IU has resembled Wisconsin lately

Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan could appreciate the way IU played its past two games.

The Hoosiers played a style similar to the Badgers’ against Penn State and Michigan State – namely, IU shortened the last two games by holding onto the ball deep into the shot clock as well as cutting down on turnovers.

If IU can take its newfound style of play to Wisconsin on Sunday night against the Badgers, who have played that way all season, it could make for another deliberate, methodical contest.

It also might give IU its best chance at pulling off an upset.

IU coach Tom Crean said the new grind-it-out style IU has played lately has resulted in some of the best basketball the Hoosiers have played all season, really boosting the team’s morale.

“They’re believing that they can win,” Crean said. “We’re starting to play our best basketball in the sense, because that mind-set is so right.”

Against the Nittany Lions, IU committed just 11 turnovers. It followed the performance with only 14 against Michigan State, with just four in the second half. Both games were an improvement from the Hoosiers’ average of 17.6 turnovers per game.

As a result, IU played both the Nittany Lions and Spartans to competitive, low-scoring affairs, though it allowed both to hit more than 50 percent from the floor.

Although the Hoosiers failed to crack the 60-point barrier in either game, they held Michigan State to 64 points (as opposed to its 72.6 points per game average) and Penn State to 61 points (below its 66.1 points per game average).

IU will have to work hard to put points on the board itself when it faces Wisconsin: The Badgers give up fewer than 60 points per game.

IU’s change in style of play came on the heels of a 75-53 trouncing at home against Northwestern. Freshman Verdell Jones said the team has practiced much better since the loss.

“Ever since the Northwestern game, we have really had great practices, first off, and had a great mind-set, and that helped us in the Penn State game and Michigan State game,” Jones said.

The rejuvenation comes with just two guaranteed games left – Wisconsin and a first-round game in the Big Ten Conference Tournament. Freshman Malik Story said his team wants to “go out with a bang” and its recent revival has made the Hoosiers more ambitious.

“It makes you more hungry,” Story said. “It makes you know that if we played like that against the best team in the league (Michigan State), we can play like that against anyone else in our league.”