No. 4 seed Indiana men’s basketball entered its contest against No. 5 seed University of Miami with a very differing style of play than its opponent. After a valiant push at the beginning of the second half, the Hoosiers were outworked and ultimately fell 85-69.
The Hurricanes got off to a characteristically speedy start, leading 13-3 by the under-16 media timeout. Miami’s guards lived up to their billing, making tough 3-pointers and finishing athletic drives.
Despite a sizeable height advantage on his defenders, Indiana senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis received few touches in the post. Jackson-Davis had merely 4 points and one field goal attempt in the first eight minutes of play.
The Hoosiers found some life in the middle of the first half with a 10-0 run that brought them within 3 points of the Hurricanes. Miami responded with a 6-0 run of its own immediately thereafter, fueled by a 4-point play from junior guard Isaiah Wong.
Indiana freshman point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino struggled during the first half, picking up two fouls and shooting 2-for-8 from the field. Still, the Hoosiers entered halftime down by just 5 points courtesy of two late jumpers from graduate forward Miller Kopp.
Indiana carried its momentum into the second half with an 8-0 burst to take its first lead of the game. After a lackadaisical and somewhat discombobulated defensive start, the Hoosiers locked in on both ends of the floor.
Miami and Indiana traded baskets for a while, but the former’s offensive rebounding allowed it to break open a 10-point lead. At the under-8 media timeout in the second half, The Hurricanes had grabbed 16 offensive boards to the Hoosiers’ eight and scored 27 second-chance points.
Thanks to an athleticism clinic and incredible shooting by Wong, Miami climbed out to its biggest lead of the game: 15.
A heroic effort by Hood-Schifino, who drained three consecutive 3-pointers in less than a minute, brought the Hoosiers back within eight points, but it still wasn’t enough.
Miami effortlessly broke Indiana’s press attempts, resulting in multiple disheartening dunks at the other end of the floor. The Hurricanes’ athleticism showed from buzzer to buzzer and ultimately gave them the edge in an energetic finish.
Follow reporters Evan Gerike (@EvanGerike) and Emma Pawlitz (@emmapawlitz), columnist Bradley Hohulin (@BradleyHohulin) and photographer Alex Paul (.@alexpaulphoto) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
