Indiana fell behind rapidly and trailed by double figures for greater than 36 minutes in a 76-64 loss at Wisconsin Tuesday night time. The loss dropped the Hoosiers to 14-9 total and 5-7 in Large Ten play.
Listed below are 5 takeaways from the loss to the Badgers:
Indiana was by no means within the recreation
In his postgame radio interview with Don Fischer, Mike Woodson stated he “thought Indiana got here out with good intentions.”
The truth is the Hoosiers weren’t ready to play, nor did they put up a struggle.
Wisconsin, recognized for its elite 3-point capturing, rapidly buried the Hoosiers from the perimeter. A lot of the appears to be like have been uncontested.
Lower than 4 and a half minutes into the sport, the Badgers led 19-2. Wisconsin shot 9-for-16 on 3s within the first half. After competing in hard-fought losses to Maryland and Purdue, the Hoosiers rolled over within the Kohl Middle.
Whereas the ultimate rating reads as a 12-point loss in a venue the place IU has not received since 1998, the Hoosiers have been by no means within the recreation. It was a non-competitive, uninspired effort and the newest instance of Woodson’s “most gifted” IU roster failing to satisfy expectations.
Badgers maintain Oumar Ballo in examine
Oumar Ballo, Indiana’s most constant participant all season, was held in examine by Wisconsin Tuesday night time.
The Badgers emphasised conserving the ball out of Ballo’s palms and likewise conserving him off the offensive glass.
The fifth-year senior took simply three pictures and scored 4 factors, his lowest output of the season. Coming into the sport, Ballo had scored in double figures in 9 straight video games.
He additionally performed solely 26 minutes, his lowest quantity because the Chattanooga recreation on Dec. 21.
“That is the primary recreation this season since he’s been with us that he’s had a nasty recreation,” Woodson advised Fischer postgame. “Wasn’t nothing going proper for him and I assumed our transition protection coming again early, that’s what opened the gates for them a little bit bit on the 3s that they did make as a result of we didn’t get again and get matched. And he had rather a lot to do with that.”
Indiana is 1-6 in its final seven video games
The Hoosiers began Large Ten play 4-1 and have been 13-3 total after a win in opposition to USC on Jan. 8.
However because the competitors ramped up, Indiana has fallen aside. Tuesday’s loss was this system’s fourth straight and sixth in its final seven video games.
And the street doesn’t get any simpler quickly. Indiana hosts Michigan on Saturday earlier than touring to Michigan State on Tuesday. After that, the Hoosiers host back-to-back video games in opposition to UCLA and Purdue.
All 4 groups are within the high 4 of the league standings.
“We will’t afford to lose any video games at dwelling the remainder of the way in which,” Woodson advised Fischer. “We’ve obtained 5 left beginning with Michigan, we gotta win all 5 and work out these final three video games out on the the street.”
IU’s Kohl Middle shedding streak reaches 21 video games
Tuesday was the newest chapter in Indiana’s underwhelming historical past on the Kohl Middle.
After beating Wisconsin 69-59 on Jan. 25, 1998, the Hoosiers haven’t received a recreation since in Madison. Indiana has now dropped 21 straight video games to the Badgers on the Kohl Middle.
It takes a degree of toughness and togetherness to win in Madison, which this Indiana staff lacks. That was evident when the Hoosiers have been down by 20 factors lower than seven minutes into the sport.
Underwhelming begins have been a theme this season for the Hoosiers and Woodson, now in his fourth season in Bloomington, has been unable to treatment the difficulty.
Woodson couldn’t pinpoint a cause when requested about IU’s lack of vitality to begin Tuesday’s recreation.
“I don’t know. It’s laborious for me to elucidate it,” he stated. “However we’re working out of video games and I’ve obtained to determine these subsequent eight video games out as a result of it’s going to be very pivotal for our basketball staff when it comes to making event play.”
One other poor defensive effort for one of many Large Ten’s worst defenses
Indiana allowed 1.15 factors per possession in Tuesday’s loss, the bottom output it has surrendered in its final 4 video games.
Nevertheless, that’s nothing for the Hoosiers to have a good time.
Large Ten groups are capturing 35.5 % on 3s and 54.2 % on 2s in opposition to Indiana. From a defensive perspective, the one factor the Hoosiers have completed properly in convention video games is hit the defensive glass.
Indiana’s protection has regressed every season in Large Ten video games below Woodson. Convention opponents scored simply 1.008 factors per possession in his first season at Indiana. In yr two, that quantity jumped to 1.041 factors per possession. Final season, the Hoosiers gave up 1.079 factors per possession.
This season, the backslide has continued. By means of 12 Large Ten video games, Indiana ranks 14th within the convention at 1.118 factors per possession allowed.
Filed to: Wisconsin Badgers
