Justin Smith didn’t even watch the ball go in.
When Northwestern freshman Miller Kopp managed to convert on a short jumper while being fouled by the IU sophomore forward, Smith didn’t even turn toward the basket to see if Kopp’s shot went through the net.
He just stared off into the distance, walked back to the Hoosiers’ bench with his third personal foul and sat down on the bench next to IU assistant coach Ed Schilling.
With the way IU’s Big Ten Conference-opener at home Saturday had been going for Smith to that point, it was unclear if we would see much of him for the rest of the game.
And if not for an injury to senior forward Juwan Morgan late in the second half, we may not have.
The Hoosiers managed to pull out a slight 68-66 victory over the Wildcats, but if not for the combined efforts of Morgan and freshman guard Romeo Langford, that wouldn’t have been the case.
Those two need help. Third or fourth scoring options haven’t risen to the occasion over the past few weeks for the Hoosiers, and Saturday’s game was more of the same.
Heading into the season, these looked like roles destined for Smith and junior guard Devonte Green, but neither have consistently stepped up.
It wouldn’t have mattered if we never saw Smith after that three-point play from Kopp early in the second half because he had barely made a noticeable contribution after getting in early foul trouble and having no points, rebounds or assists in the first half.
As for Green, just look at two sequences in the first half that sum up his performance.
With around eight minutes to go, Green showed off his athleticism by finishing on a nifty up and under on a drive to the basket. On IU’s next possession, he found Morgan for a layup down low with a nice, precise bounce pass.
Then, five minutes later, Green got a steal on the defensive end, drove the length of the court in a heads-down mad dash and threw up a wild heave that had no chance of going in. Two possessions later, with IU looking to gain a little momentum down the stretch of the half, Green air-balled a three-pointer — one of the ugliest shots of the night.
Again, just too many inconsistencies.
IU relied heavily offensively on Morgan and Langford all game and it was evident the fatigue was starting to get to them, especially Morgan in the second half.
“I needed to do a better job with Juwan, he needed a blow in that second half,” Miller said. “And fighting life or death, it feels like on every possession, you don't want to take your ace out. But he needed a couple of breathers in that game.”
That means something because I don’t think Miller was wrong in his approach to how much he played Morgan. He just did what he had to do to survive, and surviving for this team right now means Morgan has to be on the floor.
Yes, he needs rest, but whether Miller says it explicitly or not, there’s some dwindling confidence in guys to step up when Morgan or Langford aren’t out there.
There’s seemingly no shortage of options but when is one of them going to take control?
Senior forward Evan Fitzner and junior forward De’Ron Davis are bigs that have definite strengths, but they have shown their obvious shortcomings too many times already this season.
Rob Phinisee has shown flashes of promise but has been quiet as of late as he continues to work through some freshman frustrations.
Al Durham has been a major positive so far, but his role seems be carving itself out and it’s not as head honcho number three behind Morgan and Langford.
As much as a two-way threat Green has proven he can be at times, it’s still a talent like Smith that has to be the answer.
But he’s been a disappointment in the Hoosiers’ last few games, especially with his decision-making, and those struggles aren’t going unnoticed by Miller and his staff.
“He's not playing as confident as he once was,” Miller said. “We've got to get him trimmed back down in terms of taking care of the ball. I think if he takes care of the ball, he's going to be fine.”
That isn’t to say Smith didn’t improve throughout Saturday’s game. Miller made it a point to praise Smith on the way he closed out the contest.
When Morgan went down with his injury, Smith and Davis teamed up to take over Morgan’s role on defense and did a more than serviceable job. Offensively, he got in the right positions when he needed to and got open for a huge transition layup that put IU up four points with just over 20 seconds left to play.
But the Hoosiers simply need Smith to do that more often, not just in crisis situations. As important as it is to be able to pull out a close conference game this early in the season, Northwestern is still by far in the bottom tier of teams in the Big Ten.
Until the Hoosiers can find somebody that will take on the responsibility of being their third scoring option, they’re going to be dangerously close to being grouped into that tier as well.
