Hoosiers set to host Purdue on Saturday

BLOOMINGTON — Three games in seven days. Three losses, two of them on the road, and those two road defeats were all but over midway through the second half.

The week that was for the Hoosiers flipped IU’s record last week from a robust 15-4 overall and 5-3 in Big Ten play to a more down-to-earth 15-7 and 5-6. The losses came in different ways. Losing to Maryland at home saw IU play well only to allow a seven-point lead to evaporate in the closing minutes. Falling at Penn State saw the backcourt struggle to make shots, and Indiana’s defense eventually couldn’t hold the Nittany Lions at bay.

Indiana’s 68-59 loss at Ohio State saw IU’s issues move inside. The Hoosiers shot the ball well, making 45.2 percent of their shots overall, and they uncharacteristically made 7-of-12 shots from 3-point range. IU also turned the ball over just 13 times—far from a bad number, but one that is generally acceptable.

But IU’s strength all season, it’s interior players, were largely ineffective vs. the Buckeyes, combining to go 5-of-14 from the field and scoring a total of 18 points between Justin Smith, Joey Brunk, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and De’Ron Davis. Indiana grabbed just four offensive rebounds and failed to score a single second-chance point on the day.

For a team that needs to rebound well to be successful, the lack of work on the glass and on the interior was a glaring issue.

Head coach Archie Miller has an idea of where the problem lies.

“It’s the first time all season long that I can really recall our team getting housed on the glass like that,” Miller said. “The physicality of our team has taken a real drop, and it’s shown here our last two games in particular on the road. We had it as well on the home against Maryland that we had it as well and normally it’s Maryland. Your interior defense and offense, ability on the glass… those things have to be intact for us to be successful, and they’re not right now.”

Every season is a grind, and the wear and tear are showing a little on the Hoosiers. This is a team that has thrived on confidence, and that confidence has been shaken by a trio of losses.

A week off between Ohio State and the next time IU takes the floor today at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall against has been a critical time to rest and refocus.

The Hoosiers may have lost three straight, but those defeats have come against some very good teams. More quality opponents remain on the schedule, but IU does play three of its next five games at home, including back-to-back home games vs. Purdue and Iowa Feb. 8 and 13. IU is 12-2 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and the Hoosiers, like every other team in the Big Ten, looks far more comfortable playing at home.

“Every team’s going to go in and write its own story,” Miller said. “We’re at a time right now where we have to rely on each other and find a way to get ourselves out. Like every team that goes through it, you find your tough guys. You find togetherness, and you have to find a way to break through.”

Indiana will honor the 1980 Big Ten Champion men’s basketball team at halftime today.

Picked No. 1 in the preseason by Sports Illustrated, but affected by key injuries, the squad finished 21-8 and won their last six league games to claim the title. The streak was spurred by the return of Senior All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year Mike Woodson, who came back after undergoing back surgery.

Purdue (13-10, 6-6) vs. Indiana (15-7, 5-6)

Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.

Saturday, 2 p.m. EST (ESPN)

BOTTOM LINE: Purdue looks for its sixth straight win in the head-to-head series over Indiana. Purdue has won by an average of 8 points in its last five wins over the Hoosiers. Indiana’s last win in the series came on Feb. 20, 2016, a 77-73 win.

SQUAD LEADERS: Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis has averaged 13.7 points and 7.9 rebounds while Justin Smith has put up 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds. For the Boilermakers, Trevion Williams has averaged 11.2 points and 7.4 rebounds while Eric Hunter Jr. has put up 10.3 points.

JUMPING FOR JACKSON-DAVIS: Across 22 games this season, Indiana’s Jackson-Davis has shot 60.3 percent.

BEHIND THE ARC: Purdue’s Sasha Stefanovic has attempted 128 3-pointers and connected on 39.1 percent of them, and is 7 for 19 over the past three games.

ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Hoosiers have recently created buckets via assists more often than the Boilermakers. Indiana has 41 assists on 68 field goals (60.3 percent) across its previous three outings while Purdue has assists on 51 of 88 field goals (58 percent) during its past three games.

FREQUENTLY FOULED: Indiana has attempted the 12th-most free throws in the country at 24 per game. Purdue has gotten to the line far less frequently and is averaging only 14.7 foul shots per game (ranked 269th).