Can we get that two hours back?

Save for a brief first half glimmer, this one was never a contest.  Iowa opened with a 21-8 run to start the game.  Indiana did respond with a 20-4 run of their own to take a 28-25 lead with 6:38 left in the first.  But it was all Hawkeyes from there.  They closed the half on an 18-5 run, and opened the second with another 21-7 outburst.  Game, set, match.

Let’s take a deeper look at how IU lost 85-60 with our latest edition of The Report Card.

Indiana (13-4, 4-2) will next host Illinois on Tuesday evening in Bloomington.

COACHING (F)

We’ve written frequently here about Indiana not starting games ready to play.  And we’ve wondered if they’d be able to recover against better teams on the road.  Well, Mike Woodson hasn’t figured out how to get his team off to fast starts, and we got our answer in Iowa City.

Indiana got outhustled, out-schemed, and outmaneuvered.  Iowa played harder, moved with more purpose, and ran better stuff.  The Hoosiers looked lost, confused, and at times even disinterested.

Woodson did appear to be trying to find a lineup that would play with sustained effort.  And he got the good first half run from his bench.  But no amount of tinkering with the lineup is going to help a team that isn’t prepared to compete at this level.

If this is how this 11-game stretch of NCAA NET Quad-1 games is gonna go, buckle up.

OFFENSE (F)

The Hoosiers set the tone for the entire evening with seven turnovers in the first five minutes of the game.  Iowa scored 13 points off those miscues, and IU was on their heels.

Indiana didn’t appear ready for Iowa’s zone press, even though it’s been a part of Fran McCaffery’s system for years.  They were careless with the basketball, and committed 12 first half turnovers and 16 for the game.

Shooting it poorly from both two and three, IU had their third lowest effective field goal percentage of the season, trailing only the Nebraska and Louisville losses.  They had their lowest offensive rebounding percentage (24.3%) since Dec. 3, and IU didn’t get to the free throw line either, with just 13 attempts for the game.

The offense seemed limited to just putting the ball in the hands of Myles Rice and asking him to create something.

And the result was just .84 points per possession, Indiana’s lowest mark of the season — against a defense that was ranked outside of the top-100 in defensive efficiency.

DEFENSE (C)

Iowa has a good offense, and IU did very little to slow them down.  The Hawkeyes scored 1.18 points per possession, the fourth most they’ve allowed in a game this season.

How much of this bad defense was a result of bad offense?  Some of it, and that’s why we won’t go straight F’s here. A lot of IU’s offensive mistakes set up transition points before the Hoosiers could get set up.  Iowa had 24 points off turnovers and 26 fast break points.

And Indiana did force eight first half turnovers.  That helped fuel their lone rally.  But it wasn’t nearly enough.

The Hoosiers couldn’t lose track of Iowa’s best shooters — namely Payton Sandfort and Josh Dix — who combined to make 8-of-14 from deep.  Indiana helped off of them enough to give them the space they needed to get hot.   As a team Iowa made 6-of-13 from three in the second half to crush any hopes of an IU rally.

And probably just as disturbing, Iowa made 60% of their shots from two.  Indiana was a step slower than Iowa seemingly all night, and it really showed on this end of the floor.

MORE GAME COVERAGE

THE PLAYERS (*starters)

*Mackenzie Mgbako (F) This was a second straight dud performance from Mgbako, a player critical to Indiana’s success.  And right or wrong, he’s not being allowed to play through his mistakes, including a foul on a three-pointer that got him benched.  Mgbako only played 16 minutes.

*Myles Rice (C) Rice played well at times, but he was asked to do too much.  With Iowa doubling Oumar Ballo and sticking to shooters, it was left to Rice to beat the Hawkeyes.  But he can’t do it all.  He got his shot blocked several times in the paint.  But this loss was by no means on Rice.

*Trey Galloway (F) This may have been Galloway’s worst game of his college career.  No points and four turnovers from a fifth-year senior?  It was hard to see this coming after a run of good play.  Indiana needs this to be a one-off occurrence.

*Luke Goode (F) Goode made a three, but he wasn’t a major factor.  After several games with good rebounding numbers he had zero.  When run off the three-point line he struggled to be an offensive threat.  And Goode was part of IU’s struggle to guard Iowa’s shooters.

*Oumar Ballo (D) Ballo was a major factor in Indiana’s slow start with four turnovers in the first five minutes.  Although he ended up posting respectable stats, the effort just wasn’t there early, and that played a major role in setting a negative tone for the game.

Kanaan Carlyle (C) Carlyle did look confident at times, especially his first couple shots of the first half.  But it took him 12 shots to score nine points.  Indiana needs this to be the start of something positive.

Bryson Tucker (C) Tucker provided some positive first half minutes and played well when Indiana went on their run.  But this still wasn’t an efficient effort overall, and until he develops a rhythm from three there will be peaks and valleys.

Anthony Leal (B) Leal’s five assists highlight his effort to create something out of IU’s inept offense.  Indiana’s best stretches were with Leal on the floor.  That’s not the first time, probably won’t be the last.

Langdon Hatton (B-) Hatton’s contributions were generally positive.  He might not be the biggest or most athletic post player, but he competes and has his moments.

Dallas James did not play, coach’s decision.

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Malik Reneau was out with a knee injury.  Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton are out long-term with injuries.

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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