Nick Dorn’s struggles continue in IU basketball’s blowout loss at Purdue
- Nick Rodecap
- 2h ago
WEST LAFAYETTE – Few players have been on more of a rollercoaster over the last month than Indiana’s Nick Dorn.
The Elon transfer was one of the bright spots in Indiana’s 86-72 loss at Michigan on Jan. 20, scoring 14 points and grabbing four rebounds against the Wolverines and parlaying that into a stellar 23-point showing at Rutgers three days later.
Dorn’s best performances thus far this season came when Indiana needed them most. The Hoosiers knocked off then-No. 12 Purdue at Assembly Hall, thanks in large part to 18 points and three steals from Dorn, who made six of his 11 shots in what was his third straight efficient shooting night.
Then, Indiana went out west and squeaked past UCLA in a double-overtime thriller. Starting in his third consecutive game, Dorn played 48 of 50 possible minutes and set new season-highs in points (26) and rebounds (seven). In that four-game span, Dorn averaged 20.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 47 percent from deep, seizing the opportunity presented to him by an injury to Tayton Conerway.
But since that favorable four-game stretch, Dorn’s production has plummeted.
In six games since the end of January, the 6-foot-7 wing has scored 18 total points on 4-for-30 shooting (13 percent). And 11 of those 18 points came against Oregon, which will finish this season near the bottom of the Big Ten. Dorn did not make a field goal against Wisconsin, Illinois or Purdue.
Dorn played 25 minutes in Indiana’s 93-64 loss to the Boilers on Friday, missing both of his field goal attempts, grabbing one rebound and picking up three fouls. It was the Hoosiers’ worst loss to Purdue since before the Moon Landing and though Dorn is far from the lone reason for that outcome, his regression has coincided with Indiana’s recent lack of success. Not only was he once again a non-factor on the offensive end, but Purdue hunted him defensively as well.
“He’s had a little bit of a shooting slump, but the numbers are going to average themselves out at any moment,” head coach Darian DeVries said Thursday. “Nick’s a really good shooter. That next game could be that 6-for-8 game.”
That was not the case on Friday at Mackey Arena and as Selection Sunday draws ever closer, time is running out for Dorn to find the stroke that helped Indiana win three consecutive games and put it on the right side of the bubble.
“We can’t hang on to this one very long,” DeVries said Friday. “It’s that stretch run right now. The only thing that matters is the next one, and we’ve got to go home and get ready.”
Indiana returns home to face Northwestern on Tuesday and three of its final four regular-season games are at Assembly Hall.
DeVries preaches the importance of his players continuing to shoot even when they’re struggling, but Dorn’s search for answers remains unfruitful. He was a non-factor in hostile road environments at Illinois and Purdue, but maybe returning to familiar surroundings will see him shoot his way out of this stretch and reignite his scoring prowess once more.