6 Takeaways as Trayce Jackson Davis leads the Hoosiers to a fourth straight win

Indiana won its fourth consecutive game with a 61 to 57 win against Minnesota. This brings Indiana’s overall record to 14-6. At 5-4, the victory lifted Indiana above.500 in Big Ten play.

These are five key takeaways from our win against the Golden Gophers. My biggest takeaway is that they survived while the Hoosiers did not play well and trailed during the second half against a bad team. The Hoosiers had played well the previous three games, and a letdown was sure to come, and it did on Wednesday night, but they survived and mad plays down the stretch to get the win. This is what good teams do; they find a way to win when they are not playing their best.

Trayce Jackson Davis continues to be a dominant force

Minnesota was intent on slowing Trayce Jackson Davis down by throwing a zone at Indiana. Jackson-Davis did not get as many touches as IU would like, but he was still dominant.

The lefty, who is 6-foot-9, finished with another great stat line: 25 points and 21 rebounds, six blocked shots, and two assists in just 39 minutes.

Jackson-Davis has averaged 21.8 points, 13.6 rebound, 4.7 assists, and 3.9 blocked shots over nine Big Ten games. This is in just 36.4 minutes.

The guards struggled on the night, but Trayce just put the team on his back and carried them to the win.

Jackson-Davis had a plan for the event if Race Thompson failed to hit the front of the 1-and-1. With the game tied at 57 and under a minute left, Race Thompson missed the front end of one-on-one and Trayce imposed his will on the Gophers, got the rebound and put it in to give the Hoosiers a 59-57 lead they would keep for the rest of the game.

Indiana at Minnesota | Highlights | Big Ten Men’s Basketball | Jan. 25, 2023

The Hoosiers defense comes through in the clutch

Although it was a poor offensive night for a Minnesota team that was shorthanded, the Gophers seemed to be on the verge of pulling off an upset when Taurus Samuels made two free throws with just 3:20 left.

These free throws gave Minnesota an advantage of 57 to 54 and brought the Williams Arena crowd to its feet.

Indiana’s defense was crucial in this victory. After the Samuels free throws, Minnesota did not score again. The Gophers failed to make six of their shots in the final 3:20.

Indiana held its opponent to less than 70 points for the fourth consecutive game.

Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis after his 25-point, 21-rebound, six-block game at Minnesota.

After a strong performance against Michigan State, Guard play is underwhelming

Trey Galloway and Tamar Bates combined for 34 points in Sunday’s win over Michigan State at Assembly Hall.

Bates and Galloway scored five points each on Wednesday with 1-for-8 shooting. Bates was scoreless for 10 minutes, and Galloway missed two wide-open 3-point shots.

Notably, the Bates performance highlighted the feast-or-famine nature of his conference play. He was outstanding against Michigan State, but Bates failed to score in 54 minutes in wins over Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin. The Hoosiers need more consistency out of Bates.

Jalen Hood -Schifino, who was on a roll going into the Michigan State game, struggled for a second straight game. Hood-Schifino could not score any points against the Spartans and only six points against Minnesota after shooting 2-for-11.

Indiana is still waiting for Xavier Johnson to return, but there’s no set timeframe. Indiana needs more consistent production from the trio to maintain its winning streak. Guard play is what wins in College basketball, and if the Hoosiers can get consistent guard play to go along with a dominant big man, the sky is the limit for this team.

Jordan Geronimo only played 5 minutes

Jordan Geronimo played a crucial role in victories over Wisconsin and Illinois. I have no clue what the reduction in his playing time is.

He finished the game against the Badgers with 12 points and 11 boards in 29 minutes. In Champaign, he scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds in just 30 minutes.

Geronimo was solid against Michigan State; he contributed five points and two offensive rebounds in the 13 minutes that elapsed before fouling out.

Geronimo was on the bench against Minnesota while Race Thompson got ready for his last game in Minneapolis, his hometown.

Geronimo lasted just five minutes during the win. In his short time on the court, Geronimo turned the ball over twice as well as committing two fouls. Geronimo brings energy off the bench and great athleticism. I have no clue why he only played 5 minutes in this game.

“…I’ll kiss your a**” – Indiana Associate Head Coach Praises Trayce Jackson-Davis

Miller Kopp takes up perimeter shooting and secures the key loose ball

While Indiana’s guards had trouble shooting at the Barn, Miller Kopp performed like a veteran in Wednesday’s win.

Kopp was 4-9 from the field and hit 3 of his seven attempts from deep. He scored 11 points, his first double-digit score since Dec. 20, when he played against Elon. He also played all 40 minutes.

Kopp is currently 13-for-29 in nine Big Ten games on 3s (44.8%), ranking sixth in the Big Ten.

He’s currently shooting 45 per cent on 3s overall, which is a career-high.

Kopp’s best play was late in the contest when he defeated Jaden Henley to a loose ball. Minnesota fouled Galloway and made two free throws, making it a two-possession match with 8.2 seconds left.

A Win is a Win

No, the Hoosiers did not play well, but the intensity was there on the offensive end, and after three straight impressive performances in a row, an off night was bound to happen, but they came through in the end and won the game, and that’s all that matters at the end of the night.