Happy Monday, Hoosiers! One of our sports editors, Matt Sebree, wrote this introduction. Enjoy today's newsletter.
Coming off poor showings in their first Big Ten games of the season, Indiana basketball teams entered last week looking for improvement as they enter conference play and finish their final nonconference slate of games.
After a disappointing loss to Rutgers, the Indiana men came into the week ranked No. 14 and were looking for a bounce-back performance, which was swiftly provided by Trayce Jackson-Davis. The star senior forward became the fourth player to record a triple-double in school history to lead Indiana past Nebraska 81-65 on Wednesday in Bloomington.
Having earned their first Big Ten win of the season, the Hoosiers traveled to Sin City to face off against then-No. 10 University of Arizona in a marquee nonconference matchup. With starting freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino on the bench for the third-straight game with back spasms, Indiana’s backcourt rotation was already shallow, and the problem was worsened when two early fouls on senior Xavier Johnson forced the starting point guard to sit. With Johnson on the bench, the Wildcats shut down Jackson-Davis on one end of the floor and seemingly couldn’t miss on the other end, opening a 17-0 first-half run. Although the Hoosiers fought back throughout the game, they were unable to cut the lead below 3 points and lost 89-75, falling to 8-2 overall but stayed at No. 14 in the rankings.
Despite struggling in a win at home over Illinois, Indiana women’s basketball began last week by tying its highest ever ranking in the AP poll at No. 4 and achieving its highest ranking in any poll in program history when it was voted No. 3 in the Coaches Poll. Head coach Teri Moren has repeated throughout the season that those high rankings mean opponents always bring their best when facing the Hoosiers and that was certainly the case in their lone game last week. Against Penn State on Thursday in University Park, Pennsylvania, the banged-up Indiana squad struggled without star graduate student guard Grace Berger, graduate student forward Alyssa Geary and junior forward Kiandra Browne. For the first time this season, the Hoosiers were losing when the buzzer sounded for halftime — largely because the team struggled protecting the ball, turning it over 12 times in the first 20 minutes despite starting the day only averaging 11 turnovers per game. However, in the second half Indiana turned it around as junior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil ran the offense, helping put together a 25-6 run and senior forward Mackenzie Holmes added her third double-double of the season en route to a 67-58 victory. With the win, the Hoosiers improved to 10-0 overall, tying the best start since Moren took over as coach.
Both teams have the week off for IU finals before they play again next weekend. The men continue their stretch of difficult nonconference games with a trip to Phog Allen Fieldhouse to face No. 8 University of Kansas at noon on Saturday. The women return to action a day later, hosting Morehead State University at 2 p.m. Sunday in Bloomington.
Follow us on Twitter!
Women's Basketball Reporters: Matt Sebree, Will Foley & Matt Press
Men's Basketball Reporters: Emma Pawlitz, Evan Gerike & Bradley Hohulin
1 (big story with photo)
No. 14 Indiana men's basketball loses game of runs to to No. 10 Arizona in turbulent matchup
The Wildcats went on a 17-0 run in the beginning of the second half.
>> Indomitable Arizona offense downs No. 14 Indiana men’s basketball 89-75 in Las Vegas
>> COLUMN: Indiana men's basketball played 36 solid minutes. Don't ask about the other four.
2 (big story with photo)
The Hoosiers used a 25-6 second-half run to down the Nittany Lions.
>> Turnovers nag No. 4 Indiana women’s basketball despite 67-58 win over Penn State
>> COLUMN: It was a tale of two halves, but Indiana women’s basketball had a happy ending
3 (small story with photo)
No. 14 Indiana men’s basketball mends major wounds in bounce-back win over Nebraska
Trayce Jackson-Davis recorded the third triple-double in Indiana basketball history.
>> ‘Bright moments’: Jackson-Davis elevates in record books with triple-double in 81-65 win
>> COLUMN: Indiana men’s basketball needed a rebound game. It got one against Nebraska.
