Indiana welcomed its first ranked for into Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday evening, in No. 17 Florida State, and the Hoosiers left the Hall with their most impressive win of the season, as they downed the Seminoles, 80-64
This is TheHoosier.com's instant reaction.
Strong Defense
Coming into the game, defense was going to need to be at its best, as Florida State boasts its own strong defense, and head coach Archie Miller said on his radio show Monday that he anticipated a game where the first to score 60 would win.
Florida State was finding lanes early and getting to the basket easily, as it jumped out to an 11-7 lead by the first media timeout, but between the first and second media timeouts, Indiana went on a 9-0 run, which culminated in a 12-1 run over the course of six minutes.
The Hoosiers often forced Florida State into shots it didn't want to take, including two straight corner threes that missed the rim. Even with the undesired shot selection, Florida State still shot 5- percent from the floor by halftime, but Indiana kept the Seminoles uncomfortable on offense, often pushing their offensive possessions deep into the shot clock.
The Hoosier defense faltered and bent but never really broke against a long, strong and athletic Florida State team, and it was the best performance by Indiana on that end of the floor all season.
Devonte Green takes the reins
Indiana had jumped to a 25-20 lead in the first half, but Devonte Green pushed that lead to double digits with three consecutive three-pointers in 42 seconds, as Indiana led 34-22 after the short streak.
Green also came out strong after entering during the first media timeout. His first shot attempt was from three, and he was fouled. He connected on all three free throw attempts.
By halftime, Green led all scorers with 14 points.
In the second half, Green provided a spark when Florida State had dug into Indiana's and trailed by just six, as he connected on an acrobatic layup and then forced a turnover on the other end to go up 49-41.
After Florida State cut the lead to the smallest margin at the time (three points), it was Green who hit a three following a Florida State turnover and technical foul to swing the momentum IU's way.
After an egregious call by the officials on a Justin Smith defensive foul, it was Green who connected on an and-one layup on the other end to keep the momentum from snowballing against Indiana and push the lead to 65-58.
Whenever Indiana needed an offensive spark, Green, as he has been and often will be, was the catalyst the Hoosiers needed.
Taking care of the ball
Archie Miller has emphasized that the best way to get the most out of this year's Hoosier team is to take care of the ball and rebound. Indiana did both of those things agains tFlorida State, only turning the ball over six times in the first half and out-rebounding a long Florida State team, 17-10.
Those fortunes didn't not play out the same way Indiana hoped they would in the second half. By the midway point of the second half, the Hoosiers had already turned the ball over seven times, bringing their total to 13.
Miller said on his radio show the night before the game that the entry passes to the post needed to be cleaned up, especially against a defense with a tendency to get into passing lanes. That was the primary cause of IU's turnovers Tuesday.
It was Indiana's defense that allowed the Hoosiers to absorb those turnovers. By the final media timeout, Florida State had just 14 points off 18 Indiana turnovers.
Young contributors play above experience level
Freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis stood out, as he has all season, among the young contributors on the team. He had two strong finishes at the rim that had Assembly Hall loud, and he played a major role in the rebounding efforts, bringing in four – two on offense – by the midway point of the second half.
Jackson-Davis also made his way to the line often, becoming the only Hoosier to attempt double-digit free throws.
Armaan Franklin logged a large amount of minutes with the absence of Rob Phinisee, who attended the game with a boot on his right foot. Franklin started and was in for more than 20 minutes. His ball-handling was mature, and he defended above his weight class as a true freshman against an experienced Florida State team. It wasn't uncommon for Franklin to be the guard bringing the ball across midcourt either, and the freshman recorded just one turnover deep into the second half.
Damezi Anderson made his mark on the defensive end. He played a lot fo on-ball defense against many Florida State ball handlers and was often the catalyst of broken isolated plays. There hasn't been a game that felt more of a presence from Anderson, and it was highlighted by the biggest shot of his career – a three-point shot going into the under-four timeout with a 72-58 lead.
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