“We weren’t able to get a stop”: IU basketball’s inconsistent defense drives loss at OSU

Photos from IU basketball's 91-78 loss at Ohio State.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Darian DeVries wore a face of bewilderment. His palms, readable from the catwalk above him as he watched Devin Royal seal his team’s fate with three minutes left with a four-point play.

He turned to face his coaching staff before beginning a slow walk down the sideline. As he moved, his eyes drifted upward to the scoreboard glowing along the digital ribbon board in the south end of the Schottenstein Center.

It didn’t illuminate a pretty sight.

“OHIO STATE 86 | 2nd Half 3:01 | 73 INDIANA ”

Royal’s free throw gave Ohio State its 87th point of the evening, ballooning the home team’s lead back to 14, effectively shutting the door on the Hoosiers’ comeback bid.

The dam-breaking possession that Indiana desperately needed in a game it couldn’t drop became the curtain of a 91-78 loss on Saturday afternoon in Columbus.

“We were right where we wanted to be,” Senior forward Reed Bailey said postgame. “We cut it to 11, and you know, I think that we just got to find something to be able to dig deeper at that point to be able to come out and keep clawing back.”

The shot put an effective end to Indiana’s tournament hopes, but the lack of intensity on the defensive end – especially in the first half – ultimately plagued the Hoosiers.

At the under-eight media timeout, Indiana had crawled back into the game, trimming its 11-point deficit down to 3 with an 8-0 run. Momentum had seemingly flipped to DeVries’ team, and the game appeared primed for a back-and-forth affair.

The momentum abruptly halted after the horn inside the Schottenstein Center broke the team’s huddle. Ohio State took full control, making all but two of its shots to finish the half with a commanding 17-point advantage. Most of the baskets during the 22-8 half-ending run were off of open looks that Indiana’s defense was allowing. The Buckeyes shot 67.9 percent, making eight shots from deep to pull away.

The 50-point first half marked the second time this season Indiana allowed 50-plus points in a half (Nebraska scored 53 in the second half on Jan. 10).

“We weren’t able to get a stop,” DeVries said. “I thought we were back and forth a little bit, in decent shape, and then they got going, they got a couple of drives to the rim, hit a few threes, and the lead exploded.

“We want to put ourselves in a position to win the game, and for us to have a stretch like that, it’s certainly disappointing.”

Already behind, the second half started similarly to the end of the first; Ohio State scored at will. Not until the under-eight media timeout in the second half did the Hoosiers pick up full-court, upping their defensive intensity. The Buckeyes felt the pressure, turning the ball over in the backcourt, allowing Indiana to get itself back into the game.

It was too little, too late, though. Indiana’s disinterest on the defensive end for the first 32 minutes eventually caught up to them. DeVries and his team walked off the floor dejected for the fifth time in six games. Now they head to Chicago needing a run in the Big Ten tournament to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament.

“We just have a lot of motivation to come into the Big Ten Tournament and show what we really can do,” Bailey said. “Just having that bad taste in your mouth, I think it’s motivation enough to really come out and try and make a run.”

Like so many games this season, Indiana couldn’t get out of the hole it dug itself on Saturday night. It waited far too long to play like its season was on the line. Self-inflicted inconsistency is the lone constant of Indiana’s season – and in the end, may have been the final nail in the coffin for a roller coaster season.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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