Column: Three keys to IU’s tournament success

Getting to the Foul Line

Against Penn State on Thursday, IU shot 20 more free throws than the Nittany Lions and won by 17. Although junior Christian Watford shot just 2-of-11 from the field, he made all 10 of the foul shots he attempted.

This continued a season-long trend of the Hoosiers’ success from the charity stripe. IU has made the sixth-most free throws in the country, attempted the 20th-most and had the 16th-highest free-throw percentage. In IU’s second-most-recent loss, a 68-56 defeat at Michigan, the Hoosiers only went 9-of-13 from the foul line.

Without the friendly surroundings of Assembly Hall, IU Coach Tom Crean’s squad must get to the free-throw line early and often in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

Guard Play

Without senior guard Verdell Jones III, depth in the Hoosiers’ backcourt needs to step up in the postseason. Guards Remy Abell,  Matt Roth and other IU reserves will need to help fill the void when Victor Oladipo and Jordan Hulls head to the bench. It’s hard enough to play on such a big stage without a senior leader, but for him to be the first guard off the bench hurts even more.

When their number is called, these Hoosiers will need to rise to the occasion and put in quality minutes.

Dictating the Pace

The Hoosiers like to get out into transition and score easy points off their defense. When they’re slowed into a half-court game, they run into trouble. A perfect example is IU’s 57-50 loss in Madison, Wisc. The Hoosiers fell to Wisconsin’s slow style of play and were bogged down in an unfriendly tempo in which they scored their lowest point total of the year.

IU averages the second-most possessions per game in the Big Ten. If the Hoosiers speed up the pace to where they are most comfortable, they might be looking at making some noise in the Big Dance.