Indiana dropped to 1-3 in Large Ten play with an 84-83 loss towards Northwestern on Sunday at Meeting Corridor.
Listed below are 5 takeaways from the loss to the Wildcats:
Indiana’s protection continues to crater
Indiana acquired again to the NCAA event final season for the primary time since 2016 on the power of its protection.
Via 15 video games this season – a greater than satisfactory pattern dimension – it’s clear this yr’s Hoosiers have regressed defensively. The Hoosiers have been flat-footed to start out Sunday’s recreation towards Northwestern and the Wildcats took benefit.
Relatively than pressuring the ball on the perimeter, Indiana’s guards allowed Northwestern’s guards to provoke the offense seamlessly. The consequence was straight-line drives and open shooters on the perimeter. Lower than 12 minutes into the sport, Indiana trailed by 17 factors. Mike Woodson even performed some zone on Sunday to maintain Indiana’s guards from getting blown previous on the perimeter.
Northwestern, which entered Sunday’s recreation ranked 187th nationally in adjusted offensive effectivity on KenPom, scored 84 factors and 1.135 factors per possession.
Via 4 league video games, Indiana is tenth within the convention at 1.052 factors per possession allowed. With no reprieve coming in an ultra-competitive Large Ten schedule and accidents to 2 starters, Indiana should shore issues up defensively quickly or it’s going to discover itself close to the underside of the league standings.
Trayce Jackson-Davis posts one in all his finest video games in an IU uniform
Whereas Indiana got here up brief on Sunday afternoon, a monster effort from Trayce Jackson-Davis stored the Hoosiers within the recreation.
Jackson-Davis completed with 18 factors, 24 rebounds, eight assists and 4 blocked photographs in 40 minutes. Over Indiana’s final two video games, he’s come off the ground for simply two minutes complete.
“I get therapy, and that’s all I do. I get therapy after which I play,” Jackson-Davis stated postgame. “That’s what I do. That’s what I’ve acquired to do; if I’ve acquired to play 40 minutes, I’ve acquired to play 40 minutes.
“That’s the largest factor for me is I’ve acquired to be prepared and get myself pretty much as good as I can to play within the subsequent recreation, and that’s what I’m going to maintain doing as a result of I do know my crew wants me.”
The 24 rebounds for Jackson-Davis have been probably the most for an IU participant since Steve Downing grabbed 25 towards Kentucky on Dec. 11, 1971.
Jalen Hood-Schifino scored 33 factors, however has loads of room for development
Jalen Hood-Schifino poured in a career-high 33 factors on Sunday afternoon, probably the most by an Indiana freshman in a recreation since Eric Gordon again within the 2007-08 season. Gordon scored the 33 factors on Nov. 12, 2007 towards Chattanooga.
Gordon, in fact, went on to be a lottery choose and remains to be within the NBA nearly 15 years after he was chosen.
Hood-Schifino, Indiana’s solely level guard on the roster after Xavier Johnson’s harm, is logging heavy minutes and has scored 54 factors over the crew’s final two video games.
Whereas the scoring from Hood-Schifino was key on Sunday, his protection and turnovers have been generally problematic. The freshman from Pittsburgh dedicated six turnovers in comparison with three assists. And defensively, he’s a downgrade on the perimeter from Johnson on the level of assault. Boo Buie and Chase Audige, Northwestern’s two finest guards, mixed for 45 factors.
“In addition to Jalen performed right now, he had six turnovers,” Woodson stated postgame. “The turnovers we had led to 25, 26 factors, and that’s powerful to beat.”
Jordan Geronimo doesn’t seem like the reply within the beginning lineup
Within the preseason, there was speak of Jordan Geronimo probably incomes a spot within the beginning lineup on the three. That by no means materialized as a chance because it has develop into clear that Geronimo isn’t comfy handing the ball on the perimeter.
Geronimo began for the primary time this season on Sunday rather than Race Thompson on the 4.
He was on the ground for Indiana’s tough begin that noticed Northwestern take command of the sport from the opening tip. And he was once more on the ground to start out the second half as Northwestern scored the primary 4 factors of the half and pushed its lead again to double figures.
In 10 minutes, he went 0-for-2 from the sphere, grabbed solely two rebounds and Indiana was -16 whereas he was on the ground.
This adopted Thursday’s efficiency at Iowa when Geronimo struggled to defend Kris Murray within the second half of IU’s loss to the Hawkeyes in Iowa Metropolis.
“I believed tonight getting down early, we struggled early on,” Woodson stated. “Now, perhaps I’ve to tinker with the lineup once more. I believed beginning Geronimo, I believed he would give us a raise being a junior and the truth that he’s accomplished it. Under no circumstances am I blaming it on Geronimo, however we acquired off to such a gradual begin, 17 right down to a great crew like that — they’re taking part in effectively.”
If Indiana does change the lineup, it’s going to doubtless go small with Galloway on the three and Miller Kopp on the 4 or place Malik Reneau alongside Trayce Jackson-Davis fairly than Geronimo. Whichever route Woodson goes, it seems Geronimo’s stint as a starter will probably be transient.
Indiana wants extra from Tamar Bates and Miller Kopp
Sunday was a troublesome afternoon for 2 of Indiana’s starters: Tamar Bates and Miller Kopp.
Kopp, who beforehand performed at Northwestern, is now 0-2 towards his former crew. He performed 26 minutes on Sunday, however scored solely 5 factors.
Bates, who seemed to be on the verge of breaking out, was simply 3-for-8 from the sphere and completed with 9 factors on Sunday.
With out Kopp and Bates offering extra constant offense and Race Thompson and Johnson sidelined, the strain to attain is nearly utterly on Jackson-Davis and Hood-Schifino.
Indiana nonetheless performed effectively sufficient offensively on Sunday to win – the Hoosiers scored 83 factors – however getting extra constant manufacturing from Bates and Kopp transferring ahead could be an enormous increase given the harm state of affairs.
Filed to: Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jordan Geronimo, Miller Kopp, Northwestern Wildcats, Tamar Bates, Trayce Jackson-Davis
