After break, IU Back Against Northwestern

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The basketball math is clear -- Indiana has seven remaining regular-season games to find its peak form and, perhaps, play its way into NCAA tourney opportunity.

It starts Sunday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall against Northwestern (17-8 overall, 8-6 in the Big Ten). An eight-day layoff after the Purdue defeat has the Hoosiers (14-10, 6-7) focused on improvement in multiple areas, highlighted by defense, shooting and sustained high-level guard play.

Kenya Hunter, associate head coach, told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during the weekly radio show that practice has centered on doing the offensive and defensive work necessary to deliver a strong finish.

Thanks to the long break and four remaining home games, Hunter told Fischer that he was "very optimistic" about the prospects. The Hoosiers spent a lot of practice time on themselves as well as Northwestern.

"It gave us a chance to fix some things," Hunter told Fischer.

That included overcoming offensive lulls that came from poor shot selection and turnovers that also hurt IU on the defensive end.

Hunter told Fischer that Hoosier inconsistency reflects youth and injury, especially with sixth-year senior guard Xavier Johnson, who has missed 10 games because of foot and elbow issues. Hunter also told Fischer that IU has not overcome the loss of leadership and production previously provided by Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson, and Miller Kopp.

True freshmen Mackenzie Mgbako and Gabe Cupps have started regularly along with sophomore Malik Reneau and first-year transfer Kel'el Ware, also a sophomore. Sophomore CJ Gunn and first-year transfer Anthony Walker, a fifth-year senior, also have been major contributors.

"It's tough when you have a young group," Hunter told Fischer, "and we've been emphasizing putting 40 minutes together, not just one half. We have a lot of young guys playing a lot of minutes. In the past when we've struggled, we had older guys who knew what spots to be in and how to help each other."

Hunter told Fischer he wasn't making an excuse -- IU has to play better -- but that young players struggle to understand the concept of helping the helper. He said it wasn't a cohesion or chemistry problem, and that despite the youth, "at some point, we've got to figure it out and get better."

At Purdue, Gunn scored a career-high 13 points and made three-of-four 3-point attempts.

"We needed that," Hunter told Fischer, "and hopefully for CJ, that can give him the confidence to be consistently like that off the bench. It wasn't just his scoring. It was the ability to play (offense and defense) and execute."

With Johnson out, senior Trey Galloway has become IU's main playmaker. He has to score, defend, run the offense, and make plays for others, particularly for Ware and Reneau.

"He had to be that guard for us on the perimeter," Hunter told Fischer.

Galloway's inconsistent shooting has been a problem. Hunter told Fischer it wasn't a lack of confidence as much as adjusting to now being a defensive priority for opponents.

"He's a target," Hunter told Fischer. "He's one of our best players, and teams will game plan for him, so it gets harder. He's not getting the clean looks he did last year when teams double-teamed Trayce Jackson-Davis. He's got to take good shots. That will help his percentages."

Northwestern, which has wins over Purdue, Illinois, and Michigan State, is coming off a loss at Rutgers earlier in the week in which it blew an 11-point, second-half lead.

Beating the Wildcats starts with containing senior guard Boo Buie, who just became the second Wildcats to surpass 2,000 career points, joining John Shurna.

Buie scored 27 points against Rutgers. He's scored in double figures in seven-straight games and 22 times overall this season.

He averages 19.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. He's made 60 3-pointers and totaled 131 assists. Containing him, Hunter told Fischer, starts with defending him on ball screens.

Beyond Buie, guard Brooks Barnhizer averages 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds, and has a team leading 48 steals. Guard Ryan Langborg averages 11.6 points and 3.2 rebounds.

"Northwestern is not going to beat themselves," Hunter told Fischer.

On Sunday, IU will wear its new Fear of God alternate uniforms. It's part of a collaboration with Adidas and Fear of God, an influential luxury brand founded by Jerry Lorenzo in 2011.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Gabe Cupps

Trey Galloway

CJ Gunn

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Xavier Johnson

Miller Kopp

Mackenzie Mgbako

Malik Reneau

Race Thompson

Anthony Walker

Kel'el Ware