In a game where one team is expected to win by 30 or more points, it’s hard to identify the weak spots in the victors’ game. But that’s exactly what IU Coach Tom Crean needs to do following his team’s 79-59 win over New Orleans.
Leading up to the game, I wrote that it was important to focus on the Hoosiers’ shortcomings as opposed to where they excelled. This is, in fact, their last easy non-conference game of the season.
The weakest link in the IU fence on Monday was in its consistency. It was just a four-point game with 6:05 left in the first half before the Hoosiers’ went on an 18-0 run.
While it’s always nice to know a team has the ability to go on such a run, the fact that they were in that position in the first place is worrisome.
Then, in the second half, the Privateers scored 15 points in the first five minutes, 12 of those coming on layups. IU scored 13 of its own over that time, but the defense needs to stay more consistent against that level of competition.
This isn’t the first time a team has had a good stretch against IU. The Hoosier defense has shown that it's actually prone to giving up runs of points. In the Butler game, the Bulldogs went on an 11-1 run to end the half and tie the game.
The other place they need to improve is on the glass. IU won the rebounding battle against New Orleans, but not by enough. It was just 40-36 in IU’s favor.
The average height of the Privateers’ starters was just 6-foot-3 and they came into the game ranked No. 298 in rebounds per game. IU needs to rebound better against a team like that.
That being said, the Hoosiers have looked pretty strong in their last three games. A lot of that has to do with junior forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea turning into the rim protector that Crean hoped he would.
Mosquera-Perea has blocked eight shots in his last two games and altered several more. However, that’s part of the reason IU struggled getting rebounds.
Mosquera-Perea looked particularly aggressive on Monday, and while he did block some shots, it left him out of position for rebounds.
IU needs a rim-protector and Mosquera-Perea looks like he could develop into that guy, based on his recent performances. But the other Hoosiers on the floor need to crash for rebounds if he’s going for the block. There’s no point in leaking out for a breakaway if you don’t get the rebound.
Rebounding is supposed to be a strength for IU who ranked No. 44 in the country before the game. Maybe it was just a bad game for IU, but Crean should devote some extra time to it regardless.
IU still needs another good win in the non-conference schedule if they hope to impress the selection committee. It has three quality wins against Pittsburgh, SMU, and Butler already, but none of those are really a crown jewel.
A win against Georgetown, though, would give them a well-rounded resume of wins against solid opponents in the non-conference season.
At this point, the Hoosiers have shown that they can beat a team like Georgetown, but the question is if they will. Their consistency will have to determine that.
