2/15/2022 basketball Edit

Hoosiers face crucial home game against No. 15 Wisconsin

Alec Lasley • TheHoosier

Senior Writer

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Indiana is riding a three-game losing streak and understands what Tuesday night's matchup with No. 15 Wisconsin means to its tournament chances.

The Hoosiers have shown that they are capable of beating some of the best teams in the Big Ten but consistently fall short in some of the big, key moments when they've had an opportunity to build on a winning streak or even get out of a slump.

Tuesday is exactly that opportunity.

“It’s a three-game losing streak, we know that," Second-year guard Trey Galloway said. "We always gotta come together, keep fighting, and keep competing and I think we’ve done a great job of preparing these couple days and get ready for tomorrow (Tuesday)."

Indiana led by 22 points in the first half against the Badgers in the first matchup the two teams had in Madison. The Hoosiers then took a 17-point lead into the half but would eventually be outscored 39-17 in the second half, leading to a 64-59 loss.

“I remember that we played really well in the first half. We came out, we did our job. We knew what we had to do to get the stops," Galloway said of the first matchup. "I think we didn’t play at that same pace in the second half. They came out and jumped out on us early in the second half. And, we knew they weren’t gonna give up easy on a 17-point lead at halftime.”

Wisconsin enters Tuesday's matchup ranked No. 50 in offensive efficiency and No. 38 in defensive efficiency. Sophomore guard Johnny Davis is the sparkplug for the Badgers on both ends of the floor. He had 23 points and nine rebounds in the first matchup.

For the season, Davis is averaging 20.3 points per game. He does so attacking the rim, in the mid-range and can be streaky from three. He ranks third in the Big Ten in points per game and made free throws (105) and is second in usage rate (32.2).

"When I look at their roster with Johnny Davis, man he's being talked about as the player of the year, and he's played that way," IU head coach Mike Woodson said.

“He’s a great player. We know what he does and his tendencies,” Galloway said of Davis. "Obviously, it’s going to be a hard matchup, but it’s not just one guy guarding him, it’s all five of us being there and being ready to defend."

Indiana has struggled defending go-to players in the past outside of Davis and Tuesday's matchup may come down to if it can slow him down a bit. His 23 points in the first matchup came on 17 shots. Forcing him into difficult 2s is how IU managed its big lead in the first half.

IU head coach Mike Woodson knows the Hoosiers need this game in order to get their confidence back to where it needs to be with just six games left in the regular season.

“We need to learn how to win and know what it’s like to play in that NCAA Tournament because there’s nothing like it," Woodson said. "It’s fun. It’s what you come to college to play basketball for.

"When you have a team that's never made the NCAA Tournament and never really won at the college level... It's my job to help them. I put that on my shoulders."