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Film Session: Going back to the well

by in Film Session | January 28th, 2012

After Indiana’s win against Penn State, I highlighted both a double screen and cross screen set in Film Session.

The Hoosiers used both again in its loss to the Badgers — this time with different results.

A look at these two, as well as an inbounds play, in the latest edition of Film Session.

1) DOUBLE SCREEN

Indiana goes right to this its first possession of the game, similar to how the Hoosiers went to it to start the second half against Penn State. But this time it comes after some earlier action the shot clock, and we have Victor Oladipo and Christian Watford in the high post instead of Watford and Cody Zeller, who’s down on the opposite block:

Watford becomes the roll man with Oladipo flashing out past the 3-point line. Jones, after he comes right off the screen, looks to get it inside to Zeller:

But the angle doesn’t quite match, and it ends up being a turnover for the Hoosiers:

A common theme from the spectator end of Indiana’s offense is “Get The Ball Into Cody!” Perhaps that was the plan to start the game, but it didn’t end up with a touch or bucket in what became a rough night for the big man.

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Notebook: Foul trouble limits Zeller’s minutes

by in Media | January 27th, 2012

MADISON, Wis. — One glance at the Wisconsin roster showed few options tall or athletic enough to stop Cody Zeller.

But Zeller, who entered Thursday night’s game averaging 15.1 points per game, went scoreless in the first half and finished with just seven points in 19 minutes.

The 6-foot-11 freshman picked up his second foul that forced him to the bench for the final 4:30 of the first half and as a result, he never established much of a rhythm.

“There were a couple times we tried to feed him the ball, they three-quartered, and we didn’t give him a chance to set up and post up the way that he needed to,” coach Tom Crean said. “We tried to force the ball in rather than allow him to get set.”

Christian Watford — who helped compensate for Zeller’s absence with 12 points — admitted that Zeller’s time on the bench made things difficult for the Hoosiers.

“It hurt us a lot, having an inside presence like Cody, he’s been there for us all year,” Watford said. “He was in foul trouble, but there’s still no excuse. Other guys got to step up.”

HOOSIERS SHOOT WELL ENOUGH TO WIN

Indiana had no trouble finding the bottom of the net Thursday night, but posted a season-low 50 points in large part because of Wisconsin’s deliberate pace.

The Hoosiers hit 50 percent of their first half shots, finished at 45.7 percent for the game and put together an 11-0 scoring run midway through the first half.

Though Crean felt his team adjusted nicely to Bo Ryan’s pass-heavy swing offense, he noted that key rebounds down the stretch may have been the difference.

“We answered the bell on the pace of play,” Crean said. “They’re going to play at a snail’s pace, it’s what they do, and you’ve got to steal possessions. We rebounded the ball very well for most of the game. They got a couple of big rebounds at the end. We struggled getting those balls.”

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The Minute After: Wisconsin

by in The Minute After | January 26th, 2012

Thoughts on a 57-50 loss to the Badgers:

Look above.

Verdell Jones has been through it all, seen it all in the Tom Crean era.

And so his hot start in his last trip to the Kohl Center was perhaps fitting. It was the senior at his best. The silky mid-range game. Taking what’s there and not forcing the issue. By half, Jones had pumped in 12 of Indiana’s 27 points on 6-of-7 shooting. The Hoosiers took a two-point lead into the locker room. The defense was communicating and helping. Indiana looked destined to stay in this one until the very end.

But in the second half,  Jones cooled off (he finished 6-of-10 and didn’t score after the break). The Hoosiers had some unforced turnovers early. Cody Zeller had arguably his worst game as a Hoosiers stretching across the whole game (foul troubled limited him; he got blocked a fair amount; he had seven points on 2-for-7 shooting). Still, the Hoosiers were indeed in this one until the very end. But Wisconsin executed down the stretch — or perhaps the refs were kind to the Badgers, as many articulated via social media — and Indiana was unable to counter, unable to sneak out of the Kohl Center with a win. Wisconsin hit six straight free throws (and 12-of-12 in the second half) in the last 1:03 to close this one out on a 6-0 run after being up 51-50. They grabbed some key offensive boards as well.

Despite the loss, all and all, this was a strong effort from the Hoosiers. They were in this one from start to finish, never really showed a lack of focus or poise. And had a few other things gone their way late, we may have been singing a different tune.

Instead, the Hoosiers remain winless in Madison since 1998 and fall to 4-5 in the conference.

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Live Discussion: Indiana at Wisconsin

by in Game Threads | January 26th, 2012

Balanced Badgers pose challenge for Hoosiers

by in Opponents | January 26th, 2012

Last year, Jordan Taylor was a Hoosier killer.

The Wisconsin guard ruined two upset attempts by Indiana by scoring a combined 67 points in two meetings last season. In the game at Assembly Hall, Taylor went off for 39 points and hit 7-of-8 attempts from 3-point range.

While he has only scored more than 20 points once this season — a loss to Michigan State — Taylor will still be a focal point for the Hoosiers’ defense on Thursday night.

But the key to Wisconsin’s success might actually be the play of its rarely mentioned role players, including forward Jared Berggren.

Berggren, a 6-10 senior, averaged only 2.4 points in 6.9 minutes per game for the Badgers last season, but he has emerged as the second scorer Wisconsin so desperately needs.

With the departure of Jon Leuer, coach Bo Ryan and the Badgers struggled early this season to find a consistent inside scorer. Berggren can play both inside and on the perimeter, and he’s averaging 11 points and five rebounds per game in nearly 27 minutes.

“Berggren provides more athleticism than he gets credit for,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said in a release. “He is a terrific shot blocker and rebounder based on his length and his athleticism.”

The No. 25 Badgers (16-5, 5-3) have four other players scoring between 6.5 and 9.7 points per game.

One of the main reasons for Wisconsin’s balance is Taylor’s willingness to give up the ball and find the open man. Taylor is averaging 4.4 assists per game, compared to only 1.5 turnovers per contest.

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Pick to Click: Wisconsin

by in Pick to Click | January 26th, 2012

Rules are here, for those unfamiliar. Updated standings are here. (Note: The spreadsheet has been updated and only correct picks are included. If you’ve yet to register a correct pick, you may not be listed.)

Pool for Wisconsin: All players are eligible to be picked.

Picks are due by 8:45 PM ET on Thursday.

A few reminders:

State the name of the player (not a nickname) that you’re picking. If you use a nickname for a player, your pick will not be counted. Also, please state who you are picking as the first thing in your comment. We’re tracking hundreds of picks per game. It’s more difficult to keep track of everyone’s pick if it’s not the first thing in your comment.

Please make sure you are using a valid e-mail address if you are not registered.

Please make sure you are using the same name each time to pick if you are not registered. We are tracking wins by the name you use to submit your pick. If your name changes on a game-to-game basis, credit for your pick will be given to the name used to submit the pick.

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