IU tries to break 11-game skid

Mired in an 11-game losing streak – tying for the longest in school history – fresh off an 0-for-January and still winless in the Big Ten, the Hoosier faithful, once whispering, now see those whispers evolving into an honest question.

Will IU (5-15, 0-8) win another game this season?

Statistically, tonight’s clash against fellow Big Ten bottom feeder Iowa will be one of the Hoosiers’ best chances to stop the streak.

The Hawkeyes (12-10, 2-7) come into Bloomington riding a three-game slump themselves and after a 5-0 start have played under .500.

The Hoosiers gave Iowa a run for its money in Iowa City, Iowa, in early January but ultimately fell 65-60.

But the biggest IU killer during that game – Hawkeye senior Cyrus Tate – sprained his ankle during his very next matchup and hasn’t played since.

If Tate is unable to play tonight, his 22-point, 11-rebound performance from the last time he faced IU will be tough for the Hawkeyes to regain.

But Iowa’s recent struggles have nothing on what the Hoosiers have been through. Winless since Dec. 10, IU has crept closer to squeaking out a victory the last few games.

Unfortunately for IU, something seems to always go wrong. In a narrow two-point loss at Northwestern, the Hoosiers couldn’t stop turning over the ball at pivotal moments.

On Saturday against Ohio State, a bevy of questionable calls and a poor defensive outing prevented the team from pulling out the victory.

Despite the bickering between IU players and the referees Saturday, Hoosier freshman Nick Williams insisted the lack of defense was the more pressing issue for his team.

“We don’t really think about the referees. We just play ball,” Williams said. “Like I said, we have to play way better defense, and we can’t get relaxed knowing that this is a conference full of great players. We just have to be better.”

Senior Kyle Taber agreed with Williams, tying the frustration shown on the court to the team’s desire to finally grab a conference victory.

“We don’t really think about the losing streak, but yes, we do want to win,” Taber said. “I mean, that’s what we’re working for every day is the win. We know we’re right there. We just got to make a couple of adjustments every game, and we’ll be there.”

One of those recent adjustments is an increase in 3-point attempts and conversions.
On average this season, IU shoots 33.8 percent from behind the arc, but in their last three games, the Hoosiers have hit more than 50 percent from range, including a record-setting performance from freshman Matt Roth against Ohio State on Saturday.
Roth hit 9-of-11 3s en route to a career-high 29 points.   

Though a repeat performance seems unlikely, Crean said if Roth continues to look for his shot both he and the team will continue to be effective.

“It’s very important that he looked for his shot more,” Crean said of Roth, “because he makes it so much better for everyone else when he’s looking for his shot.”