The Minute After: Chattanooga

Thoughts on a 74-65 win against Chattanooga:

It would be easy to blame Indiana’s lackluster start to this game on a noon tip over winter break.

But with other guaranteed games this season following a familiar script to this afternoon’s contest, it’s hard to argue against the idea that this type of performance is also just who this team has been this season.

As usual, Indiana had the size advantage today against its non-power conference opponent. But Chattanooga’s ball movement, cutting and passing in its 5-out style gave Indiana’s defense problems in the first half. The Mocs shot 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) from deep. They assisted on 11 of their 14 made baskets. The speed of Trey Bonham and Honor Huff gave the Hoosiers problems. Indiana lost shooters and cutters.

“I thought just their movement caused problems for us,” Mike Woodson said post-game.

Chattanooga and Indiana traded the lead at the start and end of the half, but Chattanooga held it for a stretch of 10:38 during the middle part. Indiana was able to snag a 41-38 lead at the break.

And as the second half began, it looked like Indiana would do what it usually has done so far this season in such a situation: stop cruising, start playing with urgency and put the game away. That looked to be exactly what was happening. Indiana got after it more on defense. Malik Reneau led the charge on offense, scoring eight points in the first 7:23 of the half. His steal and emphatic dunk at the 12:37 mark put the Hoosiers up 13 (61-48), and it looked like Indiana was firmly in the driver’s seat.

But a few minutes later, Indiana’s offense went cold — ice cold. The Hoosiers didn’t score a point for 6:23 of game clock. Indiana missed five field goal attempts and two free throws during that stretch. As a result, this one ended up being much more of a fight to the finish.

After a Reneau turnover gave the ball to the Mocs, a Trey Galloway foul on Frank Champion gave him a 1-and-1 opportunity at the line with 1:51 to play. Champion hit both to pull the Mocs within four at 67-63. After a Reneau bucket pushed the lead out to six for Indiana, the Mocs again got it to four (69-65) on a Bonham jumper. But Indiana was able to shut the door from there. Myles Rice hit a driving lay-up, Galloway scored way ahead of the pack and Anthony Leal hit 1-of-2 at the line to seal Indiana’s nine-point win.

“I just didn’t see a good sign tonight,” Woodson told Don Fischer on the postgame radio show. “We just gotta keep working, man.”

That’s been Woodson’s constant refrain this season. The team just has to keep working. At some point, though, Indiana must show it can break through its malaise for longer than just a game or two. That it can take all this talent on the roster and be greater than the sum of its parts.

There’s just one more non-conference game remaining before Indiana hits the ground running on 18 straight Big Ten games, the majority of which the Hoosiers aren’t favored to win. If Woody is still exasperated and calling on his team to keep working as January bleeds into February, Indiana might not have a March with an NCAA tournament berth in store.

Category: The Minute After

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