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INDIANAPOLIS -- Although Rob Phinisee possesses strong court awareness for a freshman point guard, not even he knew how much time was left.

He know time was winding down and that the game was tied, so he hoisted the shot from about 30 feet away and looked to a higher power.

The ball dropped through the net, barely if at all touching the rim, to give Indiana a 71-68 victory over Butler in the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Saturday night.

"Obviously it wasn't drawn up like that, but I saw Devonte (Green) holding the ball," Phinisee said. "I slid over, put it up, prayed to God it went in."

Indeed, Indiana was looking to get the ball into the hands of Phinisee's roommate - freshman guard Romeo Langford. IU head coach Archie Miller said he was hoping to get the ball to Langford, believing he would be in an ideal spot to go downhill and finish with a right-handed layup.

Phinisee had handed the ball off to Green, who was looking for Langford on the right wing. But Langford slipped and couldn't get in position to cleanly receive the pass, so the ball went back to Phinisee for the final shot.

"I'd be lying if I said when he shot it, I didn't think it had a chance to go in," IU head coach Archie Miller said. "I just didn't know the time.They definitely blew the play up. We weren't strong enough to execute it, get the ball where we wanted to. It's part of getting better. We got to keep getting better."

The Lafayette, Ind. native's confidence to take the shot isn't surprising, as he's stepped up in multiple critical moments to help the Hoosiers to a 4-1 mark in five consecutive games against KenPom Top 50 opponents.

There was the switch and steal in the final 2.3 seconds against Penn State that lifted to Hoosiers to a road Big Ten win and go-ahead 3-pointers against Louisville and Northwestern, just to name a few.

Go back further than this current stretch to the beginning of the season, and it's the way Phinisee has carried himself that's impressed senior forward Juwan Morgan the most.

"Like I said earlier in the season as well, I said he's like the pitbull of the team," Morgan said. "Starts with him. As soon as the ball is tipped, he always has the first defensive or offensive possession. We go as he goes. That's how I think about it."

Indiana now sits 9-2 overall with non-conference games against Central Arkansas and Jacksonville before Big Ten play resumes Jan. 3. Each of the Hoosiers' last five games have been decided by three points or less.

Winning plays are synonymous with crunch time for Miller. Quickly, so too is the name Rob Phinisee.

"He's got confidence in himself. He's very competitive. It's a quiet competitiveness that he has about him that he believes in kind of he can get it done," Miller said. "I thought early in the game, I got him a quick blow early, I thought he was a little bit jittery with the ball to start. As the game goes on, you start to go with him. You have faith he's going to be able to get a stop, hang in there defensively.

"For whatever reason, he's not afraid to take or make a play when we need him to. He's just a solid, solid dude. He's a good kid. Works his butt off. Hangs in there regardless of the circumstances in the game."