After starting conference play with a 3-1 record, Indiana men’s basketball has found itself in a four-game losing skid still in search of a signature win.
While the Big Ten offers many Quadrant 1-win opportunities, the Hoosiers have let multiple perfect chances slip right away. Against then-No.10 Nebraska on Jan. 10, the Cream and Crimson controlled the game yet gave up a 16 point second half advantage to ultimately fall 83-77.
And in the game to follow on Jan. 13, the Hoosiers had the opportunity to get a bounce- back win over then-No. 12 Michigan State. Yet despite being tied with less than 12 minutes remaining, Indiana suffered another second half-collapse and fell 81-60. And on Jan. 17, more of the same story followed in the Hoosiers' 74-57 loss to Iowa after allowing the Hawkeyes to go on a second half run.
In the losses, Indiana proved it could compete with good teams yet showed time and time again they were unable to compete for the full 40 minutes. Faced with a three-game losing streak ahead of its difficult matchup with No. 3 Michigan on the road, it felt as if the Hoosiers gave up multiple prime opportunities to secure a quality win.
“They're continuing to prepare at a high level, and we haven't had the wins that we've wanted to,” head coach Darian DeVries said postgame. “We've had a couple there that we felt we could have gotten, but this season's a long season, and you're going to have a stretch or two sometimes like this.”
Following its 86-72 loss to Michigan at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Hoosiers officially hit the most critical part of the season amid a four-game losing skid. It’s a point in the season that will show the true identity of the new Hoosiers squad.
With a lot of season still left, Indiana has time to turn the losing skid into a growing opportunity. With a good team response, the Hoosiers still have the opportunities and pieces to put together a string of good quality wins. And following the loss to Michigan, DeVries still believes his team has it in them to do so.
“Our thing is, and why I feel so good about it, is that the locker room's great,” DeVries said. “We got guys that want to continue to compete. They want to continue to get better. So, we're just going to keep working, and that's the only way you get yourself back out of it, and this group will do that.”
Against the Wolverines, Indiana was out of the game from the jump as Michigan took the lead 49 seconds into the game and never gave it up.
However, despite the 14-point loss, DeVries still found positives to take away from his team’s performance and liked the guys’ fight throughout the game.
And after being in a shooting slump to start conference play, redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries finally found his shot and began to look like the DeVries Indiana fans have grown accustomed to all season long.
After being held scoreless in the first half, Tucker DeVries scored 15 second-half points, including four 3-pointers and five-for-seven shooting from the field. Getting DeVries back into the games could be huge for the Hoosiers as they work to get back in the winning column.
While the Hoosiers are faced with adversity to overcome, plenty of time still remains for a regroup. Indiana has been right there competing in games but has let wins slip away. With a group of players committed to continuing to work hard, it’s not time to tune out of the season just yet.
“We just play hard every game after this,” junior guard Nick Dorn said postgame. “We see what a very good team looks like, and we see that we have some improvements we need to make. So we're going to make those improvements and try our best to get it back on, get back on track for the next game.”
Indiana will have its next opportunity to break the losing streak against Rutgers on Friday in Piscataway, New Jersey. The contest is set to tip at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on FS1.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
