Indiana football is basking in the afterglow of an undefeated national championship season. The Hoosiers would like for some of that winning to rub off on the basketball team.
Indiana has lost four straight games and needs to right the ship when it heads east to face Rutgers on Friday in Piscataway, N.J.
Indiana (12-7, 3-5 Big Ten) had not lost more than two in a row until the current slide, which has featured defeats to three teams currently in the top 10 of the AP poll: Nebraska, Michigan State and Michigan.
The Hoosiers fell behind by 25 on Tuesday before an improved shooting performance in the second half cut the final margin to 86-72 at No. 3 Michigan. The Wolverines dominated the Hoosiers 41-25 on the boards and benefitted from 24 Indiana fouls.
“We see what a very good team looks like and we see that we have some improvements we need to make, so we’re going to make those improvements and try our best to get back on track for our next game,” said Indiana’s Nick Dorn, who scored 14 points with four 3-pointers in a season-high 29 minutes off the bench.
Point guard Tayton Conerway (11.5 points, 4.3 assists, 1.4 steals per game) tried to play but left after two minutes due to an ankle injury. Conerway hasn’t been able to practice, and his status for Friday remains uncertain.
Tucker DeVries was just 7-for-31 from 3-point range in his previous five games before shooting 4 of 9 from distance at Michigan to lead the Hoosiers with 15 points.
“He’s been working hard at it, he’s been shooting it great in practice, so it was good to see some of those go down in a game and hopefully take the lid off of it for him,” his father and coach, Darian DeVries, said.
Indiana’s slide has left it close to Rutgers (9-10, 2-6) in the Big Ten standings after the Scarlet Knights fell 68-62 at Iowa on Tuesday. Their two conference wins, against Oregon and Northwestern, came at home in overtime and both required 30-point explosions from Tariq Francis.
Darren Buchanan Jr. had 14 points, 10 rebounds and the game-sealing block at the overtime buzzer against Northwestern. Buchanan went for a season-high 17 points against Iowa.
“He’s practicing better, he’s just doing a better job in all areas and just real proud of him,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said last week. “… Really thankful. His improvement’s been dramatic.”
–Field Level Media
