IU approaches its worst Big Ten losing streak

Too much went wrong, too soon. Like so many previous losses, this one happened quickly.

Thursday’s 78-46 loss to Wisconsin marked IU’s worst loss in Assembly Hall, a stretch of 39 years. 

The demise began early. With five minutes left in the first half, Hoosiers were already down by 10 points and ended the first half with a 17-point deficit. 

And like so many of their previous 18 losses, they didn’t fare better in the second half.  
In their second-to-last home game of the season, the Hoosiers shot 35.3 percent, hit
0-of-5 3s and were 10-of-20 on the free throw line.

None of those stats mattered as much as two fouls from the most unsuspecting member: IU coach Tom Crean. 

Crean got his first technical foul of the season at the 10:22 mark. Less than a minute later, he picked up his second and was ejected from the game. The fans chanted his name as Wisconsin’s Trevon Hughes missed his free throw. 

Even though IU couldn’t stave off Wisconsin, Crean’s dismissal brought the rowdiness to Assembly Hall. After he left, Wisconsin only outscored IU by six for the remaining minutes. But at the 6:22 mark, Wisconsin took a 31-point lead.

Before Crean’s ejection, his team was already down by a historic amount. At the 15:46 mark, Wisconsin more than doubled IU’s score as it took a 50-24 lead.   
Wisconsin kept a 20-plus lead for the rest of the game.

And like Sunday’s 81-58 loss against Minnesota, the team’s top-two leading scorers couldn’t deliver. Sophomore guard Verdell Jones and freshman forward Christian Watford only hit 5-of-18 for 16 total points. 

21 of Wisconsin’s points came off IU’s 18 turnovers, a problem that has plagued the Hoosiers since the beginning of the season. 

The Badgers’ 24 defensive rebounds kept IU from getting second chances and closing the gap, while their nine blocks also prevented IU from getting second looks at the rim.  
“Defensively, we tried to take certain things away from them,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. “We did a decent job of that.”

One bright spot — if the only one — was freshman forward Derek Elston, who finished as the team’s leading scorer (12 points) and the only Hoosier in double digits.

“I want to be around guys who make things happen,” Crean said of Elston.
But as far as the whole team is concerned, Crean said his vision for IU’s rebirth is still too far-off to predict.

“Every day, you just keep driving the same message,” Crean said. “Is it there? No.”