In its final nonconference game of the season, Indiana losses to Arkansas 71-64. The Hoosiers were paced by freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, who scored 20 points and accounted for six rebounds on the night.
Arkansas kept the game close because of its play on the perimeter both on offense and on defense. Twelve three-pointers from the Razorbacks were key, despite only shooting 29.7% entering the game.
On the shoulders of an 11-2 record on the year, the team will prepare for the rest of its Big Ten slate, having already won and lost a game in conference play.
Early ball movement from Indiana
Entering the game, Arkansas boasted the No. 9 adjusted defensive efficiency in the country, providing a significant challenge to the Indiana offense. The Hoosiers worked their way around the stifling defense with ball movement, working outside-in for a majority of the night.
The team posted 10 assists in the first half, arguably the biggest contributor to a 38-33 lead before the game's subsequent period. Senior guard Devonte Green acted as the facilitator on the floor, having three assists to counterbalance having just three points to open the game.
One of Green's passes was an accurate pass to Trayce Jackson-Davis at the room that resulted in a thunderous dunk.
Despite the success in the first half, Indiana would only add two assists in the second half.
Arkansas looked past three-point struggles, tried to win from deep
Arkansas entered tonights matchup shooting just 29.7% from three-point range. Three deep shots in the early stages of the game prevented the Hoosiers from pulling ahead, but as the first half drew to a close, the Razorbacks were unable to sustain its success.
Indiana's opponent shot 14 threes in the opening half, but only hit on four, which accounted for 12 of the team's 33 points in the opening half. Missed shots allowed the Hoosiers to win the rebound battle and push the tempo on offense despite lackluster shooting performances of their own on the perimeter.
Green was the only Hoosier to match Arkansas' scoring barrage as he opened up the second half with three converted three-point attempts. He was quickly taken out of the game after missing his next three shots from deep — three ill-advised attempts that went against what was working for the team in the first half.
He finished the game with 14 points, but could only convert on four of his 11 three-point attempts.
The Razorbacks' sophomore guard Isaiah Joe was lethal at the arc. Eighteen of his team-high 24 points came from three-point shots. Junior guard Mason Jones added four threes as well and trailed Joe with 21 points of his own.The two kept the game a back-and-forth affair that featured 12 lead changes.
Arkansas ultimately won the game by shooting just under 39% from beyond the arc and totaled 12 made threes in the game.
Points in the paint huge for the Hoosiers, but not enough
Arkansas started the game with four guards on the floor, looking to create scoring threats on the outside and opening up passing lanes in the paint. While this helped its offense create shot opportunities, it left the Indiana forwards with mismatches around the basket.
Freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis missed just two shot in the opening half and posted 16 points to go along with four rebounds.
The team scored 22 of its 38 points in the paint in the first half, but that ratio would slow in the second half. Green jumped out to score 11 points at the start of the second half. The team followed suit and tried to counter Arkansas' 12 made threes with jump shots of their own. As a result, Jackson-Davis would only score four more points in the half.
In the end, Indiana was unable to ride a total of 34 points in the paint to victory.
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