Maybe the IU men’s basketball team just plays better against Maryland. In their best game of the season, the Hoosiers beat the then-No. 13 Terrapins 89-70 in Assembly Hall. Then, on Wednesday, Maryland returned the favor, winning 68-66.
The now-No. 19 Terrapins were healthy favorites to beat IU, but the Hoosiers played well and were in the game until the final possession.
I did not expect this game to be as close as it was. Maryland has been brilliant at home and IU has had major struggles away from ?Assembly Hall.
I don’t believe in moral victories, but there were definitely some positives to take away from this one.
First, IU might have the best game-changer in the Big Ten in junior guard Yogi ?Ferrell.
This is not news for IU fans or any dedicated Big Ten viewers, but Ferrell has elevated his game even further this season. Few players in the country have as much of an effect on their team’s offense as Ferrell. When he’s hot, IU is always in the game.
Another takeaway, IU actually played good defense. Maryland did score 1.08 points per possession, which is above what IU Coach Tom Crean wants, but not a bad number considering how good Maryland is and how bad IU’s defense has been.
Regardless, the eye test is more important in this case, and IU looked pretty good on a lot of possessions. Maryland continually turned the ball over and struggled to get good shots. This time, Maryland’s hot shooting bailed them out.
The weird thing was, it didn’t look like Maryland had made any adjustments from their first meeting. In both games, IU caught fire from deep. IU shot 10-of-25, 40 percent, from deep on Wednesday.
IU is learning to win close games and how important that has been for this young team. Wednesday’s game obviously doesn’t do a great job of backing up that claim, but the fact is, this game shouldn’t have been as close as it was.
IU missed at least five layups or dunks over the course of the game. And I don’t mean contested finishing-through-contact layups. I mean easy buckets that you should count on a Big Ten player to make.
Crean said he can’t remember the last time his team missed two dunks and a layup down the stretch. I can’t recall sophomore forward Troy Williams ever missing a dunk, and he missed two Wednesday.
That was obviously a fluke. It just so happened that the fluke cost them a game.
The loss will certainly affect IU’s seeding in the Big Ten Tournament — Maryland is one of the teams fighting IU for a double-bye — but there’s still no cause for concern.
The Hoosiers looked good on Wednesday, and they have an easy remaining schedule. IU will be just fine.
crkrajew@indiana.edu
