Column: No. 1 IU uses defense to create offense

On a night when shots are not falling early, the IU men’s basketball team should look at its 87-51 win against the Coppin State Eagles as this season’s best example of how solid defense turns into offense.

“For us, we score in transition, and we score in multiple ways,” junior guard Victor Oladipo said. “But essentially we score off our defense. We’ve got to continue to play defense at a high level, continue helping each other so we can win big.”

When the Hoosiers struggled early Saturday night, the team relied on its aggressive defense to generate easy baskets, something the team lacked at times last season.

Coming out of halftime, IU put on a defensive show, demonstrating how quickly the team can jump on an opponent when all five Hoosiers on the court are locked in defensively.

For the majority of the second half, IU switched to a full court press to pressure Coppin State and then dropped back into a 2-3 zone when the Eagles broke the press.

The adjustments paid off as a quicker tempo allowed IU to outscore Coppin State 54-32 in the second half.

“I think we have a lot of tired guys who are tired because they spent it,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “That’s what you want. They truly brought fatigue to the game tonight, especially in the second half.”

Although the Hoosiers collectively amped up the pressure, nobody created more havoc or was more active defensively than Oladipo.

Oladipo, from Upper Marlboro, Md., finished the game with 14 points — his sixth consecutive game scoring in double figures — while adding six rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block.

He recorded his fifth game of the season with at least three steals, while IU posted its third double-digit steal performance in eight games.

“It started in the beginning with Vic, who ended up having 20 deflections tonight, which is a high for us at Indiana and an individual high for him,” Crean said.

Sophomore guard Remy Abell said Oladipo’s intensity on defense provided the Hoosiers a huge lift on a night when IU started 2-of-13 from the field.

“Defense fuels offense,” Abell said. “Offense isn’t always going to come. You can’t bring your offense, but you can definitely bring your defense.

“You can bring the defense, the hustle, the toughness, the boxing out, the rebounding. You can bring that all on the road and at home. Offense isn’t always going to be there.”

While Oladipo’s relentless pursuit on the defensive end can be seen anytime he is out on the floor, he isn’t the only one playing tough defense. The entire team has bought in.

Overall, IU stole the ball 11 times and forced 17 Coppin State turnovers while limiting the Eagles to only 19-of-56, or 33.9 percent, from the field and 5-of-23, 21.7 percent, from behind the arc for the game.

The Hoosiers translated those 17 turnovers into 21 points, while also boasting 42 points from the bench.

“We got a lot of guys that are committed to defense because they see what can be created from defense turning into offense,” Crean said.

In IU’s Sweet 16 loss to Kentucky last season, the Hoosiers could not get a stop when they needed it most, and ultimately the Wildcats put up 102 points to end the Hoosiers’ season.

While that loss is in the past, it illustrates how far the Hoosiers’ defense has
progressed.

Through eight games, the Hoosiers are only allowing 56 points per game while averaging nearly nine steals per game.

“We put a big emphasis on defense from the beginning of the year and throughout the year,” Oladipo said. “Defense wins games, and we can’t always rely on our offense too much.”

Because IU has made the commitment to defense this year, the team has the ability to win ugly games on off nights, a trait every championship team must have in its arsenal.

­— mdnorman@indiana.edu