Indiana fell 85-68 Friday evening to Nebraska at Pinnacle Financial institution Enviornment, which dropped the Hoosiers to 8-3 general and 1-1 in Large Ten play.
Listed here are 5 takeaways from the loss to the Huskers:
Regardless of its expertise upgrades, Indiana’s protection remains to be damaged
Indiana turned over a lot of its roster from final season’s 19-14 marketing campaign. The expertise, not less than on paper, is improved.
The protection remains to be damaged. As is often the case underneath Mike Woodson, when the Hoosiers are crushed, they’re crushed soundly. Friday’s efficiency was the identical.
Nebraska scored 1.233 factors per possession for 85 factors. It was an identical defensive efficiency to Louisville (89 factors, 1.233 PPP) and Gonzaga (89 factors, 1.195 PPP).
By 11 video games, the Hoosiers have the 66th-best protection nationally. That ranks twelfth amongst Large Ten applications.
Until Indiana can present significant progress defensively – and there’s no signal at this level that it’ll – the ceiling is an NCAA match bubble crew by season’s finish.
Indiana had no reply for Brice Williams
Indiana struggled to supply defensive resistance towards Brice Williams from the opening tip.
The 6-foot-7 wing obtained the place he wished on the ground and delivered an environment friendly offensive efficiency. Williams completed with 30 factors on 8-for-12 taking pictures on 2s, 2-for-3 taking pictures on 3s and 8-for-11 from the free throw line.
It didn’t matter who Indiana placed on Williams, the Hoosiers had no reply.
Whereas Indiana was lauded within the offseason for including assist in the backcourt in Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle, together with Oumar Ballo within the publish, its protection on the wing is underwhelming.
Mackenzie Mgbako had foul points from the beginning making an attempt to comprise Williams, Bryson Tucker couldn’t guard him and neither might Luke Goode.
Indiana has no constant chief
Myles Rice and Trey Galloway are Indiana’s captains. However the Hoosiers don’t have any constant chief on the ground.
Indiana recovered from adversity early on towards Nebraska by getting a couple of stops and pulling down perimeter photographs. However with the sport within the stability and the Hoosiers trailing 68-67 with 6:51 to play, the on-court management was missing.
Outdoors of Rice, who scored 14 of his 20 factors within the second half, Indiana’s most skilled gamers delivered little within the second half.
Galloway was 1-for-8 with two turnovers in 14 second-half minutes. Goode was 1-for-5 in 13 second-half minutes. Malik Reneau was 1-for-4 in 9 second-half minutes. Mgbako was 1-for-4 in 13 second-half minutes. Remarkably, Ballo didn’t try a shot within the second half.
These performances is not going to ship wins, notably away from Meeting Corridor.
Hoosiers hoist 35 3-pointers and solely join eight instances
Nebraska got here in with the plan of forcing Indiana to take perimeter photographs and the Hoosiers tried a season-high 35 makes an attempt.
The variety of makes an attempt was essentially the most for this system underneath Woodson since his arrival within the 2021-22 season.
Whereas many appears have been clear and Indiana merely missed, many have been comparatively early in possessions and never in rhythm. Indiana’s greatest 3-point shooter, Mgbako, solely tried one 3-pointer, and its worst 3-point shooter, freshman Bryson Tucker, tried 5 photographs from the perimeter.
“I assumed we had attractiveness tonight, we simply didn’t make them,” Woodson mentioned postgame. “I don’t care in case you take 30, 40, 50 threes, whenever you take them, you’ve obtained to make them.”
Indiana additionally tried 5 photographs that have been lengthy 2s (from 17 ft to simply contained in the 3-point line) and went 2-for-5 on these makes an attempt.
This was Nebraska’s fourth straight win towards Indiana by 15 or extra factors
Courting again to final season when it beat Indiana thrice, Nebraska has gained 4 straight video games within the collection.
And not one of the video games have been shut.
The Hoosiers have given up not less than 85 factors in all 4 losses and not less than 1.197 factors per possession. The common margin of victory for the Huskers in these 4 video games? 18.8 factors.
This domination by the Huskers is one other knowledge level as an example the Hoosiers are removed from competing close to the highest of the Large Ten. Woodson’s acknowledged purpose upon his arrival to Bloomington and once more within the preseason was to compete for convention and nationwide championships.
At present, this system is a good distance from each targets.
(Picture credit score: Nebraska Athletics)
Filed to: Mike Woodson, Nebraska Cornhuskers
