Regardless of what life throws our way that’s beyond our control, we always have a choice of how to perceive it.
For example, you could say it’s troublesome that IU men’s basketball repeatedly needs sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis to put forth a herculean effort to defeat beatable opponents, or you could sit back and enjoy a remarkable display of athleticism.
Following IU’s 63-55 comeback victory over Maryland, I’ll gladly choose the latter.
The evening started rough for the Hoosiers, particularly sophomore guard Armaan Franklin, who hurt his ankle seven minutes into the game and did not return.
In addition to just being an undeservedly unfortunate thing to happen to a human being, Franklin’s injury kept IU’s best shooter out of the remaining contest.
The Terrapins put up some truly grotesque missed 3-pointers, but their 28% shooting from beyond the arc was pinpoint accuracy compared to the Hoosiers’ 18%. In terms of cold, there’s freezing, then there’s zero degrees Kelvin, then there’s IU from long range.
Without Franklin on the floor, any significant deficit felt insurmountable for the Hoosiers early on. IU never had an obvious playmaker for a jump shot, forcing it to rely on heavily contested layups and free throws.
Meanwhile, Jackson-Davis started the night 0-5 from the field, but erupted for 22 points once he began taking higher-percentage shots, which is to say he shot from two feet away as opposed to five.
With Jackson-Davis struggling at first, his supporting cast was needed more than ever.
Monday was a great opportunity for casual Hoosier fans to learn some new names and faces, with freshman guard Anthony Leal and freshman forward Jordan Geronimo getting more meaningful playing time amid Franklin’s absence.
However, neither the freshmen nor anyone on IU’s bench contributed a single first-half point, shining a light on one of the Hoosiers’ less obvious shortcomings this season.
Instead, it was upperclassmen who stepped up in relief for IU. Junior forward Race Thompson bullied and bodied his way to a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double, maintaining the Hoosiers’ presence in the post when Jackson-Davis couldn’t find his groove.
Senior guard Al Durham continues to be a smooth spot on the angry porcupine that is the IU offense, gracefully rolling in layups seemingly in slow motion.
The combined efforts of the Hoosier upperclassmen eventually closed a nine-point gap and propelled IU to a 47-43 lead, at which point Jackson-Davis caught fire like a match that had finally been struck enough times.
When Jackson-Davis stole a pass from Maryland freshman guard James Graham III and roared down the court for a ferocious slam dunk, I could have sworn there was a little extra enthusiasm in the pre-recorded audience droning through Assembly Hall’s sound system.
His momentum built throughout the rest of the night, scoring the Hoosiers’ next 12 points while battling what appeared to be a knee injury.
If any film studios want to make a documentary about a middling IU team in 2021, I highly suggest using footage of Jackson-Davis limping to the free-throw line, sinking both foul shots and refusing to come off the court and scoring yet another basket.
I’m not sure there’s any great moral to take from this performance. A unit that connects on four of its 22 3-pointers while rarely looking particularly composed on offense probably doesn’t deserve to win, but IU thrives in ugly games like mold in a damp closet.
I won’t pretend the Hoosiers are poised to take down many schools with this style of play. Especially with Franklin out for the near future, IU appears relatively vulnerable to pretty much any group of five guys who can shoot the ball with confidence.
Then again, logic and reason can only do so much against a force of nature like Jackson-Davis.
