CBB: Indiana Season Recap (So Far)
The Indiana Hoosiers were riding a three-game winning streak heading into Friday nights game on the road, facing No. 9 Michigan State, playing their best basketball of the season, that is until the game began. After defeating Minnesota, Penn State, and Northwestern, the Hoosiers were dominated through and through by the Spartans, losing 85-57. It was yet another wake up call to a young team that still has so much to learn. Indiana has a lot of talent, but it's going to take some time to get used to first year head coach, Archie Miller, and all of the incoming players: Aijami Durham, Justin Smith, Clifton Moore, and Ethan Lasko.
The season got off to a poor start as they lost two of their first three games, including the opener to Indiana State on their home floor, 90-69. After going 5-5 in their first 10 outings, with losses coming to Seton Hall, Duke, Michigan, and Louisville, it seemed like the team got it figured out against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were ranked No. 18 in the country and the Hoosiers came away with an 80-77 upset. Juwan Morgan led the way going for 34 points on 76.4 percent shooting, to go along with 11 rebounds in 40 minutes of play. And then two days later, with all the momentum on their side, Indiana let up and took one on the chin.
I.P.F.W. came into town and downed the Hoosiers by 20 points. The lowest part of the season. And it was the second year in a row that Indiana lost to the Mastodons. Robert Johnson, a senior on the team, scored a team-high 18 points on an inefficient 17 shot attempts. But that's pretty much how the season has gone for Indiana. They play great one game, and horrible the next. There is no consistency whatsoever, and there isn't going to be much winning in Bloomington until they find some stability. Miller will likely bring that, possibly even next year, but right now, they're far away from competing in the Big Ten every night.
The Hoosiers sit at 11-8 (4-3 Big Ten) and have a shot at finishing in the top half of the conference, but an NCAA Tournament berth is out of the question at this point, barring an absolute miracle. Especially since De'Ron Davis, the third leading scorer on the team, is out for the season with an injury. The Hoosiers will face Maryland, Illinois, No. 3 Purdue, Ohio State, and then Michigan State (again) over their next five games. With 11 games left in the season, plus the Big Ten Tournament, it's looking likely like Indiana is headed for the NIT for the second year in a row. Last season they lost in the NIT First Round, 75-63, to Georgia Tech.
Photo Credit: Sporting News.
