Indiana is now 0-3 on the road in Big Ten matchups this season following a 59-50 loss to Rutgers on Wednesday. As a whole, the Hoosiers only took 12 free throws and turned the ball over 16 times. They will will have another opportunity to earn their first conference win away from Bloomington on Saturday against Nebraska.
Following a homestand that resulted in two wins in Bloomington, Indiana found itself down 12 points and scoreless at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey. A sellout crowd filled 8,000 seats cheering for a Scarlet Knights’ team that was undefeated at home.
The Hoosiers led for a total of just over three minutes in the game. Turnovers and one-dimensional scoring led to a 59-50 loss, and they now sit at 0-3 on the road in the Big Ten.
“We didn’t handle the environment early,” Indiana head coach Archie Miller said after the game. “I felt we did a really good job of responding. Then late in the first half, the turnovers let that feeling come back in at halftime.”
Guards Devonte Smith and Rob Phinsiee ignited the offense against then No. 11 Ohio State this past weekend, the pair combined for nine points versus Rutgers. Green scored zero.
Indiana’s backcourt rotation accounted for eight turnovers and only three assists. And after Miller’s team shot a season-high 50% from the 3-point arc against the Buckeyes, it managed to follow up by going 2-for-19.
The remaining 44 points came from the paint and the foul line.
“That’s definitely not going to get it done. We have to find a way to make a couple of the open ones — especially on the road — that keeps you in the game and helps you. For the first time in a long time, 12 free-throw attempts in a game. We just didn’t get to the line.”
In the Hoosiers’ now three road losses against Big Ten opponents are taking almost eight less free throw attempts than their season average of 26 per game. Without those free throws, among other scoring factors, Indiana is taking a nearly 17-point hit to its scoring output away from Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in the conference.
Couple that with a team that turns the ball over more than 13 times in each contest, regardless of venue, it becomes hard to win basketball games.
“You know, 16 turnovers on the road — it’s a huge problem tonight,” Miller said. “It’s a big problem moving forward. Our team has to do a better job of taking care of the ball, especially in tough situations where you can control it.”
The struggles are clear, but Miller still gave credit to Rutgers’ ability to speed up his team’s offense — forcing mistakes and bad shots that resulted in 19 fastbreak points.
The Scarlet Knights sat with six blocks and six steals by the time the buzzer signaled the game’s end.
“They played extremely hard, and that’s why they’re one of the best teams in the league,” He said. “They really are. They’re impressive with their effort level, especially in here.”
On the road, Indiana has to do a better job taking care of the ball and generating points with defense, Miller said. He added that every team is good, and the Hoosiers won’t be able to sleepwalk into an opponent's arena because every crowd is charged up.
The team will have one more chance to find a victory on the road this upcoming Saturday against Nebraska, a team it defeated 96-90 in overtime on Dec. 13, before returning home once again.
“Our guys will bounce back, and we’ve gotta learn from it. On the road right now in this league is brutal, and every game that you play feels like this, and you got another opportunity on Saturday. We’ve gotta regroup, focus and just lock-in. Move on to the next one.”
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