Analysis: It was just Morehead State but ...

[IndyHutch 1,718]

Indiana looked better on the defensive end Saturday night. As you would expect the Hoosiers to do. But the most important thing I took from the win over Morehead State is that Indiana at least looked as if it was taking a little pride in what it was doing and tried to play together as a defensive unit. And that's a start.

The problem with evaluating an effort like Indiana put forth Saturday night against Morehead State was … well … it was Morehead State.

 

And no matter how much some will try to get to believe that Morehead State is a decent non-conference opponent, the Eagles just really didn’t look that part Saturday night in a 92-59 loss to the Hoosiers.

 

So you sit back, evaluate the effort and then try to decide just what it all really means.

 

This is what I took away from Indiana’s win Saturday night over Morehead State.

 

It seemed like Indiana was trying to do something different on defense. And you know what, no matter the opponent, that is a start. The only way IU is ever going to get better on the defensive side of the ball is to string a few good defensive efforts together and try to do something very different than what we saw displayed in Maui and what we say displayed in Durham, N.C. on Wednesday.

 

And I felt like this was a start.

 

I liked the 30-second shot clock violations that IU was able to force.

 

I liked the way the Hoosiers had a couple of other defensive possessions that were pushed almost to the shot clock buzzer.

 

I liked the fact that I could actually see some help side defense and an awareness by a couple of players in particular.

 

I liked some of the energy I saw and the seven blocked shots.

 

What I liked the most is that it just felt like there was a team defensive concept going on. It seemed like Indiana was really trying to do something as a group and not just as individuals.

 

I just thought it was better. Yes, it was Morehead State but that was the next team on the schedule. IU could have come out and played awful again and really left Hoosier fans wondering what was going to happen next. Instead, it played solid ball on both ends of the floor.

 

The reality is that outside of Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic that it’s probably going to be hard for us to really get a gauge for what to expect from this team moving into Big Ten play.

 

But again, the only thing you can really hope for right now is to take baby steps in that direction and then by the time you play the Irish perhaps give a performance that gives you hope again when IU plays against a good foe.

 

So yes, it was just Morehead State. But the good news is that it wasn’t the defense played in Maui and it wasn’t the defense played at Duke.

 

That’s a step in the right direction.

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[HoosierReb01 7,511]

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

[BlueDevil 9,072]

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.

[Parakeet Jones 3,841]

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.

[Bailey7878 2,506]

Talked to me after they play Notre Dame.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[Magnanimous 4,692]

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. 

[Alford Bailey 12,516]

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? 

[AKHoosier 7,200]

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.

[Double Down 324]

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.

[Old Friend 8,389]

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.

[Alford Bailey 12,516]

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.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 86,800]

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. 

[mdn82 25,637]

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

[coonhounds 9,703]

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

[eljefe6 360]

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

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

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!

[Feathery 4,005]

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.

[JaybobHoosier 12,103]

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!