for-9 effort against Rutgers. It was his fourth straight game shooting less than 30 percent on three-pointers.
As a team, Wisconsin was just 4-for-19 on three-pointers.
The Badgers consistently rank among the nation's best in turnovers, and average just 8.4 this season. However, they had 11 against Rutgers, eight in the second half.
Big Ten player of the year contender Johnny Davis, a 6-5 guard, averages 20.3 points and 8.2 rebounds. He leads the Badgers with 54 assists.
Davison averages 14.4 points and 4.1 rebounds. He has a 48-23 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Tyler Wahl, a 6-9 junior forward, averages 11.6 points and 5.7 rebounds. He's coming off a career-high 23 points against Rutgers.
"You look at Johnny Davis," Woodson told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during his Monday night radio show. "This guy is considered a player of the year candidate, and has played that way. They've got a solid starting five. That's where the bulk of the minutes come."
IU had Wisconsin on the brink at the Kohl Center on Dec. 8. It built a 22-point lead before fading in the second half to lose 64-59.
"We have to commit for 40 minutes," Woodson told Fischer. "The last time, we committed to 38 and a half minutes and it wasn't enough.
"We can't take them lightly. Their last game they lost to Rutgers at home. It will be a challenge. I'm always anxious to see who will step up and make plays to get us over the hump.
"We have to continue to grow and see where we go to get this team over the hump."
Players Mentioned
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