Six days ago, sophomore guard Armaan Franklin’s last-second jump shot to upset then-No. 8 Iowa was a sweet treat for IU fans nationwide. Wednesday, Franklin and company gritted their teeth and ground out a comeback victory over Northwestern.
Well, all of that sweetness, gritting and grinding has a price.
Today, the Hoosiers faced the same inevitable reckoning all young children face once every six months — a dentist’s appointment.
IU’s 78-59 loss to Ohio State was the sort of beatdown that leaves you with a sore jaw and a bitter taste in your mouth.
It became evident early on just how far IU still needs to come to be a tournament contender. The Hoosiers trailed the projected No. 1 seed Buckeyes 21-6 in the first half after seven minutes without scoring.
Related: [IU men’s basketball gets trounced by No. 4 Ohio State in 78-59 road loss]
As a child, I would brush my teeth religiously the week before a dentist’s appointment after barely taking care of them for half of the year.
IU somehow managed massive victories in its last two contests, but relying on a comeback against a top-five team is a pretty flimsy strategy. You might as well eat double-stuffed oreos and wash them down with Coca Cola for a month, then pray your Oral-B vibrating toothbrush can undo a 30-day corn syrup bath in the span of two minutes.
The Hoosiers haven’t sworn off dental hygiene entirely, but their efforts are often sloppy.
It didn’t take long for IU to shatter head coach Archie Miller’s limit of 10 turnovers. Junior forward Race Thompson couldn’t stay out of foul trouble, depriving the Hoosiers of one of their defensive stalwarts for long stretches.
With the sharp-shooting Franklin also sidelined for much of the game due to penalties, sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was left to fill the gaping cavities in IU’s offensive attack.
Jackson-Davis concluded the afternoon with an exceptional 23 points, but without him the Hoosiers shot just 31% from the floor and mustered only 17 points in the second half.
Related: [IU men’s basketball’s early season demons return in loss to Ohio State]
Between Jackson-Davis and Thompson, there is little to complain about in IU’s front court. However, it occasionally feels like Miller has dedicated his team entirely to dominating the post while failing to develop his shooters.
It’s as if Ohio State head coach Christ Holtmann wheeled in an X-ray machine, identified all of the holes in IU’s play style and deployed a tray full of highly specialized instruments to dismantle his opponent.
His defenders sealed the Hoosiers’ passing lanes like dense gold fillings, his big men scraped rebounds off the boards like plaque off bicuspids and his shooters drilled the ball through the hoop like steel whirring through enamel.
I knew things were getting bad when I began silently urging Miller to put his freshman out on the floor. Sure, let’s have day-old baby teeth try and chew through a live buzz saw.
Don’t get me wrong, IU’s roster is full of bright spots, be they Jackson-Davis’ slam dunks, Franklin’s impeccable 3-pointers or junior forward Race Thompson’s relentless hustle. Unfortunately, slapping whitening strips on top of a cavity-riddled overbite does not make for a winning smile.
There’s plenty of strength and sharpness between the Hoosiers, but I’m not sure what Miller can do to make it manifest in any impressive way with a brutal schedule ahead. Flossing the gunk out of his game plan is bound to lead to some bleeding.
Nobody wants to be the teenager with full headgear, but IU’s lackluster offensive scheme needs the kind of restructuring only braces can provide.
From start to finish, watching this game was an experience akin to having teeth pulled, the ugly meeting of habitual carelessness and a skilled surgeon with all the tools to make two hours completely miserable.
Personally, I just wish viewers had been offered a healthy dose of anesthesia prior to the tip. At least the Buckeyes had the courtesy to knock out the Hoosiers by punching them in the mouth.
