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Analysis: IU-Rutgers ... Well, that was interesting

IndyHutch

By IndyHutch

    • Indiana was lucky Wednesday that it played Rutgers in the Big Ten opener. I'm not sure how many other Big Ten teams the Hoosiers could have beaten with that performance. Here is my analysis of IU's 79-72 victory.

Well, that was interesting.

 

Despite not having James Blackmon Jr., who didn’t suit up after injuring his knee Monday in practice. …

 

And basically not having Thomas Bryant, who played a total of 6 minutes because of foul trouble and eventually fouled out. …

 

And basically not having Robert Johnson, a normally reliable player, who was anything but on this day …

 

And committing 23 turnovers, most of them of the lazy, unforced variety …

 

Indiana found a way to go on the road Wednesday and beat a bad Rutgers team, 79-72 in the Big Ten opener.

 

It was the sixth win in a row for the Hoosiers and seventh out of the last eight games. IU is 11-3 overall and 1-0 in conference before heading to Lincoln, Neb. Saturday to take on Nebraska in a 4 p.m. tip.

 

IU did get some key performances from a couple of players off the bench (which we’ll talk about in a minute) but a big key for Indiana Wednesday was that it was playing Rutgers.

 

Here’s a question: How many other Big Ten teams could Indiana have beaten playing the way it did on Wednesday? I can’t think of one that I would be confident in picking.

 

This is a really bad Rutgers team. The Scarlet Knights are ranked No. 245 in the KenPom rankings. That’s the worst in the Big Ten by almost 100 spots. Minnesota is ranked No. 150.

 

This is a Rutgers team that has now lost 16 consecutive conference games over the past two seasons. This is a Rutgers team that is not going to win a lot of games.

 

Now, the only thing that really matters for Indiana is that IU came away with a Big Ten road victory. Because if the Hoosiers had somehow lost this one, I’m not sure they could have regrouped. This one would have been a mega loss.

 

But let’s talk about the good things that came out of Wednesday’s victory.

 

Max Bielfeldt was a beast. He scored 18 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and took a charge late in the game that proved to be a big play. About the only thing that spoiled a great day was his two missed free throws late but that wasn’t big because of the next guy I want to mention.

 

O.G. Anunoby had his best game at Indiana. The true freshman had eight points and seven rebounds. Four of those rebounds were on the offensive end, including two late in the game off of missed free throw opportunities. He also made two 3’s. He had one coming made for his career coming into the game. He also made both of his free throws and he was shooting 33 percent coming in.

 

And what can you say about Ryan Burton? Burton had scored a total of three points in eight games this season coming in. He scored six points, made both of his shots and both were from 3 and had a key offensive rebound.4

 

That’s 32 points off of the bench from three Indiana players today. And two of them had contributed very little to this point which made their contributions that much bigger.

 

A fourth performance worth mentioning was that of Collin Hartman. He had nine points on three 3-pointers. Now, all of them were in the first 12 minutes of the game but it definitely got IU off to the right start. And Hartman was starting in place of Blackmon so the Hoosiers needed a spark from that spot.

 

So what did Wednesday’s performance say about Indiana basketball moving forward?

 

I think it’s hard to tell. This has been an Indiana team that has played down to the level of its competition all season. And 23 turnovers, for a team that averages 14, is still uncharacteristic. Yogi had six turnovers and Johnson had five. You have to hope that was an anomaly of sorts.

 

I think the bigger question is how much will the loss of Blackmon Jr. hurt moving forward if it turns out he’s for a few games? There was no news on that front Wednesday other than that he would be further evaluated. It’s his right knee, not the one he had operated on in the offseason. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

 

I think IU can be OK without Blackmon in the short term but if he’s out for a longer period of time a player like Johnson in particular is definitely going to have to pick up some of the slack.

 

So Indiana is 1-0 in conference and plays Nebraska Saturday. IU fans can only hope that the Hoosiers play a lot better in Lincoln than they did Wednesday at Rutgers.

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rebelhoosier848891

Good recap. Glad we got the W.....

 

But --I feel like we are stuck in a bad episode of "Groundhog Day"---it's like the 2014-2015 team all over again. We have to rely on our offense to outscore people and do not value the ball or play solid defense. We are looking like a mid-pack Big Ten team that barely gets in the tournament and is gone after the first two rounds.  Come on Hoosiers----kick it in!

Alford Bailey, Stuhoo, Class of '66 Old Fart and 1 other reacted to this

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Old Friend

Interesting, indeed.

 

The reality?  I have - and I'm sure I'm not alone - reached the point of absolute apathy.  I don't care if Indiana wins or loses because either is okay with me right now.

 

I watch this team play, and I don't enjoy it.  I don't enjoy zero strategy.  Zero game plan.  Zero "anything different than any other time Indiana plays."   I don't enjoy listening to our coach try to sell.....whoever that we just beat a good team.  I don't enjoy his passive-aggressive defending of himself the way he has for 8 years.  He doesn't coach.  He installs a style, and it's good enough most of the time against bad teams, and not good enough most of the time against quality teams.   Been that way the entirety of his tenure at Indiana except when he had two top 5 NBA draft picks and several experienced role players on the roster.  Kind of like....Marquette.  (Okay, they only had one top 5, but also two additional NBA guys in the starting lineup)  Groundhog Day includes a repeat of a tenure at another university!!

