Indiana
Indiana football’s identity becomes murkier with drastically different halves in 45-24 loss to Cincinnati – The Hoosier Network
For 3 weeks, Indiana soccer baffled followers with rocky begins and dazzling comebacks, working its technique to a 3-0 document.
However towards three groups Indiana must be competing with, it was tough to inform what sort of crew the Hoosiers are. In Cincinnati on Saturday, enjoying its hardest competitors of the yr, Indiana didn’t do a greater job displaying its id.
Indiana’s secondary was burned and its offense was stifled within the first half. Within the second half, the Hoosiers have been in management on each side of the ball, however they have been by no means capable of overcome its early errors in a 45-24 loss.
“We weren’t constant in our execution,” head coach Tom Allen stated in a postgame press convention. “It simply snowballed because the lead obtained additional and additional away from us within the first half.”
Indiana’s continued potential to regulate at halftime has been a reassuring expertise via 4 weeks, however its lack of ability to carry that success into the primary half has been a frustration for Allen.
Indiana entered halftime down 38-10 and was outgained 323 to 168 within the first two quarters.
Indiana wanted to show in its cleanest and greatest efficiency of the season to maintain up with Cincinnati. It began promising, with the protection forcing a punt on the opening drive. Then it began unraveling.
Earlier than lengthy, Indiana was watching Cincinnati rating twice within the final minute of the primary half, together with a scoop-and-score after Connor Bazelak was sacked and Indiana didn’t see the unfastened ball.
The Indiana secondary, sometimes one of many crew’s greatest models, made uncharacteristic errors all through the primary half. Defensive again Tiawan Mullen was beat in protection a number of instances. Cincinnati quarterback Ben Bryant threw 4 completions of over thirty yards. Practically all the Bearcats’ first half manufacturing got here via the air, together with 4 landing passes.
“Normally we don’t enable that,” Mullen stated. “That’s not our DNA. That’s unacceptable on my finish.”
On the opposite facet of the ball, Indiana’s offense was flat. Its solely landing got here on a possession that started at Cincinnati’s 39-yard line.
“It’s regarding, there’s little doubt, as a result of you then begin creating a sample,” Allen stated. “At first you undergo it, you might have your rising pains with new guys, however now it is into week 4 and it must be behind us.”
Even with a greater second half efficiency, the Hoosiers have been far-off from ever placing all of it collectively. Indiana outgained Cincinnati, 180 yards to 71, however 4 of its final six drives stalled and resulted in turnovers on downs, together with one in Cincinnati’s crimson zone.
“I feel we’re shut, we simply obtained to search out methods to start out drives properly,” Bazelak stated. “I’ve stated it a bunch, simply getting in rhythm on offense. Profitable first down and getting 4 or 5 yards on first down.”
What doomed Indiana in its first loss, and almost value it extra in its first three video games, was the shortcoming to place collectively a full offensive efficiency.
“Now we have obtained to search out methods to attain touchdowns within the first quarter,” Bazelak stated. “Can’t put our protection behind and put ourselves behind in video games like this.”
The Hoosiers have been a mediocre crew, outclassed and outperformed within the first half, digging a gap too deep to ever climb out of. Their good begin might not have been an entire fluke, however their remaining convention schedule seems far more daunting.
But when Indiana desires to construct on the success of its first three wins heading into its recreation subsequent Saturday at Nebraska, Allen may need a brand new technique.
“Inform them it is halftime proper earlier than we begin,” he stated.
Extra
PARADISE ISLAND, The Bahamas – Indiana and Providence have one last chance to salvage a win Friday in the Battle 4 Atlantis seventh-place game. The loser will head home as the member of the eight-team tournament to go winless in the three-game stretch.
Indiana entered the tournament with a 4-0 record and ranked No. 14 in the nation, but it suffered an 89-61 loss to Louisville Wednesday and an 89-73 loss to Gonzaga Thursday. Providence had a 5-0 record before losing 79-77 to Oklahoma and 69-58 to Davidson.
*** LIVE BLOG:Once the game starts, CLICK HERE to read our live blog written by Jack Ankony, including live updates, highlights and thoughts on the game.
Bart Torvik rankings
Projected score: Indiana 72, Providence 67. Torvik gives the Hoosiers a 68% chance of victory.
Indiana Hoosiers
Providence Friars
Meet the coaches
How does a team shake off its first loss of the season while facing a top-15 program that also has a lot to prove following its first defeat?
Ask Gonzaga men’s basketball head coach Mark Few — he and his coaching staff appeared to have all the answers to guide the Bulldogs to an 89-73 victory over No. 14 Indiana on Thursday to advance to the Battle 4 Atlantis fifth-place game.
The Zags (5-1) didn’t waste any time putting their overtime defeat to West Virginia behind them, as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead over the Hoosiers (4-2) in the first couple of minutes before taking a double-digit lead into halftime. Oumar Ballo kept Indiana in the fight early on to make it a 1-point game nearing the 9-minute mark in the first half, yet despite the former Zag’s efforts, Gonzaga capitalized on second-chance opportunities and transition points to go on a 21-2 scoring run, highlighted by an alley-oop dunk from Khalif Battle. The sixth-year guard led his team with 16 points and grabbed five rebounds, while five of his teammates scored in double figures, thanks in large part to Ryan Nembhard’s 13 assists.
With the win, Gonzaga will play the winner of Providence/Davidson in the fifth place on Friday at 5:30 p.m. PST/8:30 p.m. EST.
Here are three takeaways from the victory.
BULLDOGS IMPOSE THEIR WILL DOWN LOW
Braden Huff noted the Bulldogs didn’t have much of a presence in the paint in their loss to the Mountaineers. The Zags went a season-worst 19-of-44 (43.2%) from inside the arc and never established themselves on the low block, instead settling for 3-pointers when their first action didn’t lead to a score from 5 feet out.
