Long-range shooting wasn’t the problem in Tuesday’s 77-63 loss to Iowa. The Hoosiers (19-11, 9-8) shot 10-of-25. A strong effort, considering Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said the Hawkeyes (20-10, 11-6) made a “concerted effort” to get back and defend the 3-point try.
But the success from long distance didn’t matter. Not when IU shoots just 37.1 percent on 2-point field goals. Not while allowing Iowa to shoot 50 percent.
No, the Hoosiers didn’t lose to Iowa because of its 3-point shooting. They struggled closer to the rim.
They lost, largely, because of 20 missed layups or dunks.
“We’ve just never missed that many before,” sophomore forward Troy ?Williams said.
It wasn’t just that IU was missing close-range shots. It was the frequency in which the Hoosiers were doing it.
The Hoosiers missed multiple layups on five separate possessions. Three times in the second half.
Midway through the second half with the game still in balance, there was a sequence of three missed shots at the rim on the same offensive trip.
Junior guard Yogi Ferrell missed a running layup that Williams couldn’t clean up on a put-back dunk. Freshman forward Jordan Fuchs gathered in the miss, but then proceeded to miss again from point-blank range.
A foul right after the third miss sent Iowa to the line where they converted 23-of-28 shots. Iowa made 12 more free throws than IU ?attempted.
Then Blackmon and Ferrell missed back-to-back ?layups again.
Forty-five seconds. Five missed layups.
That kills a team.
“Just gotta see our layups through,” Williams said three times, trying to offer a ?solution.
Williams missed eight layups and one dunk attempt.
“Some we just point blank missed,” Crean said. “Some there was a lot of physicality around the basket ... Our drives sometimes, we’re just trying to make something happen.”
Iowa was nearly as efficient as IU was inefficient, making 21-of-42 2-point tries.
The Hawkeyes missed 12 layups of their own, but were dominant in the mid-range game.
Forward Aaron White did the most damage. McCaffery said he’d be going down as one of the all-time Iowa greats after his 21-point outing to lead everyone in ?scoring.
Whenever IU began to make a run, Iowa had an easy basket as a response.
“I think they got more easy baskets than we did,” Crean said. “That has a lot to do with momentum in ?a game.”
The loss Tuesday gave IU back-to-back losses at Assembly Hall for the first time in four years.
Fans showed their frustration with a chorus of boos in the second half, but Crean said he’s not at all frustrated yet.
He’s preached a “one game at a time” mentality, and that isn’t changing any time soon.
“I’m not big on the frustration thing,” Crean said. “I think you’d better grow past frustration once you pass the fifth or sixth grade.”
Frustrated or not, the inability to score close to the basket sets up a critical game Saturday against Michigan State.
The Hoosiers have now lost seven of their last eleven games.
“A loss like this,” Ferrell said, “it’s pretty ?disappointing.”
