LAWRENCE, Kan. – Seven days after an embarrassing day out in Las Vegas, Indiana’s No. 14 males’s basketball traversed the Midwest, keen to bop again towards some other high quality opponent. A 14-point loss to then-No. 10 College of Arizona printed many elementary issues inside the Hoosier staff, and it seemed like the West Coast serious warning call would result in higher efficiency going ahead.
Saturday’s 84-62 loss towards No. 8 College of Kansas used to be someway even worse.
The Hoosiers confirmed no indicators of development towards the Jayhawks and misplaced in precisely the similar manner as that they had every week previous. Kansas went on an unbeatable streak early within the sport, utterly silencing senior ahead Trayce Jackson-Davis at the offensive finish and taking part in with extra center and effort than Indiana.
[Related: No. 14 Indiana men’s basketball loses game of runs to No. 10 Arizona in turbulent matchup]
The Hoosiers’ fall towards the Wildcats remaining week became out to be Arizona’s dominant 17-0 run they continued early within the sport. Kansas produced that early dominance in the similar manner, after which some. The Jayhawks’ greatest lead within the first 1/2 ballooned to 22, they usually led through 15 issues going into halftime.
Indiana used to be with out graduate level guard Xavier Johnson for the ones two harmful stretches, this time on account of a significant foot damage sustained after suffering for a fumble. Johnson did not ranking in 9 mins ahead of leaving the sport for excellent at 9:12.
The Jayhawk protection restricted Jackson-Davis’ offensive manufacturing for lots of the first 1/2. The All-American scored his first issues after greater than 18 mins of timeout and completed the sport with 13, at the side of 3 turnovers.
Johnson and Jackson-Davis were deciding elements in Hoosier’s wins and losses all season.
In Indiana’s torpid loss to Rutgers on December 3, Jackson-Davis used to be held to 13 issues and Johnson dedicated six turnovers. All the way through Arizona’s high-intensity day out, Johnson’s double-double of eleven issues and 11 assists in restricted mins gave the Hoosiers their simplest spark and contributed to a 22-9 run that helped them minimize an enormous 19-yard lead. Wildcat. Jackson-Davis, alternatively, had averages smartly underneath his season with 11 issues and 5 rebounds, last stagnant on each offense and protection.
The severity of Indiana’s two primary catalysts used to be as soon as once more obvious in Saturday’s troubling day out.
With their most powerful collection of the sport early in the second one 1/2, the Hoosiers had been in a position to chop Jayhawk’s result in 10. The ranking learn 38-48 on the 16:11 mark, Kansas head trainer Invoice Self known as a useless time and Indiana got here inside of a brief stretch of bringing the sport again inside of unexpected distance.
Then again, similar to towards Arizona, Indiana collapsed underneath the power.
The Hoosiers burned on protection, giving up more than one transition buckets and permitting the Jayhawks to execute their half-court units close to perfection. Jackson-Davis used to be now not a consider Indiana’s offense, partly because of frantic guard play that resulted in disorganized play all the way through the sport.
Indiana had dedicated 23 turnovers through the top of the sport, 8 greater than its excessive from the former season, and allowed Kansas to reply with a ten–2 run that almost sealed the sport with over 12 mins last in the second one 1/2.
Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, who completed with 11 issues, six rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, had 5 of the ones turnovers at the afternoon. Hood-Schifino nonetheless pieced in combination an encouraging efficiency after getting back from a decrease again damage that sidelined him for 3 video games ahead of Saturday, however it used to be glaring he hadn’t returned to his true all-around floor shape.
Per week in the past, Indiana allowed Arizona junior ahead Azoulas Tubelis to dominate the sport with 21 issues and 7 rebounds. Going into the matchup, the Hoosiers knew they must include some other dominant athlete in Kansas freshman guard Gradey Dick, some of the energizing gamers in faculty basketball.
To the chagrin of the Hoosiers and the marvel of virtually nobody, Dick had 20 issues, six rebounds and 5 steals. He made 4 3-pointers on 67% capturing, and Indiana as soon as once more discovered itself on the mercy of a polarizing efficiency through a unique participant.
Indiana’s non-conference time table used to be constructed to be a mountain, however the Hoosiers’ losses this season have steered they don’t seem to be conversation-worthy with groups like the highest 10. Jackson-Davis’ quiet performances, too many turnovers, an unknown offensive identification and a loss of aggressiveness on protection have confirmed unfavourable time and time once more. And if the Hoosiers can not in finding a solution to their glaring issues, this staff’s championship expectancies will temporarily fade.