 

I don't enjoy watching Yogi Ferrell - a senior - take bad shot after bad shot and play like turnovers AND bad shots don't matter.  A senior had 6 turnovers against the worst team in the Big Ten.  Our starting back court had 11.  When Ryan Burton has more points in a game than Thomas Bryant and Robert Johnson combined...that's a problem.  A sign of very bad things and a team disengaged.  

 

We still absolutely suck at the free throw line.  65% ain't gonna' cut it.

 

Troy Williams had more turnovers than field goal attempts.  (7 to 6) And played 29 minutes with basically 3 other starters out of the game or not engaged in the game.  Whu...?  Why!?!  He was 2-5 from the FT line.  This is a kid who thinks he's a lottery pick?  He COULD be...which is really sad.  Where's the fight, Troy?  Where's the "I'm carrying this team" mentality.  7 turnovers in 29 minutes??  My God...

 

The worst part?  Our Big Ten schedule is so soft, we're STILL going to win 13 games and STILL going to make this coach look good.  

 

Groundhog Day.  Yes, indeed.  Groundhog Day.  Nothing changes.  We win if we make shots, lose if we don't, and make bad teams look decent because we can't guard.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  This is what you get when you have a coach who's not a good x and o guy.  Who's not a game planner.  Who doesn't make adjustments.  Who never makes any real changes other than switching defenses every now and then.  (or sometimes too often)   This is not Groundhog Day.  This is what Indiana Basketball looks like.  We don't have a roster full of smart players.  We have a few, but mostly kids with athletic ability, some ball skills, and no real basketball IQ.  I was impressed with Morgan.  He knows where to be.  He seems to understand positioning.  He loses focus, but I think he gets it.  Bielfelt gets it.  Burton does.  But Williams?  No clue.  Yogi? No clue.   Bryant?  Out of position today more often than he was IN position.  

 

Thank God (I guess) that team missed 10 layups.  We're 1-0 in the Big Ten.  I'm supposed to be happy, right?  I'm afraid Groundhog Day is here to stay as long as we have a coach who isn't a strategist.  When the system works, it works.  When it doesn't...it doesn't.  That was true in 2009 and it's true now.  Happy February 2nd.  

Ranger78, Kilroy, Class of '66 Old Fart and 9 others reacted to this

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HoosierAloha

I think you still have a little fight in you Old Friend!

 

Good write up Hutch.

 

I'm running it through my head what B1G opponent IU could have won against with that performance.  I keep coming back to "it depends on what the other team does."  I've seen O$U, Illinois, Minnesota, and PSU put up some terrible performances this season.  I think all of those teams could have made an effort to lose to that IU performance but more likely than not we wouldn't have lost by double digits. 

 

I've been saying it all season and I'll continue to say it for the rest of the season.  This team is so frustrating because they will play a few minutes of beautiful basketball and then revert back to selfish play on both ends of the court.  Do the players not understand they will get beat off the dribble when they don't sit down and move their feet?  Do they not understand we score or get fouled more often than not when the ball goes inside?  It's as if we play good team basketball just to make sure we can and then flip the switch to street ball for the remainder of the half.  Where is the leadership?!

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triple

There was a really nice 9-0 run during the game when our sub laced line-up played D, played scrappy and generally worked together as a team.  Why was I not surprised that a minute or two into that moment of beauty Crean swapped in three regular starters from the bench?  His coaching instincts are beyond bizarre...he's programmed to self destruct.

 

Mr. Glass, how can you not see this?

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HoosierCoop

I remember the days where I could look down the B1G schedule and pick out our guaranteed wins.

 

Looking down the schedule (with a really forgiving B1G schedule) I can't pick one with this team nor can I come close.

 

The way Penn St. played Maryland scares me.

PU will destroy us again.

Maryland will destroy us.

Michigan St. will destroy us.

 

I see no confidence in this team or the confidence that this team will be competitive in the conference.

 

Just have to wait and see.  This will be a game by game situation.  I hate the feeling that this team could win the unexpected or implode on any given moment.

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DawgBawls

@ Triple....YES, YES, YES. IF they are playing well, what does it matter who is out there? You play with the best guys...no matter their names. That's why we don't have names on jerseys...because it doesn't matter...its the name on the front of jersey....CTC you should know this....IT"S INDIANA, DANG IT!!!!

DChoosier, Str8Hoosiers, HoosierCoop and 1 other reacted to this

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DChoosier

There was a really nice 9-0 run during the game when our sub laced line-up played D, played scrappy and generally worked together as a team.  Why was I not surprised that a minute or two into that moment of beauty Crean swapped in three regular starters from the bench?  His coaching instincts are beyond bizarre...he's programmed to self destruct.
 
Mr. Glass, how can you not see this?


