‘We just got to be tougher,’ rebounding plagues IU basketball in blowout loss to Illinois

Sam Alexis drives towards the basket.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In the aftermath of Indiana’s 71-51 loss to No. 8 Illinois on Sunday afternoon, Darian DeVries took the podium alongside Sam Alexis to field questions from reporters. Just one of the 11 questions asked was directed at Alexis. After the Hoosiers allowed 15 offensive rebounds, he was asked where they need to improve to limit opponents on the glass.

“We just got to be tougher and more physical,” Alexis said, murmuring the words in a subdued tone.

His frustration was warranted. The Fighting Illini outrebounded Indiana 38-25. Those 15 offensive rebounds translated to 17 second-chance points. At times, it felt as though a missed shot was simply Illinois’ preferred method to feed the post.

Alexis tried his best. He added an 11-point, eight-rebound stat line to a string of recent success. But it wasn’t enough for the Hoosiers to counter an opponent that was both taller and stronger.

“Illinois is one of the best rebounding teams in the country, and for good reason,” DeVries said. “If we were going to stay with them, we were going to have to limit that. I thought as the game wore on, they wore into us a little bit and those opportunities became too many.”

It’s not surprising that the Illini found success on the glass. With an average height of 79.8 inches, Illinois’ lineup is the tallest in college basketball. The Hoosiers’ bigs, Alexis and Reed Bailey, are undersized. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to predict that rebounding would be a problem for Indiana. It was. But more importantly, it snowballed into a 20-point loss.

Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, their inability to close out defensive possessions spoiled an otherwise quality all-around showing on that end of the floor. Indiana held Illinois to just 71 points, the second-fewest it’s scored this season. Thanks in part to the Hoosiers’ tight coverage, the Illini made just seven of their 31 attempts from beyond the arc.

But none of that matters if those missed shots turn into second-chance scoring opportunities — a result that occurred far too often for Indiana. It’s a result that DeVries said was “too much for us to overcome.”

While rebounding was their Achilles’ heel on one side of the floor, the Hoosiers’ inability to push the ball plagued their play on the other.

Indiana’s offense produced a season-low 51 points with a half-court attack that became stagnant as the game progressed. The Hoosiers couldn’t counter Illinois’ size and weren’t able to find looks at the rim. The result? A lot of passes 20 feet from the basket.

There were multiple instances in the second half alone where possessions ended with an errant heave as the shot clock expired. When the half-court set isn’t working, speeding up the game in transition becomes crucial. DeVries reached the same conclusion.

“We really thought the broken floor was the best opportunity,” DeVries said. “The more we could get them moving and playing in space, we thought, was our opportunity. We just didn’t get enough of those.”

Indiana didn’t take advantage of transition looks, was unable to attack the rim in half-court sets and was subsequently forced to rely on low-percentage jump shots. Generally, shooting is a strength for the Hoosiers. But when shots aren’t falling, Indiana is too one-dimensional.

Illinois didn’t find new ways to beat Indiana. Rebounding and paint scoring have been persistent shortcomings all season. When Indiana came in having won five of its last six matchups, those issues had slowly been forgotten. An overlooked ailment that fell victim to the age-old saying that winning cures all.

If winning cures all, then losing is a re-emerging infectious disease.

The Hoosiers are certainly still in contention for a postseason berth. Brad Underwood even referred to them as “an NCAA tournament team” in his postgame press conference. But as Alexis pointed out in his brief nine-word response, there are fundamental improvements that Indiana will have to make to find success against college basketball’s best.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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