Indiana's postseason run.

[IU Hoosier41 14,465]

Lost 2 of three, could be three of four heading into the Big Ten Tournament means it's time to ask some questions...

1. Has something changed within the team, or is this due to the difficult schedule?

2. What does IU need to do to retain a #1 seed?

3. Can Indiana pull it together and close out a special year?

I think the drop in play has everything to do with a loss of confidence. Indiana isn't playing with the fire and "swagger" they were early in the season. The defeats and lost games are starting to pile up and I think Indiana is struggling to regain their confidence.

Shots are falling, teams are controlling the tempo of the game and are limiting Indiana's transition game. Throw in some foul trouble and cold shooting performances and it could be a recipe for disaster. Indiana isn't playing their best basketball in March, but I think they can still turn that around.

A win on Sunday can go a LONG LONG way to restore the "swagger" this team had prior to piling up some losses. It isn't time to panic; but it is time to recognize that Indiana needs to find some confidence to go deep in the tournament.

Here is to hoping that happens. Go Hoosiers!

[Kilroy 271]

Think it is mostly a product of a very tough fourth mini-season schedule.  The location of the games doesn't seem to make much of a difference to this team as they've played amazing on the road (MSU, OSU, Purdue), amazing at home (Purdue, MSU, 1st half of Minnesota), awful on the road (Illinois, Butler, and Minnesota), and awful at home (OSU, second half of Minnesota, Wisconsin). Seems that with each loss, I have that feeling in the pit of my stomach where you can tell the other team is more motivated to win. Had that feeling with Butler, Illinois, Minnesota, and OSU. So far, Michigan doesn't feel that way. Feels like IU will finally be playing with a purpose again and I'm predicting a win @Michigan. guessing they will probably lose in the championship game of B1G tourny, and then the NCAA is a toss up after getting to the Elite 8.

[padgman1 21]

IU this year is definitely an "energy" team.........they thrive on transition offense and defensive intensity...........when they have to go to their half-court offensive repetitively, they get frustrated at times, especially when there is no dribble-drive penetration.........when they suffer offensively in the halfcourt, they suffer somewhat on the defensive side as well.

 

Has anyone else noticed that recently, it seems as though we can play good defense for 35-40 seconds and then allow the other team to break us down and score?  This is very frustrating to me ( and probably for them as well)..............

[HoosierJacoby 129]

I think it has a lot to do with seeing these B1G teams a second time around. Minny and OSU had already seen us once and knew exactly what they had to do to take us down the next time. They adjusted, we didn't.

[Indiana-Pride 7]

Simple really. If our Hoosiers do not get both the physical and mental toughness it takes to win 6 games in the NCAA, we are in for a short run. Maybe watch some film on how "Aaron Craft" plays the game would help?  Toughness and desire...

[Jammerso 1]

I think it's just that we're getting to the end of a long season and our team is ready to be done with the grind and get to the tourney. Hope it's not something else. I was there Tuesday night and it seemed everyone was trying a little too hard. Always seemed to make one too many passes. I know I'm ready for the tourney. Let's go iu

[spinksy33 34]

Losing games on the road in the B1G or at home to an Ohio St or Mich St is going to happen. No team in the country is going to go through our conference unscathed. Our guys are right there even in our losses. We just need some shots to fall to get some momentum in our games. I give Ohio St credit, they hit tough shots with our guys all over them repeatedly at the end of shot clocks. Not much you can do when guys make a shot with Vic hanging all over them. Let's not forget that even though we have lost a couple we are still the only team with 4 losses and the number 1 seed in the conference tournament. I can think of 11 other teams that would like to be sitting where we are.

[Kineticz 87]

I think they will be ready to play once the tournaments start. These last few games we have been playing teams that simply need the games more than we do, we may have lost a little focus. I hope we can learn something from these lapses and become a stronger team.

[IU Hoosier41 14,465]

Losing games on the road in the B1G or at home to an Ohio St or Mich St is going to happen. No team in the country is going to go through our conference unscathed. Our guys are right there even in our losses. We just need some shots to fall to get some momentum in our games. I give Ohio St credit, they hit tough shots with our guys all over them repeatedly at the end of shot clocks. Not much you can do when guys make a shot with Vic hanging all over them. Let's not forget that even though we have lost a couple we are still the only team with 4 losses and the number 1 seed in the conference tournament. I can think of 11 other teams that would like to be sitting where we are.

Well said. It's just hard to see the team possibly lose 3 of the last 4 regardless of how the schedule has stacked up. I'm a firm believer in momentum heading into the tournament. The Colts have probably beaten that into my head. The one year they win the whole thing, they had to play their ass off to make the playoffs. Hope we can regain that swagger