Joey Brunk struggled to defend Ohio State forward Kaleb Wesson in Indiana's 68-59 loss on Feb. 1. He notched only four points and two rebounds as the team was outrebounded for just the fourth time all season.
Indiana is now on a three-game losing streak heading into Saturday's matchup with Purdue.
Ohio State junior forward Kaleb Wesson was bottled up in Bloomington on Jan. 11, scoring just one basket in the paint while Indiana secured a 66-54 win. During the game, redshirt junior Joey Brunk led all Indiana forwards with seven points and tallied five rebounds which was second-most on the team.
Wesson garnered just 11 points and 10 rebounds in 35 minutes of play, scoring twice from 3-point range and three times from the free-throw line.
“I thought he played hard, and for the first time that we've ever played Ohio State, we were able to hold serve one-on-one,” Miller said of Brunk. “[Kaleb Wesson] has mauled us for two years. Their team has mauled us for two years, really in general from a physicality standpoint — being able to run offense, rebound, score.”
While the Hoosiers inched closer to a rematch with the Buckeyes, they lost back-to-back games — one at home, one on the road — against Minnesota and Penn State. The team hadn’t lost more than two games in a row on the season and prepared to travel to Columbus, Ohio.
Indiana head coach Archie Miller previewed the game, citing the inside presence that allowed the team to dominate in the early stages of the season was lacking.
“I don't feel very good right now,” Miller said in a press conference at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Jan. 31. “One of our big concerns right now is our interior defense. Here recently, especially in our last two games, our interior defense has been nonexistent.”
That intuition turned out to be legitimate. As Indiana tipped off with Ohio State inside the Schottenstein Center, Wesson was a dominant force from the very beginning.
He controlled the basketball in the Buckeyes’ half-court offense for the opening three possessions, each time with Brunk defending. Wesson scored two baskets under the rim with ease. On the third possession, Brunk was called for a foul as Wesson tried to spin inside the paint.
“If you're going to allow the ball in at will, if you're going to allow him to operate, he's going to cause a lot of problems,” Miller said of Wesson.
The Buckeyes’ 6-foot-9 forward finished the game with 15 points — four more than his previous performance against the Hoosiers — and 11 rebounds. It marked his second double-double against Indiana in as many games.
Brunk was unable to match Wesson’s offense. He was one-for-three from the field and hit on two free throws — all in the first half. The only reason Brunk got an easy look was because Wesson attempted to double team freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Brunk was wide open under the rim and scored his only field goal of the game.
As the game progressed, and Brunk continued struggling to defend Wesson, he was matched up with Ohio State junior forward Kyle Young. While Young finished with just six points, Brunk consistently failed to accumulate rebounds for the Hoosiers.
Young grabbed two offensive rebounds. The first came in the first half when Brunk neglected to get his body between Young and the ball, who kept the play alive. With 2:51 left to play in the opening period, the Buckeye forward came down with another offensive rebound behind Brunk and immediately followed with a score.
The Hoosiers’ second-leading rebounder notched two against the Buckeyes, and the team was out-rebounded for the fourth time all season.
“We could not rebound the ball,” Miller said. “It was the first time all season that I can really recall our team just getting housed on the glass like that. The physicality in our team has taken a drop and it’s shown here in our last two games.”
Ohio State took advantage of Indiana’s aggressiveness on screens to get its players to attack the basket. Brunk was caught over-hedging in numerous pick-and-roll situations, allowing Wesson and Young open lanes toward the rim.
The Hoosiers had help-side defenders rotate to the passes, but it was usually too late to stop a shot attempt or an extra pass.
Aside from an assist to sophomore point guard Rob Phinisee in the first minute of the second half, Brunk was unable to increase his stat total in eight minutes of play. He finished the game with four points and two rebounds in 22 total minutes.
For this Indiana team to continue making a push for its first NCAA tournament appearance during Miller’s tenure, it’ll have to get back to attacking the glass and imposing a physical dominance down the stretch. After a week off, the team will play in-state rival Purdue on Saturday.
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