Ballo and 6-foot-9 forward Mackenzie Mgbako posed a different kind of challenge, though, despite a hot start from Ballo, who scored 17 of his team’s first 31 points, Gonzaga’s bigs controlled the interior and the boards in totality. The Zags outrebounded the Hoosiers, 42-27, and outscored their opposition, 23-4, in second-chance points.
“Our bigs did a good job,” Few said after the game. “That’s the first team we played that’s kind of like us — likes to throw the ball inside a lot, really ducks in and really puts a lot of foul pressure on you. We were in massive foul trouble in the first half. Got in even more trouble in the second half. But they kept playing. They kept repeating and moving them in and out of there, and they were able to stay in the game.”
Ballo gave the Hoosiers a much-needed spark after they fell into an 8-0 hole. The 7-foot-tall, 237-pound redshirt senior nailed a few right-handed hook shots to put his team in position to compete with the No. 3-ranked team in the country. Ballo led all scorers with 25 points.
“Clearly he’s gotten a lot better,” Few said of Ballo. “I mean that was what six years ago [when Ballo arrived to Gonzaga as a freshman]? He’s older, he’s gotten in great shape. I’m happy for him. That right-handed hook was going tonight but we were OK with that. We just didn’t want him to get a whole lot of stuff between us and the basket.”
Michael Ajayi had his best game as a Zag, recording 15 points and nine rebounds on 5-of-9 from the field, while Ike finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. Ben Gregg added 13 points off the bench and held down the center spot while Ike and Huff had to sit on the bench due to foul trouble in the second half.
AN EMPHATIC RESPONSE
Gonzaga’s players looked ready to flush away the dramatic loss to WVU the moment they stepped off the floor Wednesday. Having a short memory is somewhat necessary when playing three games in as many days, regardless of the final score. Safe to say the Bulldogs embraced that mentality heading into Thursday’s consolation game.
“There’s a lot you say in a 24-hour period like that,” Few said in regard to how he addressed his team in wake of their loss to WVU. “We talked about how in a game like the other night, comes down to one or two possessions, we’ve got to be able to execute, especially on defense. I didn’t feel like we played very good ‘D’ last night.”
The Zags flipped the script on that end of the floor against the Hoosiers. While Ballo was rolling down low, his teammates weren’t creating much on offense from the perimeter. Indiana’s starting backcourt of Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle combined for 12 points on 4-of-14 from the field. Malik Reneau, who led the way with 21 points against the Cardinals, put up a goose egg in the first half before ending the night with a quiet six points in 24 minutes of action.
ONTO PROVIDENCE/DAVIDSON
The Zags can enjoy the rest of their Thanksgiving holiday while they await their opponent for tomorrow’s fifth-place game at 5:30 p.m. PST. Gonzaga will face the winner of Providence (5-1) vs. Davidson (4-1) to conclude its trip in The Bahamas.
The Friars nearly completed a wild comeback against Oklahoma in the final minutes of their quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday. The Sooners led by nine points with 44 seconds left but missed free throws and a traveling violation made it a 2-point game in the final seconds. Wesley Cardet Jr. had 17 points, Jayden Pierre and Bensley Joseph 16 each and Corey Floyd Jr. put up 13 for Providence.
The Wildcats got blown out, 104-71, by No. 24 Arizona on Wednesday. Connor Kochera tallied 20 points and Bobby Durbin nailed five 3s for Davidson, which went 38% from the field.
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Indiana
How to watch Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Indiana Hoosiers: TV channel, live stream for Battle 4 Atlantis game
A pair of AP Top 25 teams look to bounce back from their first letdowns of the season on Thursday when No. 3 Gonzaga takes on No. 14 Indiana in the Battle 4 Atlantis event from The Bahamas.
The Bulldogs (5-1) were less than 30 seconds away from advancing to the semifinal round before West Virginia mounted a swift comeback in the final seconds behind Tucker DeVries, who sunk two free throws in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime. The Mountaineers held the Zags to 2-of-10 from the field in the extra period to come away victorious, 84-78, over the No. 3-ranked program in the country. Gonzaga also led by eight points at halftime and by double-digits at the 18:35 mark in the second half.
Braden Huff’s 19 points led his team, followed by Khalif Battle with 16 points. Javon Small scored a season-high 31 points for West Virginia, which went 14-of-28 (50.0%) from the field in the second half.
The Hoosiers (4-1) are looking to rebound from Wednesday’s 89-61 loss to Louisville in their Battle 4 Atlantis opener on Wednesday. Malik Reneau led Indiana with 21 points while former Zag Oumar Ballo recorded 11 points and six rebounds.
The Bulldogs and Hoosiers have met four times before, all at neutral sites, with the series split at 2-2. The two last met in the 2008 Hartford Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana, where the Zags came out on top, 70-54.
The winner of Thursday’s game plays at noon PST on Friday in the third-place game. Loser plays at 8 a.m. PST in the seventh-place game.
HOW TO WATCH GONZAGA VS. INDIANA
Who: Gonzaga and Indiana meet in the consolation bracket of the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis
When: 11:30 a.m. PT/2:30 p.m. EST | Thursday, Nov. 28
Where: Imperial Arena at Atlantis Resort | Nassau, Bahamas
TV: ESPN2
2024 Battle 4 Atlantis Schedule:
Nov. 28 – Semifinals
Noon ET – Louisville vs. West Virginia
2:30 p.m. ET – Gonzaga vs. Indiana
5 p.m. ET – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
7:30 p.m. ET – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser (consolation bracket)
Nov. 29 – Championship
11 a.m. ET – Seventh-Place Game
3 p.m. ET – Third-Place Game
5:30 p.m. ET – Championship Game
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