The Fan Hub

After starting the season 15-1 and jumping to #7 in the AP Top 25, the Indiana Hoosiers have dropped three consecutive games. Last night’s loss was the most embarrassing yet; the Hoosiers squandered an 11-point lead in the final six minutes to a lowly Nebraska team (it was Nebraska’s first win over Indiana since 1920). Only a month ago Indiana was pulling off the impossible: beating #1 Kentucky. Now the Hoosiers know how it feels to be on the wrong end of an upset. Their recent poor performance begs the question: what’s wrong with the Hoosiers?

They have trouble putting away games.
The Hoosiers rarely win easily. It took a buzzer beater for them to defeat Kentucky and some generous officiating for them to triumph over Ohio State. Last night was a microcosm of their ineptitude in closing out opponents. Up by three with 30 seconds remaining, the Hoosiers were unable to corral a loose ball that would have effectively ended the game. Instead, the Cornhuskers cut the lead to one. Jordan Hulls missed the first free throw on his one-and-one, Nebraska took the lead, and Indiana was unable to score in the closing seconds.

Indiana narrowly warded off a Michigan comeback (almost blowing a nine-point lead in the final 6:30) and nearly squandered a double-digit lead in the final three minutes against the objectively bad Penn State Nittany Lions. Indiana cannot continue to play close games and expect to consistently leave with Ws. These games make for great entertainment, but for poor hopes in the NCAA tournament.

Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Chip Armelin (23) shoots over Indiana Hoosiers guard Jordan Hulls (1) at Assembly Hall. Minnesota defeated Indiana 77-74. Mandatory credit: Michael Hickey-US PRESSWIRE

They struggle away from home.
Assembly Hall is one of the toughest places to play in the nation. No team wants to play the Hoosiers in their own house. It’s no surprise, then, that Indiana’s performance is strongly tied to where it plays. Indiana has a 12-1 record at home and a 3-3 record away from home. What’s worse is that the Hoosiers had their three lowest scoring performances away from Assembly Hall: 63 at Ohio State, 65 at Michigan State, and 69 at Nebraska (Indiana also had a 69-point game in a victory at home to Notre Dame). The Hoosiers lost all of these games. It seems unlikely that they can win without crossing the 70-point barrier. Indiana will also not have the comfort of Assembly Hall during the tournament, a fact which leads many to wonder whether the Hoosiers can perform at the high level they did earlier in the season.

Their offense may be unsustainable.
Currently, Indiana boasts one of the best offenses in the nation: 13th in points per game (80.2), 6th in field goal percentage (49.8%), 1st in three-point percentage (45%), and 8th in free throws made (344). Cody Zeller could easily be the Freshman of the Year and Christian Watford has put together some terrific games (although he’s also inconsistent). On Wednesday, Indiana shot 51% from the field and 44.4% from the arc; that’s on par for their season averages. The Hoosiers only got to the line 13 times (they usually shoot 24.6 free throws a game); perhaps that was the difference. I just wonder how such an offense will fare in the NCAA Tournament, especially if their shots are not falling, and they’re not getting calls. The Hoosiers are 1-3 when they score less than 70 points. I don’t know if their defense can win games; that puts all the more pressure on the success of the offense.

I’m still not ready to give up on the Hoosiers. They have possibly the best freshman in the NCAA, have showed that they can beat the nation’s finest, and in some ways, they seem destined for glory. Their fan base is so gosh darn hungry for a title. Indiana is still the kind of team that can get hot at the right moment. Unfortunately, that team hasn’t showed up in the past week.

— Ben Gordon