LAWRENCE, Kan. — Indiana’s men’s basketball schedule was designed for it to make a statement.
Before Christmas, No. 14 Indiana was set to square off against the University of North Carolina, the University of Arizona and the University of Kansas, all ranked in the top 20 of the AP Preseason Poll.
After wrapping up an 84-62 loss to No. 8 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse, Indiana is now 1-2 against those teams, including two blowout losses. The only statement it has made is how vastly underprepared this team is for a March run.
“We just weren’t in the game and that ain’t how I want to play,” head coach Mike Woodson said after the game. “I guess somehow I gotta get this team to understand that we’re playing top-notch teams and you’ve gotta give yourself a chance.”
Saturday’s loss was Indiana’s worst performance of the year. Without ever holding a lead, the Hoosiers fell into a massive hole early and were trailing by 13 after just seven minutes.
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The Hoosiers, chasing for the rest of the game, couldn’t muster the energy needed for anything resembling a comeback. The Jayhawks’ lead never fell into single digits after the 13-minute mark in the first half, only shrinking as low as 10 in the second half.
Part of the issue was Indiana’s inability to close the gap when it had opportunities. The Hoosiers had multiple chances to close the Jayhawks’ lead to single digits but couldn’t take advantage.
Both against Arizona, when Indiana allowed a 17-0 run, and against Kansas on Saturday, Indiana was doomed early by a flat start.
“We have to be more ready to play, honestly, especially in a hostile environment like this,” senior guard Trayce Jackson-Davis said. “Against a great team like Kansas, if they jump on you early that crowd’s going to carry that momentum throughout the building and that’s what they did.”
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While Indiana’s second half performance started better with a higher level of effort and more intensity, the hole it dug itself was too deep to climb out. The energy needed to compete against a program like Kansas was lacking, Woodson said.
Perhaps more concerning than the slow start was Indiana’s propensity to turn the ball over. Indiana committed 23 turnovers, led by freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino's five in his return from a back injury. Kansas created 28 points off the turnovers.
“You can’t turn the ball over,” Woodson said. “Twenty-three times against a good team, that’s 23 times you don’t get an opportunity to score the ball.”
Hood-Schifino added 11 points and six rebounds, but only shot 2-for-11 from the field. When senior guard Xavier Johnson left the game midway through the first half with an apparent right leg injury, Hood-Schifino's role became more vital.
It was clear Indiana missed Johnson’s veteran presence. It looked nearly identical last time out against Arizona, when Johnson left the floor due to foul trouble, allowing the Wildcats to open a canyon of a lead.
Saturday, with Johnson wearing a boot on the bench, Indiana lollygagged passes that were easily picked off by Kansas defenders, then fell short on transition while Jayhawks ran by them to the tune of 22 fast break points.
Jackson-Davis was slowed offensively once again, scoring under 15 points for the fifth time in six games.
“Playing these games show what our weaknesses are,” Jackson-Davis said. “Obviously, the cheat sheet is out with me. Every team from here on out is going to double- and triple-team me, so we just have to find ways to counteract that and make shots.”
His 13-point effort was buoyed by five free throws, and he added six rebounds. His career-high nine blocks, which moved him into third in program in career blocks, was the second-best single-game output by a Hoosier all-time.
With Jackson-Davis locked down, the Hoosiers never found a shooting presence to aide him. They shot 38%, including 6-for-19 from beyond the arc, and only Jackson-Davis, Hood-Schifino and senior forward Race Thompson, who scored 11 points, put up more than six.
Comparatively, Kansas shot 51% from the field and 7-for-16 from deep. Six Jayhawks, including all five starters, scored in double figures, led by freshman guard Gradey Dick’s 20 points.
While Indiana announced its presence with a commanding win at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall by beating UNC handedly, in two consecutive high-profile matchups away from home, the Hoosiers looked out of their league.
The intimidation Kansas fans brought, unleashing a haunting “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, KU” chant toward the court, rained down on an Indiana team out of sorts on the road as it waited for the last buzzer to sound.
“I’m telling the guys now, yeah, we can win at home,” Woodson said. “But you got to figure out how to win on the road if you want to be a great team.”
Indiana is now 8-3 headed back into weaker nonconference play over Winter Break. When conference play resumes in the new year, Indiana will first travel to play Iowa.
Between now and then, the Hoosiers have to undertake a drastic look in the mirror to determine where they stand. The season is early enough that Indiana can overturn its fortunes by returning to its defensive identity.
Two weeks in a row Indiana has been handed its midterm. It’s time to study before the final.
