Hoosiers keep it close but get buried by Gophers

Plenty of people pitched in, but the collaborative effort wasn’t enough as the Hoosiers found themselves unable to ground the Gophers.

For the ninth consecutive game, IU (5-13, 0-6) emerged the loser. But all was not lost. Like the message scrawled across the back of the white T-shirts handed out before the game, the Hoosiers never gave up.

The Gophers led by five points or less during the final 10 minutes, but the Hoosiers were never able to take the lead. Ultimately, it was the Gophers who were the ones hunting, and the Hoosiers, the hunted.

For the first time all season, IU coach Tom Crean said he looked at his team and saw not only the preparation and desire to win, but the belief that it could.

Nevertheless, the Gophers overcame several season-best performances by the Hoosiers to prevail Sunday.

1. The student section and the ‘White Out’
It wasn’t until the final seconds Sunday that the white began to make its way out of Assembly Hall.

Thanks to IU Athletics Director Fred Glass, the 16,539 fans in attendance, whom Crean called the best crowd of the season, received free white shirts as they entered the arena and successfully executed the “White Out.” After the game, Crean said a campus police officer guarded the white shirts the night before.

Not only did the freebies have a stunning visual effect, but they rallied a home crowd that has at times fallen stagnant this season. The students’ enthusiasm (with the exception of a puker behind Minnesota’s hoop, who was chucked from the game) ignited IU when it needed a boost.

Freshman forward Broderick Lewis, who played 12 minutes, said the crowd continuously energized the team.

“You could feel it every time we made a stop or a big play,” he said.

2. VJ3’s half-court bomb
Senior forward Kyle Taber grabbed the ball after Minnesota’s Lawrence Westbrook made a short jumper with five seconds left in the first half.

He quickly established himself out of bounds, saw the Gophers were slow to get back on defense and passed to a streaking Verdell Jones.

Jones turned toward the hoop, dribbled and shot from the corner of the IU emblem that marks half court.

Bucket.

The deep 3 brought the Hoosiers within one at halftime, 31-30, and gave them momentum heading into the locker room.

3. Tijan Jobe’s perimeter defense
Nothing excited the crowd as much as seeing junior center Tijan Jobe play at the point of the Hoosiers’ 1-3-1 defense and disrupt the flow of Minnesota’s offense.

With 3:16 left in the first half, Crean put Jobe in, to the delight of the home crowd. With his 7-foot-5.5 wingspan blocking the passing lanes and catching the Gophers off guard, Jobe forced a Minnesota turnover and collected two rebounds in his three minutes of play.

The student section chanted his name, something both Crean and Jobe said they thought was special.

“How many guys who play less than 10 minutes in a season get a standing ovation from the home crowd?” Crean asked after the game.

Jobe said he was relatively comfortable playing out on the perimeter and said it “pumps energy into you” to hear 16,000 fans chanting your name.

4. 3-point shooting
The Hoosiers scored 12 of their first 14 points off shots from behind the arc and had the help of the 3-point shot all game.

In addition to Jones’ half-court prayer, junior guard Devan Dumes hit 4-of-6 from deep and freshman guard Malik Story connected on 2-of-3.

Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said his team made a conscious effort to limit the Hoosiers’ 3-point shooting in the second half.

“I thought they hit some really big 3s,” Smith said before pausing, “from deep.”

5. Boost from the bench
Looking to get more from his reserves, Crean continued to utilize his bench players, who responded Sunday. IU’s bench outscored the Gophers (21-19), led by freshman guard Story’s 14 points.

After playing only three minutes in IU’s last game, Crean said he saw the “sense of urgency” in Story he’d been looking for this week in practice.

Jobe, Lewis and freshman guard Daniel Moore made several plays for the Hoosiers when the team was in a pinch. Moore’s highlight came early in the second half when he used two hands to steal the ball, executed a perfect pirouette at half court and finished with a breakaway layup.