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Indiana is five games into Big Ten play and it's fair to say that not many people had the Hoosiers going 1-4 up to this point. Indiana is now riding a three-game losing streak with losses to Iowa, Northwestern, and Penn State in that order. But, all of these were expected to have Indiana on the winning side. These three games were suppose to be a pseudo-break for the Hoosiers, easing them into the harder part of the conference schedule, but now they are walking away with nothing.

Conference play is in full swing but the team is left asking themselves more questions than ever before. After a disappointing performance in three straight games, the disconnect within the ball club is more prevalent than ever turning things towards Mike Woodson and his squad to try and pick themselves back up.

The 21-point lead in Iowa City should have been more than enough to give Indiana the win but a complete collapse saw them walking away with a tough pill to swallow after the chaotic antics and the Race Thompson injury.

Following the loss to Iowa, a much-needed response needed to happen against Northwestern, yet the complete opposite happened. After 11 minutes of play, Northwestern had a 17-point lead on Indiana in Assembly Hall.

Read that sentence one more time.

For a team that prides itself on defending its home court, they showed up Sunday and got pushed around defensively against a team that was projected to be near the very bottom of the Big Ten.

Adding more fuel to the fire, Indiana lost its third straight Big Ten game to Penn State by 19 points. This game showed everything you need to know about what type of basketball is being played as it was the clearest example of how disconnected the Hoosiers truly are. No sense of an offensive game plan and a lack of defensive identity has sunken the Hoosiers to arguably one of the lowest points in the Mike Woodson era.

The loss to Penn State is probably the most frustrating loss of the season which leaves the Hoosiers with no clear direction. In whichever way you look, there are no positive things to be said as Indiana flies home from University Park. These three games were supposed to be the “easier” games on the schedule before getting into the heart of the conference slate, now Indiana will return home for another tough three-game stretch with their backs against the wall.

It’s clear that the Hoosiers are missing the talents of Xavier Johnson and Thompson but this team had expectations to be one of the best teams in the country. Is this who the Hoosiers truly are after losing those two players? This team was the Big Ten favorite and one of the deepest teams in all of college basketball, now it is Jan. 12 and the Hoosiers are searching for answers ahead of the tough stretch that is Big Ten play.

This year of college basketball has been as unexpected as it gets and the Big Ten conference has been the same. Time is ticking and although there is still time to avoid an ultimate downfall, the Hoosiers have to find answers soon, or else they will be looking at themselves wondering what went wrong.

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