The IU men's basketball team is showing that defense can win games, too.
The Hoosiers held the visiting Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils to 34 percent shooting in a 71-54 victory Tuesday, the third consecutive game IU has held the opponent to under 35 percent from the field.
Yes, the level of competition matters, but consider this: The Hoosiers completed the same feat just three times all of last season, and five times in coach Tom Crean's tenure.
All offseason, Crean preached how the defense needed to become one of the best in the conference because, offensively, they just aren't good enough to run up and down the floor every night. That situation came to the forefront Tuesday, when the Hoosiers clanked their way to 38 percent shooting from the field.
IU responded by compiling 10 steals, forcing 23 total turnovers and scoring 32 points off those turnovers. And when the offense gave the ball away - which it did 17 times - the defense locked down and only allowed nine points off turnovers for MVSU.
So it should come as no surprise that with better defense comes better results. With the win Tuesday, IU is now 3-0 for the first time under Crean.
"You want to taken them one game at a time, but it doesn't sound like much, especially with the Indiana tradition," Crean said. "There are banners that don't have any losses up there. To start out 3-0 for us in our era here, that was a big deal."
While the offense needed a drastic pick-me-up in the second half to give IU the victory, the defense was consistent throughout the game. In the first half, IU not only held MVSU to 34 percent shooting, but forced them to take 13 3-point shots out of 23 total attempts.
The Hoosiers continue to outrebound (41-37 Tuesday), score more second-chance points (11-6) and committing fewer fouls (19-25). Through the first two games, the Hoosiers showed how well the offense can play. But on Tuesday, they showed they can still win when the shots don't fall.
