Column: Sheehey’s energy and team defense helps IU overcome sluggish first half

There haven’t been many times this season where the energy at Assembly Hall has been missing, but Wednesday night’s victory against the Nebraska Cornhuskers started out as one of those nights.

The lack of intensity in the building started from pre-game introductions, and you could see it carried over to the Hoosiers’ play in the early minutes of the first half.

IU started the game 2-of-10 from the field and fell behind the Cornhuskers 12-9 at the 10:53 mark in the first half.

At this point, if Nebraska hadn’t committed six turnovers and sent IU to the line eight times, the Hoosiers could have been in a bigger hole.

But IU’s defense was able to keep the game within reach, despite the crowd getting restless from the uninspired start.

“That’s what you should lean on to start with, regardless of if your offense is going or not,” junior forward Will Sheehey said. “It’s funny because there is a direct correlation between when we’re playing well on defense and how well we’re playing on offense.”

That’s when Sheehey — IU’s “Mr. Energy” — ignited the crowd and changed the mood in the building.

The Cornhuskers were up 14-11 with 8:45 left in the first when Sheehey drove from the top of the arc through traffic to finish strong with a right-handed layup that would draw a loud ovation from the crowd.

For the first time of the night, the crowd was awake.

“You know, I just try to come in and bring that energy,” Sheehey said. “The crowd was all right tonight. We started off a little slow, but I think that the guys coming off the bench bring a little bit of energy. That kind of changed the game at that point."

Starting with Sheehey’s layup, IU would go on a 10-0 run during the next minute and 30 seconds that gave the Hoosiers a lead they would never surrender.

The run was a prime example of the Hoosiers’ quick scoring ability.

Sheehey layup. Nebraska turnover. Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell 3-pointer. Defensive stop. Victor Oladipo with another 3-pointer. Timeout Nebraska. An Oladipo steal on the ensuing inbound play and then a dish to Jordan Hulls for a layup capped the run.

From there, the Cornhuskers would never get closer than three points of IU — partially because the Hoosiers went on a 13-0 run during the final two minutes of the first half and first minute and a half of the second half.

Although Sheehey, who finished with nine points and four rebounds, said after the game he didn’t believe his layup was the play that sparked the crowd, there’s no denying that when he is in the game, IU’s energy goes up.

All year, the Hoosiers have looked to their sixth man for a spark when the team’s energy is down, but Wednesday night might have been Sheehey’s most impactful injection of energy for the season.

When Assembly Hall is rocking, IU is so good at feeding off the crowd’s energy, but when the Hall is lethargic, the team can reflect that attitude too.

By starting a run that gave the crowd something worth cheering about, Sheehey not only woke up the fans, but he also woke up his teammates from a possible nightmare ending at home.

Considering that IU’s 27 first-half points were the lowest first-half total of the season, the Cornhuskers could have made it more of a game had the Hoosiers continued their sluggish play.

But that didn’t happen, because Sheehey’s layup and the Hoosiers’ defense transformed Assembly Hall from the lifeless building that it was to begin the game back into the toughest place to play in collegiate basketball.

The home court advantage was back, and IU fed off it for the rest of the game, eventually blowing out Nebraska 76-47.

“I thought the students were great,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “It just takes a while to get going, but (the crowd energy) built up as the game went on.”

With only three home games remaining at Assembly Hall this season, I doubt there will be another night that started as calmly as this one, but that doesn’t mean the Hoosiers will be invincible to lackluster starts.

During tournament time, IU won’t be able to lean on its home court advantage for an energy boost because the team’s tournament games won’t be played at Assembly Hall.

For now, one important thing to take away from Wednesday’s win is that the Hoosiers can trust its stubborn defense when shots aren’t falling.

Good defense travels to whichever stadium a game is played at.

But more importantly, IU needs to look at the win against Nebraska as an example of how contagious Sheehey’s energy off the bench can be.

­— mdnorman@indiana.edu