DURHAM, N.C. — Archie Miller tried every possible way to revitalize his group of players Tuesday night.
There were moments when Miller hiked up his grey, checkered pants, and adjusted his black belt, as if to signal there was work to be done on the court at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
During other segments of IU’s 90-69 blowout loss to No. 3 Duke, the second-year IU head coach placed his right knee on the hardwood court and pointed, at first patiently, then aggressively, as the IU offense repeatedly misfired.
Miller did it all. His right arm spun like a pinwheel as he motioned for junior guard Devonte Green to advance the ball past the half court line during the first half. He snapped his arm forcefully midway through the opening period after sophomore guard Al Durham’s errant pass went down as one of 13 first-half turnovers that contributed to the Hoosiers’ 24-point halftime deficit.
Regardless of his body movement, Miller’s face bore the same look of exasperation throughout the contest.
“We have to do a much better job, especially in the first half, when our staff isn’t in front of the bench where guys know what’s going on,” Miller said. “That comes back on me.”
Despite his best attempts to communicate his offensive wishes across the court and through a wall of sound from the crowd during Tuesday’s first half, Miller received precious little in terms of a reward.
IU made 11 of its 33 shots during the first 20 minutes, two fewer than the number of turnovers it committed. Whether it was open three-pointers missed by Green and freshman guard Romeo Langford, or any of the five first-half takeaways the Blue Devils had against sophomore forward Justin Smith, most Hoosier offensive sequences ended with Miller shaking his head in disgust.
“It was just a lack of concentration,” senior forward Juwan Morgan said. “I think we let the crowd get to us.”
No series of plays better encapsulated Miller’s attitude in the first half, and for the game in general, than those with three minutes remaining before the break.
Senior forward Evan Fitzner scored what would be his final points of the night, as well as his fourth three-pointer of the first half, with 3:11 to go, cutting the Duke lead to 12 points. Following the basket, Miller screamed “there we go” and turned quickly back to the IU bench to set up his team’s defense.
Just 19 seconds later, Miller stared sullenly at the ground after Duke freshman forward RJ Barrett rattled in a three-pointer of his own. Fitzner’s basket represented the closest the Hoosiers would come to tying the game from that point on, as the Blue Devils opened up a lead as large as 27 points in the second half thanks to sizeable advantages in points off turnovers and fastbreak points.
“They do have an unbelievable coach,” Miller said. “They have an unbelievable team on most nights you have to go up against, and that’s what we dealt with tonight.”
As Miller continued to fidget with his hands and clothing in the second half, a period during which the Hoosiers much more competitive, his counterpart made his lone dramatic action of the night.
Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, without much flair and while still placidly observing from his seat on the Blue Devil bench, removed his suit jacket. The understated gesture communicated Krzyzewski’s anger with the energy level of his team, Duke fans and even the school pep band, in contrast to the more demonstrative steps taken by Miller.
“I said ‘let’s go, man.’ Let’s try to do something,” Krzyzewski said. “I can’t do a cartwheel or stand on my head. The main activity I can do is take off my jacket, which I know I’m not a pretty sight to look at, but at least the emotion of it may have helped a little bit.”
The Hoosiers outscored the Blue Devils 40-37 in the second period, but the buckets came too infrequently to matter to the game’s outcome. Only twice in the second half did IU score at least six consecutive points without an answer from the home team.
Whether it was IU’s improved second-half showing or his coming to terms with the end result, Miller was a relaxed figure at the end of the game. He slumped down on one end of the scorer’s table, with his left leg bent at the knee and a calm frown displayed on his face.
Moving down the IU bench, players conveyed their emotions in varying ways.
Junior forward De’Ron Davis was deep in conversation with senior guard Quentin Taylor, speaking and pointing while counting off things using his fingers.
Fitzner took long breaths and glanced at the overhead scoreboard which explained how and why IU lost the game.
Langford sat in the middle, a towel draped over his head.
“We just got to go from top to bottom, evaluate each other, look each other in the eyes,” Morgan said. “See if we’re really playing for each other, if we have that trust on both sides of the ball.”
