Indiana found something to be thankful for on Wednesday, when an unexpected potential resume boost in the form of Gonzaga appeared on their schedule.
24 hours later, the Hoosiers were served a heaping Thanksgiving plate of be careful what you wish for.
Indiana came into the game ranked No. 14 in the AP top-25, while Gonzaga was No. 3. On paper that might look like a good neutral court matchup. But the Hoosiers showed their true colors in a blowout loss to unranked Louisville yesterday, and on Thursday they put that performance on repeat.
Next week it will be Indiana that is unranked as the Hoosiers suffered a second straight blowout loss, 89-73 in The Bahamas.
Following his team’s 89-61 dismantling at the hands of Louisville, Indiana appeared to play with good energy early against Gonzaga. They took an 18-16 lead after a 15-3 IU run that was capped off by back-to-back threes from Luke Goode and Mackenzie.
Fast, downhill, and aggressive, it was a brief glimmer of the team many hoped for coming into the season.
But if there’s one common thread through Indiana’s first six games, it has been their inability to sustain high-level play and intensity for long stretches. And against the No. 3 team in the country, that spells big trouble. When the Zags hit IU with a 16-0 late first half run, a sense of dread surfaced among those wearing cream and crimson inside the Imperial Ballroom.
Here we go again.
In the blink of an eye, Gonzaga led by as much as 20 in the first half, and IU never really threatened them again. It has become clear over the last two days, Indiana is not worthy of their ranking, and not ready to sit at the adult table on Thanksgiving.
“Good teams against Gonzaga and Louisville, you can’t spot them like we did,” IU coach Mike Woodson said. “It’s hard to come back against good teams like that.”
After giving up 89 points in each of their first two games in the Battle 4 Atlantis, it’s clear these Hoosiers have a long way to go defensively.
Probably the worst part of Indiana’s defense right now is their inability to end possessions. Gonzaga grabbed 13 offensive rebounds. That was 39.4% of their misses, and far too many for an offense that good. On the season, IU is allowing teams to get 32.5% of their missed shots, which comes in No. 267 in the nation.
With all those chances, Gonzaga picked the Hoosiers apart. They found open driving lanes to the paint, scored in transition, and cut to the rim. A step slow, it seemed all Indiana could do was foul, which they did 22 times, as four of their players picked up at least four fouls.
“We’re not connected right now defensively, and I thought the first half it showed again,” Woodson said. “These last two games our perimeter play has got exposed.”
The perimeter problems weren’t limited to the defensive end of the floor. For the second straight game, Indiana got next to nothing out of their three primary guards on offense. Look at these shooting numbers for Indiana’s first two games at The Battle 4 Atlantis:
- Myles Rice: 3-of-17
- Kanaan Carlyle: 2-of-10
- Trey Galloway: 2-of-10
That’s a combined 7-of-37 (18.9%) from Indiana’s three primary backcourt scoring options on the team’s biggest nonconference stage of the season.
It’s safe say IU won’t win any high profile games with its guards shooting the ball like that. And Woodson knows if this continues it will break a season that already is showing major cracks.
“We’ve gotta get better guard play, because if we plan on making a good run in the Big Ten, then our guard play has got to pick up,” he said.
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