Column: Hoosiers’ loss shows team’s playing style is limited to up-tempo

Living concurrently in both the past and present is a feeling all too eerie.

On Tuesday evening at the Carrier Dome, the lines of the 2013 calendar were blurred as IU’s 69-52 loss to Syracuse simply felt like a continuation of the teams’ meeting in last season’s NCAA Tournament.

During that contest last March 28, the Orange baffled IU with its lethal 2-3 zone defense, and the Hoosiers failed to properly adjust offensively. Consistent ball movement was lacking, as was avoiding passing the ball into the short corner.

In a nightmare that bled over into reality, IU Coach Tom Crean and Co. fell into the same trap time and time again en route to a 17-point defeat, equaling the program’s worst loss since dropping an 80-63 decision at Ohio State on Jan. 15, 2012.

The state of affairs wasn’t always a vision of gloom for the Hoosiers, though.

After falling behind 10-0 at the game’s first under-15 television timeout, IU battled back to make things interesting at the half, down just four heading to the locker room.

During that minor resurgence, the Hoosiers accomplished the necessary tasks of cracking Syracuse’s 2-3 zone — or any 2-3 zone, for that matter.

IU reversed the ball effectively and had extremely active and purposeful off-ball movement. It was a rather surprising turn of events, as IU trailed 34-22 entering halftime of its meeting with the Orange in March.

But when the second half began, it was as if ESPN cut the live broadcast and, instead, played tape of the teams’ previous meeting at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

During a 17-1 Syracuse run spanning approximately seven minutes — IU managed just one converted free throw from freshman center Noah Vonleh — the Hoosiers were abhorrently sloppy with the basketball, turning it over seven times.

However, that was just the beginning of the horror show of a second half for Crean and Co.

Aside from a Jeff Howard layup in mop-up duty, the Hoosiers managed just four field goals during the entirety of the second half. While it’s fair to assert that such a scenario should be expected with such a young group, the failure to adjust against the Orange’s maddening zone defense has to come into question.

Too often did it seem as if the team’s core philosophy — getting out and scoring in
transition — was forced, despite being rendered wholly ineffective consistently from start to finish.

The macro view of the end result is an illustration of one of the very few negative aspects of Crean’s tenure in Bloomington — his teams’ failure to adjust against “systems” such as Wisconsin’s slow-paced half-court offense and Syracuse’s zone.

And that should be a worrisome point for IU supporters.

When the Hoosiers reach the postseason, whether it be the NCAA Tournament or lower-tier tournament, they’re one poor matchup from being bounced earlier than expected.

As soon as they’re prevented from getting up and down in transition, unfavorable results will follow.

Until that condition is corrected, nightmarish endings will ensue against teams that take IU out of its comfort zone.

­— ckillore@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Connor Killoren on Twitter @IDS_CGKilloren.