Soft. That was the word that was getting ever too attached to the Indiana basketball program as of late. Not tough enough, mentally or physically.
This 2020-21 season has been all to familiar with the 'oh so close' moments that continue to plague Indiana each and every game. Whether it be a loose ball, a long rebound or a careless mistake late in the game that decides the outcome, IU has seemingly been on the wrong side of those plays in critical games.
"Our toughness level is questioned because we are slow to the ball. We don’t get loose balls. We don’t get long rebounds. They go over our back and grab the ball and lay it in," IU head coach Archie Miller noted. "We are that team that is a little bit slow in terms of how hard you have to play to get on the floor and do some things. We are trying to get our team to focus in on doing more of the little things."
Following IU's loss to No. 4 Ohio State, preseason All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis was hung up on that word 'soft'. And he took that personal.
"At the end of the game, we got called soft," Jackson-Davis said. "I know me and my teammates aren’t soft.”
After three straight games of double-digit deficits within the first 8-10 minutes of the game, Indiana came out on Wednesday with more energy, enthusiasm and the sense of urgency needed to come away with a big win.
That was highlighted no more than the start Jackson-Davis had. After going 0-of-12 from the field and 3-of-8 from the free throw line in the first 10 minutes of game action in each of the past four games, the sophomore forward opened up 3-of-3 from the field against Minnesota.
That early toughness set the tone in IU's 82-72 win, and provided the groundwork for the Hoosiers later in the game.