Yes!!!! I was at the game with my wife and have to admit I did not think it was the greatest lineup but they then went on a run and all the sudden we were up 9 or 10 (you use the word scrappy and to me it seemed they really had a strong desire to win) I turned to my wife and said "we are on a good run so Crean will take out a few of these guys" and sure enough he did. Other teams give players on a run a long block of playing time. Other teams do not take a guy out right after hitting a couple three pointers in a row. I think frequent subbing makes him feel he is "coaching" and some type of chess master.
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Str8Hoosiers

Hey Goundhog Day is my favorite day of the year (My Birthday).... I am glad there is a whole post about it!!!!  :lol:

 

Lots of great analysis in this thread, both on the game in question and on the general behavior of our team, coach, etc.

WayneFleekHoosier reacted to this

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HoosierAloha

Recap from SOME fans. We suck so unbelievably bad. No, we're average. Get over your drama-filled comments & think realistically.

 

We're not the worst team in the B1G on most days?

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Hoosiershoe

Just watched Butler play Providence. Despite the loss, Butler is so enjoyable to watch. The play pure "basketball", play as a team, no me-me mentality, and they play with heart and passion, in contrast to the Hoosiers who play a bad version of the game on one end of the floor and only on one end, every game. I don't know what they are doing on the other end of the floor and oh how they lack heart, passion.Tthe first two teams of Crean's played with more heart and passion despite losing most of their games.

As a long time Hoosier dating back to the 1970s, never thought I would say how I look more forward now to watching Butler play than the Hoosiers. Butler is a team to hold in high regard and respect as a fan; sad that I can't say this about what use to be my team - IU.

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AKHoosier

Just watched Butler play Providence. Despite the loss, Butler is so enjoyable to watch. The play pure "basketball", play as a team, no me-me mentality, and they play with heart and passion, in contrast to the Hoosiers who play a bad version of the game on one end of the floor and only on one end, every game. I don't know what they are doing on the other end of the floor and oh how they lack heart, passion.Tthe first two teams of Crean's played with more heart and passion despite losing most of their games.

As a long time Hoosier dating back to the 1970s, never thought I would say how I look more forward now to watching Butler play than the Hoosiers. Butler is a team to hold in high regard and respect as a fan; sad that I can't say this about what use to be my team - IU.

 

IU's defense is rated 120 according to Kenpom.  Butler's is 141.  I think Butler could use a little more "heart and passion" on that end of the floor.

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Uspshoosier

IU's defense is rated 120 according to Kenpom. Butler's is 141. I think Butler could use a little more "heart and passion" on that end of the floor.

before the Purdue game it was in the 140's and after that game it dropped down into the 90's and now it shot back up into 140's. That's a lot of movement in between games

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Scooter D
[quote name="Old Friend" post="227748" timestamp="1451546040"]Interesting, indeed.
 
The reality?  I have - and I'm sure I'm not alone - reached the point of absolute apathy.  I don't care if Indiana wins or loses because either is okay with me right now.
 
I watch this team play, and I don't enjoy it.  I don't enjoy zero strategy.  Zero game plan.  Zero "anything different than any other time Indiana plays."  
 
Totally agree with this. At this point, I have the DVR set and will watch the games when i get to it. I am a diehard fan...born and raised a Hoosier in the Hoosier state...graduated from this fine institution in the mid-90s and love the univeristy like none other and typically could not wait until the next game day; however, as an example of my apathy, Liverpool FC was playing a match and on TV and instead of finishing watching the game vs. Rutgers, i switched to the futbol match and came back after it was over. Until something changes, i don't see this changing...and it is killing me. Trying to keep the faith, for the glory of ol‘ IU.
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Uspshoosier

We're not the worst team in the B1G on most days?

i know you are not being serious but no we are not the worst team in the B1G. All 3 of our losses are to ken Pom top 100 teams. Whereas Rutgers is Rutgers, Illinois has lost to north Florida and Chattanooga both at home Minnesota is 6-7 and has lost to South Dakota and South Dakota st both at home, Ohio st has lost to ut Arlington and Louisiana tech both at home, wisky has lost to western Illinois and Milwaukee both at home, Nebraska lost to Sanford at home and to creighton (who we beat), penn st lost to Radford at home and at Duquesne, it's probably a coin flip if we are better then Michigan and northwestern. Iowa, Maryland, Michigan state, and Purdue are all better then iu at this point in my opinion
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jhoosier
It is so hard for me to watch this team play defense. We make mediocre and bad players look like great players. Then on the offensive end---the end that we are suppose to be so great at mind you--we are careless with the ball and never run any of our great shooters off of screens to get open looks. It's all ball screens and dribbling. What happened to smart, fundamentally sound basketball? That's what IU's tradition is built on and it's what we need to get back too.
ALASKA HOOSIER reacted to this

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Uspshoosier

It is so hard for me to watch this team play defense. We make mediocre and bad players look like great players. Then on the offensive end---the end that we are suppose to be so great at mind you--we are careless with the ball and never run any of our great shooters off of screens to get open looks. It's all ball screens and dribbling. What happened to smart, fundamentally sound basketball? That's what IU's tradition is built on and it's what we need to get back too.

you or me might not like the offense that is ran but it's still top 10 in adjusted offensive efficiency(not saying I like it but numbers do)

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