Indiana men’s basketball hit the road Wednesday night, riding an electric multi-game winning streak with morale and emotions at a new high.
Graduate forward Miller Kopp had an above-average shooting performance, senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis recorded a routine double-double and the Hoosiers were challenged from start to finish.
Sound familiar? That’s because it is.
Indiana faced a nearly-identical set of circumstances at Rutgers on Dec. 3. The Hoosiers were 7-0 on the season, coming off a win over the then-No. 18 University of North Carolina, but ultimately fell 48-63 to the Scarlet Knights in a glaring underperformance.
However, on Wednesday, Indiana walked off the court with a 61-57 victory over Minnesota. It was a scrappy, arhythmic and flawed performance.
But a win is a win.
“It helps our confidence a lot, especially in close games like this,” Jackson-Davis said.
The Hoosiers spent the majority of the game trailing or tied with the Golden Gophers. A lead for Indiana at 12-9 wasn’t regained until the end of the first half, as it headed into the locker room with a 33-30 advantage.
Indiana faced many offensive struggles throughout the first 20 minutes of the game stemming from the disruptive 2-3 Minnesota zone defense. Kopp, who made five 3-pointers in the loss against Rutgers, was a bright spot, however. The veteran shot 3-6 from deep to keep the Hoosiers within striking distance.
“I credit Miller –– he played 40 minutes, had some big 3’s, had some clutch baskets for us,” Jackson-Davis said. “He was really engaged. Miller’s just a great leader. He’s a big part of our winning streak right now.”
The second half was a tale of runs, as a stretch of clutch plays by Hoosier upperclassmen ultimately sealed their victory.
“When you’re in the flow of the game, I just think of it as another play,” Jackson-Davis said of his monster slam. “When (Hood-Schifino) threw it, I kind of thought it was high, but you just have so much adrenaline pumping through you. At the end of the day, I thought I could get it, so I extended and got it.”
Minnesota held a steady lead up until the 43-second mark; graduate forward Race Thompson sank a free throw after being fouled on a shot in the low post to tie the game at 57-all.
It was only Thompson’s second game since returning from a knee injury, and while the rust was apparent, he provided positive contributions for the Hoosiers all night. But the veteran missed the second foul shot and was unable to give his team the lead.
Jackson-Davis could, though.
Grabbing his 20th rebound of the night, Jackson-Davis snagged the ball off the rim and immediately laid it in the basket to give the Hoosiers a two-point lead. On the other side of the floor in the sequential possession, Kopp dove for a loose ball off a Minnesota missed shot, secured the prize and promptly signaled a timeout call to the referee.
For the first time in what has felt like forever, Indiana strung together a sequence of well-executed, well-timed plays to capitalize off a late-game run. Junior guard Trey Galloway knocked down two free throws to secure the win, and the Hoosiers ended the final 3:20 of the game by edging the Gophers 7-0.
Jackson-Davis had a 13-point 10-rebound double-double in Piscataway, NJ, but his 25-point, 21-rebound and 6-block performance showed his jump from a once-good to now-unbelievable level of play. The All-American also solidified himself as Indiana’s all-time blocks leader with his first swat of the night, now with 233 in his career.
“I’m just trying to help my teammates, and, at the end of the day, they’re putting me in great positions,” Jackson-Davis said.
Indiana’s matchup against Minnesota was nothing new; the Hoosier faithful has seen a copy-and-paste version of the staple Big Ten trap game too many times to count.
But the Jackson-Davis-led 2022-23 Indiana squad, throughout its ups and downs, has continued to prove something new every game. And Wednesday’s win just established a new level of mental toughness and a new, astonishing caliber of play in its star athlete.
