Indiana men’s basketball’s effort bothered head coach Mike Woodson in the loss to the No. 3 University of Kansas on Dec. 17. He didn’t want to see his defense make a habit of allowing 90 points, like it did against the No. 5 University of Arizona on Dec. 10, and thought his team wasn’t tough enough in a loss to Rutgers on Dec. 3.
The Hoosiers’ losses have revealed trends and weaknesses opponents can exploit to topple them, but they’ve also provided a blueprint for No. 15 Indiana to build on. With 13 days of rest over the holiday break before facing Iowa on Thursday, Indiana needed to show an ability to regroup and adapt.
Led by senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis's 30 points and freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino's career-high 21 points, the Hoosiers looked like they had answered the question that plagued them — until late. Indiana failed to close out, falling 91-89 to the Hawkeyes.
Using Woodson’s own words from press conferences after its previous losses, here’s how Indiana adjusted over the break.
“Early on we missed a lot of good shots. When you make shots, it cures a lot of problems, but tonight we didn’t make them early.”
From the first whistle, Hood-Schifino looked like a new man. Sporting a new haircut, the freshman guard came out firing, sinking 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions.
Under his leadership, Indiana rocketed out of the gates better than it has at any time this season and shot 75% in the first four minutes of the game.
Before long, the Hoosier starters, who have struggled in the beginning of games all season, had more than settled in. Jackson-Davis and senior forward Race Thompson each added scores to help Indiana to a 15-0 run.
A 23-4 lead ballooned up to 21 points.
“You’re not going to win on the road giving up 84, 80 points, whatever we gave up. You gotta have a defensive mentality because you’ve gotta score damn near 90 to beat teams.”
Before long, Indiana’s 28-7 gap began to shrink.
Iowa, who entered the game averaging 81 points per contest, picked up its shooting. After starting 2-for-8 from the field, it shot 51% the rest of the way.
What was once a substantial lead quickly devolved into a back-and-forth shootout — not a game plan the Hoosiers are built for.
The Hawkeyes controlled the second half, outscoring the Hoosiers 51-39. They clawed back to take the lead for the first time with 11:35 left in the second half before the two teams traded blows the rest of the way.
Indiana regained the lead and extended it as high as six with less than four minutes to go but couldn’t hold on, despite the efforts of their team leader in Jackson-Davis.
“(Jackson-Davis) ain’t going to get a lot. If I’m coaching against this team, I’m going to double him too... Guys around him just have to step up and make shots, make plays.”
After losing against Kansas, Jackson-Davis himself said the playbook was out for how to defend him. Double- and triple-teams were coming from every angle — not just in Indiana’s three losses, but the win over Nebraska on Dec. 7, too, when Jackson-Davis tallied a triple-double.
Yet Iowa, with only one player on the floor taller than Jackson-Davis, seemed satisfied to leave just one man guarding him early. By the second half, when Iowa turned to pressing him, it was too late.
Jackson-Davis was the catalyst for an 8-0 run in the last four minutes. After scoring two points himself, he dished out an assist on back-to-back possessions, swinging the game from a four-point deficit to an 80-76 lead.
Jackson-Davis scored 16 of his 30 points in the second half and played all 20 minutes, despite dealing with a back injury that held him out the last two games.
But in crunch time, with 12 seconds left and Indiana down one, Jackson-Davis wasn’t involved in the play for the lead.
“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.”
Against Arizona, for every run Indiana had, the Wildcats were always ready with an answer.
Thursday was nearly the opposite: Indiana seemed poised to respond to Iowa’s late run, needing a point to tie the game down to the wire.
Hood-Schifino drove to the hoop instead of trying to find Jackson-Davis. He looked for the go-ahead layup but instead found Iowa junior forward Kris Murray’s fingers.
The block didn’t end Indiana’s hopes, but it did deal a significant blow. Hood-Schifino's attempt to be the man to step up fell short despite his career-best night.
“I’m telling the guys now, yeah, we can win at home, but you got to figure out how to win on the road if you want to be a great team.”
Iowa sealed its win from the free-throw line, making four to close the game and dooming Indiana to a 1-2 start in Big Ten play and a 1-3 start in true road games.
Winning on the road may be the Hoosiers’ most daunting task if they want to compete for a Big Ten title. Last year, Indiana’s 3-8 road record nearly prevented it from reaching the tournament, and it is quickly on the same path.
First, Indiana will need to take care of business at home when Northwestern comes to town.
