The Red-Hot Hoosiers get derailed in Maryland

The Indiana Hoosiers’ win streak came to a stretching halt in College Park, Maryland, on Wednesday night, and now they will face the daunting task of taking on the Big Ten leader Purdue at home on Saturday in a game they need to win. A loss to Purdue will bury the Hoosiers in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings. The Hoosiers have shown they can beat anybody, but they have also shown the ability to lose to anybody. Maryland has been a different team at home this season, and it showed last night as Maryland controlled the tempo and forced the Hoosiers to play their game. The Hoosiers failed at dealing with Maryland’s defensive pressure and did not attack the Terrapins’ 2-3 zone in a way that could work. The execution was the key on this night, and the Hoosiers got executed by the Terps.

Indiana at Maryland | Highlights | Big Ten Men’s Basketball | Jan. 31, 2023

1. Ineffective offense by Indiana against half-court defense and press. The Hoosiers had a hard time breaking Maryland’s press. This left little time for them to change their offense and get into their half-court offense. IU only shot 37.5 per cent and had 12 turnovers. They never managed to get into any offensive flow. Trayce Jackson Davis only made 13 field goal attempts from the field as the Terrapins forced the Hoosiers to play at the pace they wanted to play at. The Hoosier guards struggled all night, and that’s a recipe for disaster.

2. Jalen Hood–Schifino had a rough night. Indiana’s star point guard was coming off a huge game. However, he only made 1-of-14 shots and committed four turnovers. Hood-Schifino was in foul trouble throughout the match, and Xavier Johnson was still injured and out for at least two more weeks. A lot was put on his shoulders against the Terps switching defenses, but he didn’t have it this night. He is just a Freshman, but he must find some consistency if the Hooisres can play the game through Trayce Jackson Davis.

3. There was a significant foul and a free throw discrepancy. Whether it was poor Indiana play, inconsistent officiating, or both, IU committed 20 fouls against Maryland’s 12. The Terrapins had 29 free throw opportunities to the Hoosiers’ 12. Maryland won the game at the line and made 25 of their chances. That’s an 86.2 per cent success rate. Mike Woodson, the head coach at IU, thought it was a significant factor. Woodson stated that there are two physical teams, which is too uneven in free throws. They shoot 29, and we shoot 12; that’s it. A lot of that has to do with ineffective guard play by the Hoosiers that got them late into starting their offense and they never really attacked on offense. I hate officials as much as anybody, but you have to aggressively take the ball to the hole to start getting the calls, and the Terrapins did exactly that.

Indiana basketball Trayce Jackson-Davis after IU’s 66-55 Big Ten road loss at Maryland.

On the bright side, the Hoosiers have played significantly better as of late, and a home game against Purdue gives them a significant shot at a colossal resume-building win. Hopefully, the Hoosiers will come out and attach the Purdue big man from the start of the game and force him into foul trouble. Scifino will have to have a huge game if the Hoosiers are to pull the upset against Purdue.