Thoughts about A 72-60 loss to the wild cats:
This game was there for the taking.
But Indiana collapsed in the second half and its seven-point halftime lead evaporated in a double-digit loss.
Start here: The Hoosiers blew this one due to ball security issues. Leading by seven points after a Tucker DeVries bucket with 14:18 to play, Indiana then went on a putrid streak. DeVries missed a 3-pointer on Indiana’s next trip. From there, the Hoosiers turned it around on five straight possessions.
First possession: Tayton Conerway went into the air and was met by two defenders. He opted to pass out to the perimeter, but it was intercepted. Second possession: Conerway traveled into the paint. Third possession: Nick Dorn lost the ball while trying to dribble from the perimeter. Fourth possession: DeVries hit the middle of the court and tried to feed Reed Bailey with a short pass near the basket, but the pass was picked off. Fifth possession: Dorn made a similar move to Conerway’s first, getting up near the basket and losing the ball as he appeared to try to pass it to Sam Alexis in the paint.
Five goals in less than two and a half minutes of game action.
This was the decisive part of the game, as Indiana lost the lead and never regained it. On the other hand, during the same stretch, Kentucky began to assert itself on the boards. The Wildcats grabbed six offensive rebounds, which led to six second-chance points. Mouhamed Dioubate had three, Otega Oweh two and Brandon Garrison one.
The latest numbers tell the story of the details: Indiana turned the ball over on 27 percent of its possessions, including 12 turnovers in the second half. Kentucky had just four games for a turnover percentage of six. The Wildcats scored 23 points off turnovers to Indiana’s six. Kentucky defeated Indiana in second-chance points, 18-6.
Maybe Indiana could have overcome all this with a hot shooting night, but it didn’t. IU’s 0.90 points per possession was the lowest of the season. The Hoosiers shot just 4 of 24 (17 percent) on three-pointers and made just 15 shots the entire game. Lamar Wilkerson made 16 shots by himself the last time against Penn State. Other than a 26-of-29 (89.7 percent) performance at the line, Indiana didn’t have much to write home about on offense.
DeVries finished 1-of-9 from deep. Dorn missed all three of his attempts from distance. Bailey did not score and played only eight minutes. Conor Enright played 30 minutes and missed all three of his shot attempts.
Wilkerson picked up his fourth foul early in the second half (5:58 p.m.) and did not return until the 9:30 mark. Only four Hoosiers scored a basket for Indiana tonight: Wilkerson (5-for-11, 15 points), DeVries (4-for-13, 15 points), Conerway (3-for-6, 11 points) and Alexis (3-for-4, six points). Everyone else got their points on the line.
Kentucky went just 3-of-15 from deep, and its effective field goal percentage of 41 was only slightly better than Indiana’s 39. But the Wildcats had 14 more shots (58 to 44) in this game because of their offensive rebounding and Indiana’s turnovers.
“Turnovers and the offensive rebounds, which turned the game around in the second half,” Darian Devries said after the game.
The reality of Indiana’s season right now? Sure, the computer numbers are still solid enough. But with the non-conference season nearly over, it has failed to secure a win that will likely sit strong on the NCAA tournament resume. Marquette is 5-6 on the season and No. 99 on KenPom. Kansas State remains solid at No. 70 with a 7-4 record.
Other than that, Indiana lost to Louisville in a game where it found it difficult to compete. It just lost to a Kentucky team that has underperformed so far this season.
The Hoosiers will have plenty of opportunities to get quality wins in conference play. But that’s true most years in the Big Ten. Winning the games is an entirely different question. And right now, things look shaky for Indiana on that front.
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
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