Thoughts on an 89-73 loss to the Bulldogs:
The Hoosiers picked up right where they left off against Louisville.
They came out flat. Looked lifeless.
Gonzaga got three quick buckets in the paint. 6-0 Bulldogs. Timeout Mike Woodson.
The Bulldogs eventually pushed that lead out to 10-1. Then, finally, Indiana showed something. Oumar Ballo couldn’t miss. Trey Galloway subbed in early for a struggling Myles Rice and led Indiana’s charge. Langdon Hatton played great minutes. The Hoosiers erased the early nine-point advantage for Gonzaga and pulled within one at 30-29 with 8:51 to play in the first half.
Indiana looked like it belonged. The crowd was into it. But from there? Gonzaga ripped off a 27-10 run to close the half and carried a 57-39 lead into the break. That was pretty much the difference in this one.
Indiana’s inability to rebound helped key Gonzaga’s furious run. The Bulldogs pulled down 56 percent of their misses in the first half for 17 second-chance points. Defensively, the Hoosiers had problems in the paint. Gonzaga was able to break down Indiana’s defense—or simply catch it falling asleep—too often. The Bulldogs scored 36 of their 57 first-half points in the paint.
They hit only three 3-pointers and still managed 1.37 points per possession in the first half.
“We’re not connected right now defensively,” Mike Woodson said post-game. “The first half, it showed again.”
On offense, the Hoosiers showed more movement and energy than yesterday against Lousiville. They turned the ball over far less (16 TO%). Ballo led all scorers with 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting.
But they’re still relying too heavily on post-play. Its guards have let them down.
After today’s game, Rice is shooting 3-of-17 in the Battle 4 Atlantis. He’s recorded just two assists. Kanaan Carlyle and Galloway are both 2-of-10 from the field. Mackenzie Mgbako is less engaged offensively and is 6-of-17. Luke Goode is 2-of-8 from deep. As a team today, Indiana shot just 22.2 percent (4-of-18) from 3-point range.
While Indiana looked better than it did yesterday, it was still a double-digit loss that the Hoosiers couldn’t overcome in the second half. Indiana’s trend of non-competitive play against marquee non-conference foes continues.
There’s another game tomorrow in the Bahamas. Indiana can at least head back to Bloomington on a positive note with a good win and better play against either Providence or Davidson.
Still, the losses to Louisville and Gonzaga were a missed opportunity to start building a resume for the NCAA tournament. The way each loss looked has done nothing to instill confidence in a fanbase that is losing patience with these kinds of results.
The Battle 4 Atlantis has been a bust. Will this season be, too?
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
Filed to: Gonzaga Bulldogs
