3 Things Indiana Needs To Do To Win Against Ohio State
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A lot of Indiana fans – and a lot of non-Indiana observers – gave up on the Hoosiers’ NCAA Tournament hopes in the middle of February.
To be fair, when Indiana was 14-10, in the midst of a five-game losing streak and with four Quad 1 games left? There was plenty of cause to feel pessimistic.
To its credit, Indiana has given itself a chance. Marquee victories at Michigan State and over Purdue at home bolstered the Hoosiers’ resume. Indiana was able to pass several schools in a relatively soft field on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
It’s easy to scoff at the competition, but Indiana had to prove to everyone it was capable of rising above anything after several games in the first half of Big Ten action where the Hoosiers struggled to get out of their own way.
After Indiana coach Mike Woodson’s departure was announced, the Hoosiers deserve a lot of credit for keeping it together and staying focused. It would have been very easy for Indiana to go in the opposite direction.
As encouraging as the last few weeks have been, the mission is not over. In fact, it’s just getting started.
Saturday’s 3:45 p.m. ET home game against Ohio State is the most important contest of the season for both teams. The Hoosiers and Buckeyes are rubbing against one another on the NCAA Tournament bubble. While Indiana has the upper hand at the moment after the Hoosiers won 77-76 in overtime in January, the Buckeyes have a chance to turn the tide on Indiana.
Indiana has given itself a chance to salvage something positive from a stressful and sometimes underwhelming season. Teams rarely get the chance to change people’s minds about who they are, but the Hoosiers can do that with a win on Senior Day at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
It’s a day that will be charged with emotion as Woodson will have the opportunity to say his goodbye to the fans as coach. That’s to say nothing of popular long-time Hoosiers Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal too.
It would be a shame if Indiana came this far only to trip over the last hurdle. The chance is there on Saturday for the Hoosiers to alter a season-long narrative of disappointment.
Here are three things the Hoosiers need to do when they face the Buckeyes:
1. Put Pressure On The Rim
If there’s an overriding theme in Ohio State’s 13 losses, it’s that they give up a lot of points at the free throw line.
Ohio State is generous in how much it fouls, so that stands to reason, but in their defeats, no team scored fewer than 12 points at the free throw line. In four of Ohio State’s losses, their opponent scored 20 or more points at the line, including a high of 32 points by Texas A&M early in the season.
Indiana has the capability to get to the line. Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau are obvious candidates with the ball in the paint, but Trey Galloway, Mackenzie Mgbako and Myles Rice need to be committed to keeping the pressure up on Buckeyes defenders. They will foul if you give them the chance.
2. Be Ready To Crash The Offensive Glass
Another thing Ohio State isn’t great at it is rebounding. The Buckeyes rank 15th in the Big Ten in defensive rebounding percentage at 69.6%. It means the opposition is getting an offensive rebound three out of 10 times there’s a rebound to be had.
Indiana has been pretty stout on the offensive glass. Indiana ranks sixth in the Big Ten in offensive rebounding percentage at 31.3%. Ballo and Reneau should be able to get plenty of second chances if they’re on their game.
Offensive rebounds were a key component of Indiana’s 77-76 overtime win at Ohio State in January. Indiana had 14 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points. Ballo had eight offensive rebounds in that contest, but six different Hoosiers had at least one offensive rebound at Value City Arena.
3. Embrace The Moment
As mentioned, this is the most important game of the season for both teams. More pressure is on Ohio State, because they’re in a more precarious position than Indiana is presently as the bubble is concerned. But that flips the other way if the Hoosiers lose on Saturday.
It’s not the first “big” game for Indiana this season. In an 18-12 season, it makes sense that the Hoosiers have both shown up and faltered in big-game situations.
There were system failures for the Hoosiers against Louisville, Gonzaga, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. There were solid performances in losses to Maryland, at Purdue, Michigan and UCLA. There were victories against Michigan State and Purdue.
With their NCAA Tournament path being largely determined by Saturday’s game, Indiana needs to relax, execute and embrace the stakes. It’s all there for the taking if Indiana can focus on the mission at-hand.
