Indiana had a chance to change the direction of their season. But the song remains the same.
The Hoosiers fell behind 17-13 early but hit Purdue with a 23-12 first half run to take a seven-point lead. They’d lead by four at the half, but the Boilermakers stormed out of the locker room with an 11-1 answer. Indiana responded again, and went up 67-61 with 5:36 left. But Purdue won the final five minutes 20-9.
Let’s take a deeper look at how Indiana lost 81-76 with our latest edition of The Report Card.
Indiana (14-8, 5-6) will next travel to Wisconsin for a Tuesday 9 p.m. ET tip.
COACHING (C+)
For as loud as the noise is right now around Woodson’s future at IU, the Hoosiers were ready and competed for 40 minutes.
But Indiana collapsed late for the third game in a row. Mike Woodson said he couldn’t get the attention of Myles Rice to call a timeout after Purdue took the lead with 11 seconds left. That resulted in a really bad shot by Rice, effectively ending the game. Even Purdue coach Matt Painter said after the game he was relieved Trey Galloway didn’t get the ball in that moment, because he had been so effective to that point getting downhill.
Indiana did run good offense, and only so much of the 20 turnovers the Hoosiers committed can be placed at the feet of the staff.
And IU made defensive progress. They guarded the three better and forced Purdue into a lot of mid-range twos that, to their credit, they made.
Woodson did show some resolve to not go back to Myles Rice, who was struggling in his limited minutes.
OFFENSE (B)
Indiana had some highly effective minutes on the offensive end with Oumar Ballo, Trey Galloway, Anthony Leal, Mackenzie Mgbako and Luke Goode on the floor. With the floor spaced and Ballo a lob threat, Galloway was effective getting downhill with his right hand, and Goode and Mgbako were 6-of-14 from three.
Fueled primarily by that group, IU had a 63.2 effective field goal percentage, their highest mark of the year against a high major foe. And their 42.9% offensive rebounding rate was tied for the second highest in any game this year. They grabbed 12 misses and scored 16 second chance points.
But turnovers disrupted the flow. Indiana’s 20 turnovers and 29.2 turnover percentage were both the second highest of the season, only behind the debacle vs. Louisville in The Bahamas.
IU probably could have even overcome all the turnovers, but a 9-of-16 night at the charity stripe was more than enough of a final nail in the coffin.
Still, Indiana’s 1.11 points per possession should have been enough to win.
DEFENSE (C)
After major struggles guarding the three-point arc in recent games, Indiana held Purdue to 2-of-13 from long range. Fletcher Loyer only got off three attempts from three, and Braden Smith just two. But IU wasn’t highly effective with any other aspect of their defense.
It was inside the arc where the Boilermakers did all their damage, making 27-of-42 (64.3%) from two. Braden Smith was 11-of-19 from two, and Trey Kaufman-Renn 10-of-13.
Purdue had just 10 turnovers on 65 possessions, and IU sent them to the free throw line far too often. The Boilermakers’ 50.9% free throw attempt rate (FTA/FGA) was the second highest allowed by the Hoosiers this season. Purdue also grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and scored 16 second chance points.
So despite their struggles from deep, Purdue still managed 1.18 points per possession. All of IU’s opponents have been 1.18 or higher in their five losses in their last six games. That’s a difficult mountain to overcome, and IU is showing vulnerability in a number of ways.
MORE GAME COVERAGE
- Watch: Purdue coach Matt Painter discusses win over Indiana
- Watch: IU basketball’s Mike Woodson and Trey Galloway discuss loss at Purdue
- IU basketball: Purdue 81 Indiana 76 — Three keys, highlights, final stats
THE PLAYERS (*starters)
*Mackenzie Mgbako (A) This was probably Mgbako’s best college game, considering the high pressure atmosphere, and his consistent play start to finish. Mgbako shot the ball well, was good off the bounce, seemed more verbal on the floor, and had some good defensive moments.
*Myles Rice (F) Rice was never a positive factor in the game, and seemed to be bothered by the intense environment at Mackey Arena. And he had to make eye contact with his coach in the final seconds to see if Woodson wanted a timeout.
*Anthony Leal (B) Leal was aggressive with the ball, and that led to some good moments and turnovers, but he was clearly a positive in this game. And that included on the defensive end where he was able to force Braden Smith off the arc and away from the rim much of the time.
*Malik Reneau (F) The junior big man still looks rusty coming off his knee injury. He had five fouls and three turnovers in eight minutes and was unable to impact the game in a positive way.
*Oumar Ballo (B-) Ballo was good but not great in this one. Part of that was Purdue being intent on sending help his way. But his defensive start to the second half, when Kaufman-Renn bullied him on the block for three straight baskets to open the second half should never happen given his size advantage.
Luke Goode (B+) The senior wing stretched the defense and hit big shots. He stayed out of foul trouble but wasn’t a factor on the glass. He didn’t turn the ball over and added a block and a steal. Indiana continues to appear to be at their best with Goode on the floor right now.
Trey Galloway (B-) Galloway played at a very high level as a scorer, knifing through Purdue’s ball screen coverages to get to his right hand. But he got himself into trouble with several bad passes and ended up with six turnovers. He did balance things out somewhat with five assists and good defense on Fletcher Loyer.
Bryson Tucker and Langdon Hatton appeared in the game briefly.
Dallas James did not play, coach’s decision.
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Kanaan Carlyle (flu) and Jakai Newton were listed as out for the game. Gabe Cupps is out with a long-term injury.
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