Indiana wastes chance to validate itself as a Big Ten contender
The lingering question in the wake of Indiana's 7-0 Big Ten start was whether the Hoosiers' sparkling record was a product of a soft schedule or sustained improvement.
Had Indiana truly become less careless on offense and more credible defensively? Or would the Hoosiers regress back to old habits as soon as they faced upper-echelon Big Ten opponents?
An overtime road loss at longtime nemesis Wisconsin certainly doesn't make Indiana a fraud as a Big Ten contender, but the jury is still out on the Hoosiers after they fell 82-79 on Tuesday night. They wasted a brilliant 30-point performance from standout point guard Yogi Ferrell by committing 19 turnovers and allowing the Badgers to shoot 52.1 percent from the field.
Indiana's biggest issue Tuesday night was its inability to put up any resistance at the rim to stop Wisconsin frontcourt stalwarts Nigel Hayes and Ethan Happ.
Hayes attacked off the dribble from start to finish, scoring 17 of his game-high 31 points at the foul line. Happ overwhelmed Indiana freshman Thomas Bryant around the rim, using superior quickness, skill and footwork to tally an efficient 25 points.
The two Wisconsin forwards also made the game's biggest defensive plays late in overtime. Happ recovered to block a Bryant dunk attempt from behind that would have cut the Indiana deficit to one in the final 30 seconds and Hayes stole the ball in the frontcourt as the Hoosiers were trying to set up a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Wisconsin's road to the NCAA tournament remains an uphill climb even after Tuesday's win, but handing the Hoosiers their first Big Ten loss was still a big, big step. The Badgers (12-9, 4-4) have four top 50 KenPom wins against Syracuse, VCU, Michigan State and Indiana, but their hopes are weighed down by some terrible non-conference losses and some difficult remaining road games.
An NCAA tournament bid is a foregone conclusion for Indiana (17-4, 7-1), but the Hoosiers' stay will be brief if they can't correct some of Tuesday's issues.
Before Tuesday, Indiana had yet to allow an opponent to score more than 1.0 points per possession in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers' back-loaded schedule clearly was a factor in that, but so was increased playing time for solid perimeter defenders Robert Johnson and OG Anunoby in the wake of James Blackmon's season-ending injury.
On Tuesday, Indiana had a chance to validate its recent play by winning on the road in an arena that has been a house of horrors for the Hoosiers since Bob Knight's firing.
That Indiana lost doesn't mean it's not a Big Ten contender. It just means the Hoosiers still have more to prove.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
