Indiana 75 Wisconsin 73 2OT: Three Keys | Final Box Score | Specialty Stats

February 26, 2019 Mike Schumann IUBB 0

Indiana defeated Wisconsin in double overtime on Tuesday evening at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

The Hoosiers (14-14, 5-12) host Michigan State on Saturday.

THREE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Indiana overcame a lot of adversity to finally get a win. De’Ron Davis threw up right before the game. Juwan Morgan, Justin Smith and Al Durham all fouled out. Race Thompson played about as many minutes tonight as he has played all year. Indiana had lost 12 of 13 contests and gave up several opportunities to win this game. They hadn’t won at home since Illinois in early January. Nevertheless, this team has clearly shown over the last three games that it hasn’t quit — and it finally paid off on Tuesday night as IU picks up another quadrant one win and keeps its faint NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

2. The Hoosiers got the turnovers under control. Indiana was very sloppy with the ball early in this game, committing six turnovers in the first eight minutes. They only committed seven more over the last 42 minutes. Amazingly, freshman point guard Rob Phinisee had no turnovers in 43 minutes of action, and collectively IU’s guards had just six miscues in a double overtime game.

3. The defense was great….and Wisconsin had an off night. For the third straight game the Hoosiers were top notch on the defensive end. There were moments early when they struggled to stop Ethan Happ — but they made the adjustments. There were moments late where IU struggled to get key stops — including D’Mitrik Trice making a three-pointer and being fouled on another. But by large Indiana’s defense was exceptional both inside and out. Thompson and Davis held up in the paint, and Indiana’s guards were excellent on the perimeter. It didn’t hurt that Wisconsin had a stat line that looked like IU in recent games (39% FG, 27% 3FG, 52% FT), but that was as much about Indiana as Wisconsin.