Reflections on a 79-76 victory against the Wildcats:
This had all the ingredients for another disappointment after defeating a ranked opponent. The Hoosiers came close to being 2 to 10 in the Archie Miller era in games after a victory against a qualified opponent.
His horrible offensive start would have been the reason. The first half was particularly awful. Only 20 points. Only 0.65 points for possession. An effective percentage of field goals of 31. The first bucket of the game came at the 14:25 mark. His 3-point shot (30.8 percent) was better than his field mark (21.4 percent) and the line (25 percent). Trayce Jackson-Davis’ questionable bucket to end the semester was the first two-point bucket in more than 10 minutes. They handed over 23% of their possessions, allowing Northwestern to lose eight points off.
Things didn’t look much better in the second half. Northwestern aggressively brought Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson down and Indiana just couldn’t figure out how to get through to the snipers. It looked a bit like the Illinois game, in which a team’s defensive scheme to pack the paint made Indiana’s attack look terrible. Jackson-Davis scored just 10 points in this, a low point of the season. He had trouble dealing with Northwestern’s defense throughout the game.
Despite all this, and although it seems that Northwestern had this involved in the regulation, Indiana pulled this thing in double extension, avoiding a catastrophic loss in the process.
So, how did the Hoosiers do this? A combination of clutch pitch and good work, perhaps from the most unlikely place of all: the free-throw line. There was that, too: Northwestern’s two premature turns at the end of regulation to help Indiana eliminate a six-point deficit with less than two minutes left. Oh, and then the turning of Northwestern’s shot clock at the end of the first overtime, which helped Indiana to equalize in 66 and send for a second overtime. Did I mention that Northwestern lost 10 games in a row?
Anyway, back to the Indiana attack. As Alex wrote in What To Expect, the Wildcats struggled to defend themselves without getting dirty. Thus, the Hoosiers continued to explore this fact throughout the game. It all started out terrible. Indiana lost its first six free throws. But Indiana hit 27 out of 32 from the line for the rest of the contest, including 14 out of 15 in overtime. It was absolutely crucial for the Hoosiers to return at the end of the regulation and in the first overtime. Indiana’s free throw rate (FTA / FGA) of 61% was the fourth highest mark of the season. Indiana hit the line a ton on this one and really converted at a respectable rate (71.1 percent). Al Durham made 11 of 12. Armaan Franklin made 7 of 8.
Instead of free throws being the culprit again, they saved Indiana in this one.
The same happened with Al Durham’s clutch kick, which had the best mark of his team with 24 points. Durham scored Indiana’s last seven points in the regulation, including a runner who tied the game with 54 points and sent him into overtime. Durham then hit a long 2 with just over a second to play in the first overtime to tie the game at 66 and send for a second overtime. Armaan Franklin (23 points) scored 10 points in the first overtime to help Indiana survive. In the second overtime, Jerome Hunter landed a desperate 3-point drop that helped Indiana overcome the obstacle and close it.
Disaster averted, the Hoosiers are now .500 in the 6-6 conference. And for your reward after tonight’s victory? A fight against the country’s fourth best attack on Saturday against KenPom’s 7th team, Ohio State.
Filed under: Northwestern Wildcats