Analysis: It was just Morehead State but ...

Don't play zone. Nice to see them working on the D. 

Good write up. I look at it as this. Yes it was against Morehead St but IU was doing things on the defensive end that they weren't doing against the other cupcakes on their schedule prior to last night. This was a good start and am curious to see how this will translate into the next game, and the next game. Can they sustain this? If this team can put their egos aside and buy in to Team D they can still have a very nice season. Does IU want to be great or does it want to stay average. Time will tell.

I'm going to remain guarded into they play with that defensive effort consistently and against good teams, but I agree it was a step in the right direction.

Talked to me after they play Notre Dame.

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Given that the defensive issues plaguing this team are almost entirely mental, any sign of improvement, regardless of competition level, is encouraging and may go a long in salvaging what's left of this season. If these guys learn how to communicate, switch defenders, and learn how to position themselves properly, the athleticism we have (at least in our starting lineup) will take care of the rest. Let's see how it carries over to the rest of the non-con and then we'll worry about if they can hang with the bigger boys. 

At Rutgers and at Nebraska. First two B1G games on the road against teams we should beat. If we see similar sustained success on the defensive end and take care of business THEN I will believe we have turned a corner.

 

 

Edit: Its always easier to play defense IMO when the offense is rolling. Can we play consistent D when a team slows us down on the offensive end? 

It was as much as we can ask for today, and we can only hope it translates to a win over Notre Dame.

 

I just looked at the schedule, and I realize I'm getting way ahead of myself and a lot would have to happen, but it's feasible this team goes 19-4 through the end of January.

 

Our most difficult opponent during that stretch is probably Notre Dame.  If we hold serve at home and win easy road games at Nebraska and Rutgers, it's entirely possible.

My indifference to this game and 3 of our next 4 opponents is bottomless.

I understand a couple of cupcakes, but not an entire non-conference schedule full of them.

Can they sustain it, and can they play harder when things don't go well?  It's easy to play that way at home when you have a relatively weak opponent, shoot 57% from the floor, and get to the line 36 times.   They still had just 11 assists on 30 FG's, and had more turnovers than assists.  They allowed 28 FT attempts to Morehead State.   No question...a better effort; however still some signs of concern.   The best thing for me was Yogi having the same number of assists as shot attempts.  When he's efficient, we are a much better team.  And he was last night.

It was as much as we can ask for today, and we can only hope it translates to a win over Notre Dame.

 

I just looked at the schedule, and I realize I'm getting way ahead of myself and a lot would have to happen, but it's feasible this team goes 19-4 through the end of January.

 

Our most difficult opponent during that stretch is probably Notre Dame.  If we hold serve at home and win easy road games at Nebraska and Rutgers, it's entirely possible.

For once I felt the schedule really benefited us.

It was as much as we can ask for today, and we can only hope it translates to a win over Notre Dame.

 

I just looked at the schedule, and I realize I'm getting way ahead of myself and a lot would have to happen, but it's feasible this team goes 19-4 through the end of January.

 

Our most difficult opponent during that stretch is probably Notre Dame.  If we hold serve at home and win easy road games at Nebraska and Rutgers, it's entirely possible.

With this team, I don't know that we will have any 'easy' road games. 

We got Wisky at home early. That is never a gimme.

We got Wisky at home early. That is never a gimme.

Really over the past several years no big ten game has been a gimme for us tbh

Can they sustain it, and can they play harder when things don't go well? It's easy to play that way at home when you have a relatively weak opponent, shoot 57% from the floor, and get to the line 36 times. They still had just 11 assists on 30 FG's, and had more turnovers than assists. <b>They allowed 28 FT attempts to Morehead State. </b> No question...a better effort; however still some signs of concern. The best thing for me was Yogi having the same number of assists as shot attempts. When he's efficient, we are a much better team. And he was last night.

I thought there were a lot of whistles that should have been let go. I'm not as concerned with the 28 FT attemps as I am at still allowing easy layups. There were fewer of them this game but still way too many

Good write-up.  It was just great to see better effort for a change by several players on the defensive end.  Gotta start somewhere.  At least we saw a start.  Keep it up Hoosiers!

Haven't got to watch the game, have it on the DVR though. Hutch says they were trying something different on D. What could they possibly do that was different? They have played about every type of defense a tram can play already this season. Was it just increased effort? Did they stay with one defense? Just curious before I watch.

Great job Hutch! They need to use these cupcake games to really focus on defensive fundamentals and correct those mistakes during the game that won't impact the outcome. Go Hoosiers!