The streaking No. 19 Hoosiers will try to change that tonight and make it 13 straight wins as they face the Badgers in Madison, Wisconsin.
“They do a tremendous job getting to the foul line and getting the ball inside,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “We have to do our work early defensively and be committed to the whole possession.”
It’ll be the second time IU has seen Wisconsin this season. Their first meeting was a 59-58 Hoosier win in which senior guard Yogi Ferrell scored 19 points and freshman OG Anunoby had a breakout game, scoring 11 points while shooting 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
That same senior leadership and ability for young players to step up has been key to the Big Ten season for the Hoosiers.
Since the first Wisconsin meeting, they have defeated opponents by an average of 24 points per game. Crean has said over and over it’s a matter of focus in practice — improving on something every day.
And most importantly, it’s transferring that from the practice floor to the game.
“Our guys are really locked in to getting better throughout the week,” he said after a win against Northwestern on Saturday. “And the best thing is when they can make adjustments inside of the game because they know it could be better.”
The defensive end may be the area where IU has seen the most improvement. Anunoby and Juwan Morgan, another freshman forward, have become defensive specialists in certain situations this year.
Against Northwestern, Morgan came into the game in the second half to help defend the Wildcats’ center Alex Olah, who was hurting the Hoosiers in the post.
Crean said the length and athleticism of his freshmen help on the defensive end. It happens Anunoby has had an equal effect on offense and is now the first guy off the bench.
“You know what’s happening with OG, we’re starting to expect a lot more out of him,” Crean said. “We’re as nit-picky with him as we are with the older guys because he’s capable.”
After every game recently, IU players have mentioned an increased focus on achieving stops on defense, which improved in large part because of better communication.
Before the conference season, they were stagnant running in transition, but since their mindset has changed, the flow from defense to offense has become easier, Crean said.
In playing Wisconsin tonight, Crean said the Badgers have grown in confidence since the two teams’ first meeting.
They’ll look to stop Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig, who combined for 30 points against the Hoosiers.
An IU win will keep it perfect in the Big Ten — and would be Crean’s first in Madison in his eight seasons as coach.
“I think it is important that we have a defensive mindset on the road,” Ferrell said. “We have to be ready for a full 40-minute game and can’t let down on any possession.”
