1/15/2020 football Edit

Backcourt can't extend success onto the road in loss to Rutgers

Taylor Lehman • TheHoosier

Staff

After a winning performance against then-No. 11 Ohio State over the weekend, Indiana's backcourt couldn't extend a semblance of that success onto the road, as the Hoosiers lost to Rutgers, 59-50, in Piscataway to add to the long list of road losses around the conference.

Don't miss out on any of our exclusive football, basketball and recruiting coverage. Get a 60-Day FREE trial to TheHoosier.com with promo code IU60

Rob Phinisee's 32 minutes were the most played by an Indiana guard in the Hoosiers' loss to Rutgers in Piscataway on Wednesday, after the sophomore was "uncomfortable" following his long performance against Ohio State. (USA Today Images)

Indiana’s road game at Piscataway provided an opportunity desperately needed by the Hoosiers in the beginning stages of one of the toughest five-game stretches in the country – an opportunity for the backcourt to complete the turn it began against Ohio State.

But it didn’t, and the Indiana offense, primarily, suffered because of it.

Indiana’s guard play against Ohio State was as efficient as it’s been since the schedule hit the challenging phases beginning with Florida State. Rob Phinisee and Devonte Green alone combined for 32 points on 10-of-20 shooting (5-of-7 from three), 12 rebounds, two assists and two turnovers.

The backcourt Wednesday, between Armaan Franklin, Al Durham, Phinisee and Green, combined for 19 points on 5-of-25 shooting (2-of-12 from three), six rebounds, three assists and eight turnovers in Indiana’s 59-50 loss at Rutgers.

“The game was fast on offense for us,” Indiana head coach Archie Miller said after the game. “They really pressured.”

That tempo that Rutgers forced Indiana into threw off the rhythm it was able to find against Ohio State. The Hoosier backcourt was not able to dictate the pace of the game, which remained in Rutgers’ possession for most of, if not all of, the game.

That tempo seemed to affect Indiana from the tip, as Rutgers got off to a 12-0 run, and eventually, Indiana was letting off three-point attempts to beat the shot clock without ever getting the ball into the paint on some offensive possessions. The paint is where Indiana was able to thrive in the beginning of the game – scoring 18 of its first 22 points from the post.

The Hoosiers were just unable to expand to anywhere past a few feet away from the rim, though. They were 4-for-36 on field goals that weren’t considered layups, according to Inside The Hall – 2-for-19 from three-point range.

“More than anything, if you’re going to win on the road, you’ve got to be able to stick a couple shots,” Miller said. “I mean, you’ve got to make a couple shots.”

The threes were rushed, and many of them were forced, but Indiana was taken out of any type of comfort zone it’s seen in 2019-20. The Hoosiers got to the free throw line just 12 times, after entering the game fifth in the country in free throw attempts. As a team, they recorded six assists. Soon, Miller, who had threatened to bench his players after a near-loss to Northwestern last week, took Franklin and Green off the floor. The two guards combined for 20 minutes.

Getting scores inside wasn’t possible anymore, thanks to the physicality Rutgers armed itself with from the tip, and now Trayce Jackson-Davis has put together two consecutive single-digit-scoring performances. Once the inside was closed off, there was no where else to go.

There was an opportunity to extend a lead in the first half, which was squandered by five turnovers in five minutes, and there was actually an opportunity inside 10 minutes remaining for Indiana to get back into the game. However, even though the lead was shrinking, Indiana never seemed to be in position to take advantage because of the tempo Miller noted on the offensive side.

“Our outlet passes resulted in nothing,” Miller said. “Sometimes you’ll get an easy one, but we didn’t get many. When we did get them, even the guys who shot them felt sped up.”

Indiana needed a good showing from its backcourt in back-to-back games. Afterall, the backcourt was the primary catalyst in defeating Ohio State, and, following the game, Miller said to beat the best teams in the Big Ten ,there must be good guard play.

That guard play didn’t show up in New Jersey, as Big Ten teams continue to struggle on the road, and with another road game on deck in Lincoln, Nebraska, the Hoosiers need to awaken their backcourt once again, or else the remainder of the road schedule spells doom for Indiana.