One of Indiana men’s basketball’s biggest flaws through its first 12 games of the season has been the struggle to play a complete game.
IU (9-3, 1-1 Big Ten) has been able to do it — or at least get close enough to it — in a few games, notably against South Carolina. And it’s certainly excusable to endure some struggles against top-tier teams like Gonzaga.
But on too many occasions, the Hoosiers have gone through extended stretches on the court where things just get away from them too easily. Shots stop falling, passes get lazy and sloppy, mental mistakes and defensive lapses increase, and anything else imaginable. It’s not always all of those things within these periods, but combine enough of them and it makes a difference.
IU head coach Mike Woodson disagreed that this is a common theme for his squad, but he knows it’s capable of putting together a solid 40-minute game — and he knows not doing so can hold them back later on.
“When you go back to our practice game against Tennessee we were very competitive, and I’m trying to get us there on a 40-minute basis every night they step out on the floor. And we’re not there yet. Nowhere near it,” Woodson said after IU’s win over Chattanooga. “So I got a lot of work still ahead.”
This directly impacted all three of IU’s losses. In addition to the Gonzaga game, multiple such stretches left the team facing a massive deficit against Louisville, and a long drought at the end of the Nebraska game turned a close road defeat into a 17-point disappointment.
These slumps have created obstacles for the Hoosiers to overcome in plenty of wins, as well. They trailed at halftime to a woeful Eastern Illinois team, and led by just three at the break against Miami (OH). Indiana ruined a scorching start against UNC Greensboro by allowing the Spartans to get back in the game, and let Chattanooga keep last Saturday’s game close for most of the day. In that game against the Mocs, IU’s most recent contest, the team endured an extended drought similar to what happened at Nebraska.
Junior forward Malik Reneau said Indiana needs to slow down and play more composed to avoid these types of stretches.
“I think we’re trying to do a lot of things, but we’re not executing or not doing it the way Coach wants,” Reneau said. “So just slowing down and trying to execute and just getting the shot every time down. Not trying to rush anything and making sure we get a good shot every time we come down the court.”
Indiana has just one more non-conference game this season, on Sunday against Winthrop at 4 p.m. at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. After that, the Hoosiers will settle into Big Ten play for the rest of the regular season.
IU cannot afford to keep consistently having these runs of bad basketball against stronger opponents. Teams like Miami (OH) and Chattanooga couldn’t take advantage, but better teams like Penn State, Iowa, and Illinois — three of IU’s first five matchups in January — would surely capitalize.
These stretches, and their effects on Indiana’s score lines, are surely impacting the team’s metrics. The Hoosiers sit at No. 55 in KenPom, No. 51 on Bart Torvik, and No. 67 in the NET rankings. The wins that end up closer than they should be, along with the losses that end up more lopsided than they should be, drag down IU’s résumé.
There’s still plenty of time to right the ship and minimize these struggle periods. But the longer IU continues to endure runs like these, the tougher it’ll be to overcome.
But the Hoosiers aren’t worried at all with their progress as a team since the beginning of the season.
“I wouldn’t say worried. I feel like we’re in a good space,” Reneau said. “We definitely got to improve on a lot of things coming up, but this break will definitely give us a chance to clear everybody’s minds, and, like I said, get back to it and come back with a spark when we come back from that break.”
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