Jones shines through Hoosiers' sloppy play

After IU dropped a 58-43 contest to Iowa on Jan. 24, something changed.

Both IU coach Tom Crean and his players alike spoke about the team’s quality practices and its renewed focus and belief since the home loss.

Despite falling short at Illinois and at home versus No. 8 Purdue, the Hoosiers looked, acted and felt like an entirely different team.

“No question,” junior guard Jeremiah Rivers said after the 78-75 loss to Purdue. “I think just the way we are playing. I think our communication is better, our defense is better, our offense is better. You can see that we’re really focused right now.”

Watching IU battle Illinois until the final horn and seeing the Hoosiers push the highly-touted Boilermakers for 40 minutes, we all saw those qualities first-hand.

Sunday’s game at Northwestern, however, was a completely different story. In fact, the Hoosiers looked like the same, inconsistent Hoosiers that have been unpredictable all season.

After an 8-of-16 effort from beyond the arc versus Purdue, IU shot 2-of-17 from deep Sunday. In fact, senior guard Devan Dumes and freshman guard Jordan Hulls took that word to an entirely different level.

Early in the first half, Dumes pulled up from Buffalo Grove, Ill., and later followed his first missed 3-pointer with a 28- or 30-footer that missed everything and had enough air to land at O’Hare Airport.  

Late in the second, with IU trying to claw back, the momentum was lost when Hulls threw up a bomb from Eric Gordon-like territory with the Hoosiers in transition. The miss led to a 5-0 Wildcats run with IU down just 11, its smallest deficit since the 19:22 mark in the second half.

IU appeared to be taking too many quick shots, including a number off fast breaks, perhaps intimidated by the defensive problems Northwestern has been known to create.

The Hoosiers got large boosts off the bench since switching to the more traditional two-guard lineup after the Iowa game, but the team’s first bench points Sunday came with 4:24 left in the game.

Games are won and lost by team efforts, but sophomore guard Verdell Jones carried the Hoosiers on his back all day.  

Of the Hoosiers’ 18 made field goals, Jones accounted for 13 of them with his seven made field goals and six assists.

Freshman forward Christian Watford chipped in 16 points, but 4 of his 5 field goals came on looks from Jones and a pair of his trips to the free-throw line were also created by Jones’ passes.

Jones, who posted a career-high 28 points, including 12-of-13 shooting from the foul line, has certainly responded since the Iowa loss.
He is averaging 24 points and 5 assists over the last three games.

With Rivers and Hulls in the picture, Jones has played significantly fewer minutes this year as the team’s point guard.

But Sunday, Jones was unquestionably IU’s best player on the floor, whether he was running the point or playing in his typical off-ball position. IU needed the ball in his hands in almost any offense, but one man typically can’t do it all.

Injured freshman guard Maurice Creek has been sidelined for 10 games, so it’s not like IU hasn’t had time to find another scorer.  

The Hoosiers might be a different team after all, but until a player outside of Jones consistently produces, IU will likely run into the same problems that have been hurting the team all season.