Indiana suffered an embarrassing 74-63 defeat at Rutgers on Wednesday night that will significantly narrow its path to reaching the 2021 NCAA tournament.
Here are five lessons from the defeat for the Scarlet Knights:
• Indiana’s quick start quickly disappears: With 9:42 left in the first half, Indiana increased its lead to 23-8 and the Hoosiers were shooting at all cylinders. Al Durham took down the first four points of 3 points and the Indiana defense was chaining several stops.
But then the dynamics of the game suddenly changed and Rutgers took control of the game. The Scarlet Knights closed the half-time with a straight of 27-8 and had a four point advantage in the interval. Indiana looked bad at both ends of the floor and Rutgers was at an unstoppable pace. And it continued in the second half as well.
“From the start, we weren’t ready for the break,” said Indiana coach Archie Miller.
In the second half, the Hoosiers threw just 30 percent of the field, while Rutgers converted 48 percent. The Rutgers ‘lead increased to 20 points and the Hoosiers’ chances were exhausted. At the start of the season, Indiana was able to fight deficits, but that was not the case on Wednesday.
“Whether it’s an offensive lack of confidence or things are starting to get tough for us, our response is not to run harder, talk more to focus more, talk about the things we can control,” said Miller.
• Upsets and free throws hurt Indiana once again: As it has been happening all season, taking care of the ball and converting free kicks were important issues.
Entering the game, Miller said Indiana needed to limit its spins to 10. Instead, the Hoosiers gave up the stone 13 times, nine of which in the first half. This led to 13 Rutgers points. Most of the prizes were the result of sloppy passes. Rob Phinisee and Khristian Lander had three twists each. Durham and Trey Galloway had two each.
“I thought their pressure really shook us up tonight,” said Miller. “We had a hard time acting cleanly in the attack and a lot of it had to do, I thought, with the ability to catch the ball and really work.”
On the free throw line, Indiana hit just 11 out of 18. Trayce Jackson-Davis made 7 out of 11 and Galloway made 2 out of 4. The only two other Hoosiers to reach the line were Jerome Hunter and Durham.
• Another defensive breakdown: A game after allowing Michigan State to score 52 points in the second half, Indiana’s defense collapsed again. Hoosiers were slow in defensive spins, leaving Rutgers snipers wide open at the perimeter. Pick and roll led to an easy dive. Indiana was surpassed in painting 36-24.
Indiana failed to contain Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker, who vied for 20 points. Harper Jr. entered the game with just two points out of 3 in his last eight matches. On Wednesday, he scored four points out of 3. Baker knocked out six of his own beyond the arc and conceded 10 assists.
“What is disappointing now is when things are not going well for us, what we have hung up our hat and been able to do is really fight, compete and find a way to make it anyone’s game,” Miller said. “And in our last two halves, particularly when things are not going well, our defense and rigidity, our ability to communicate, our response has not given us a chance.
There was also virtually no resistance in the painting. The Hoosiers did not register a single block while Rutgers accumulated 10.
• Indiana attack fights off Trayce Jackson-Davis and Al Durham: Jackson-Davis and Durham combined for 41 of Indiana’s 63 points. Jackson-Davis made 7 of 16 shots and had 11 rebounds. Durham ended Game 5 of 7 in depth and added four assists.
Jordan Geronimo was Indiana’s third-highest scorer with nine points, but most of his production came in the final minutes, when the game was out of control. Race Thompson had just two points and Rob Phinisee was goalless.
Overall, Indiana hit just 36 percent of the field. They recorded 15 total assists compared to Rutgers ’22. The only statistic positive for the Hoosiers was shooting 44 percent deep.
“It’s a humiliating game, it’s a humiliating second half,” said Miller. “I think it’s the first time in the whole season that our team really seems fractured, where we didn’t know how to compete, what to do and that comes back to me. I have to find this out and get this team off the mat because we have a great ending. “
• Armaan Franklin does not play the second half due to injury: After playing 16 minutes in the first half, Armaan Franklin stayed away from the pitch for the entire second half. Miller said after the game that Franklin again aggravated his ankle or hurt his Achilles / foot.
In early January, Franklin fell after spraining his ankle and was forced out of several games. Since then, he hasn’t played at full strength.
Franklin is one of the players that stood out in the Big Ten this season and entered on Wednesday with an average of 12.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. If Franklin can’t play the rest of the season, it will be a big loss for an Indiana team with their backs to the wall.
“Overall, now, I think we’re looking for an emotional guy,” said Miller. “A guy we can count on can help us. We are a quiet group in general and I don’t think we have an alpha personality, but I definitely think we now need some guys to move forward. “
Filed to: Rutgers Scarlet Knights