6 Takeaways as the Hoosiers roll on with a 66-60 victory over Rutgers

Takeaways

1) Stats don’t always tell the whole story

Trey Galloway once again made a difference, and if you just look at the stat line, you may have missed it. Galloway had one of the biggest plays of the game when he battled against all the bigs to get a put-back towards the end of the game. He was also terrific on the defensive end of the floor. Galloway has become a great roll player for these Hoosiers and he will play a big role in just how far this team can go in March.

Rutgers at Indiana | Highlights | Big Ten Men’s Basketball | Feb. 7, 2023

2) TJD is an all-time great Hoosier

As Davis climbs higher and higher among the Hoosiers’ all-time leading scorers, list its time that Hoosier fans realize the greatness they are seeing. TJD is not soft and has proven it time and time again this year. According to how this season ends, TJD is possibly an all-time top ten Hoosier. TJD gets it done on both ends of the floor, and more importantly, he is making everybody around him a better player.

He’s now the first and only player in program history to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds.

TJD Passes 2000 Career Points with Dunk vs. Rutgers | Indiana Basketball

3) Toughness matters

The Hoosiers had some rough spots in this game, but the biggest takeaway of this game is this: The Hoosiers matched Rutgers toughness. Rutgers is a tough, hard-nosed team that imposed its will against the Hoosiers in the first battle won by Rutgers. This game from the start was different, as the Hoosiers played the entire game with the lead. Indiana played well for most of the first half but allowed Rutgers to claw their way back into the game in the last three minutes of the first half. Rutgers kept nipping at the Hoosiers’ heels all night, but the Hoosiers turned them back repeatedly whenever the game threatened to get away from them.

Rival reaction: Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell talks loss to Indiana Hoosiers

4) The Hoosiers come through on the foul line again

The Hoosiers have had issues at the free throw line for a better part of a decade. Last Saturday, when they beat Purdue that changed some as the Hoosiers made 15 out of 18, and on Tuesday night, the Hoosiers prevailed from the free throw line again.

Indiana won despite not scoring a field goal for nearly nine minutes in the second period. Why?

It was due to the free-throw line that it could survive such a long scoring drought. Indiana was 10-for-14 at the line in the second half. The Hoosiers scored 11 points more than the Scarlet Knights in the game from the foul line.

Big Ten play has seen IU’s opponents attempt 44 more free throws in 12 games before Tuesday.

However, Indiana managed to reverse the trend against Rutgers by making 14 more free throws than the Scarlet Knights. It made a significant difference in the outcome.

Coach TV: Rutgers

5) Miller Koop steps up

Miller Kopp was Indiana’s second scoring option on a night, Jalen Hood–Schifino wasn’t shooting well. Kopp scored 21 points in the first meeting with Rutgers. He was 6-for-9 on the field Tuesday and scored 18 points. Although Kopp has been more of a situational scorer rather than a go-to option, this season, he is playing with greater confidence. Kopp is currently shooting 45.7 per cent from a distance in Big Ten play for the season. This is fourth in the conference. With that being said, the Hoosiers need more consistency out of Schifino.

The Hoosiers React: Rutgers

6) Indiana moves to second place in the Big Ten

After starting 1-4 in Big Ten play and looking like they were lost at sea, Indiana’s win on Tuesday propelled the Hoosiers into a tie for second place in the conference standings.

At 8-5, Indiana is now tied with Rutgers for second place in the league standings. There’s a log jam of five teams behind IU and Rutgers at 7-5. Overall, the Hoosiers have won seven of their last eight games. A season that was once on the brink of disaster is now on the brink of being a special season in Bloomington.