What’s wrong with the Hoosiers? 5 things IU needs to address
By CLIFF BRUNT
ISL Editor
Much has been made of Indiana’s high talent level this season, but after three halves of shaky basketball, it’s time to look at things the other way.
The Hoosiers led Minnesota 52-29 at halftime on Saturday before hanging on to win 88-81. Indiana followed that with a 64-59 loss to Wisconsin that exposed more flaws.
The Hoosiers can’t afford too many more losses if they want to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Here are five things Indiana will have to deal with to become a true national title contender.
1. Jordan Hulls lacks athleticism.
Hulls plays because he’s a leader and an impressive shooter. He’s a winner. He’s coachable. He’s gritty. Don’t get me wrong, you leave him open, out to 25 feet, sayonara.
Here’s the problem. Against the level of athletic ability Big Ten teams possess this season, Hulls will be a defensive liability most nights. He’s fundamentally sound but relatively slow. Victor Oladipo is such a good defender that he allows the Hoosiers to cover for Hulls. Butler exposed Hulls in the final seconds of its win over the Hoosiers when Alex Barlow scored the game-winner on him.
Hulls also struggles at times to get open. He isn’t blazing fast or cat quick and he’s short, so he needs to be open to shoot. If the other guys are off, it’s hard for Hulls to be a factor. Minnesota gambles defensively, so Hulls took advantage. Teams like Wisconsin don’t gamble. Other teams, upon watching film of the Wisconsin game, won’t gamble either.
A solution would be to play Sheehey more and hope Yogi Ferrell can handle the increased ballhandling load, allowing Hulls to be what he should be — a sharpshooter who comes off the bench and stings already tired players.
Which leads to my next point…
2. Yogi Ferrell is a freshman.
Ferrell has had moments of sheer brilliance. He hit the big shot that forced overtime against Butler and made a big three against Wisconsin that kept the Hoosiers in the game. But he couldn’t gain control of the tempo against Wisconsin, and the Hoosiers resigned themselves to playing Wisconsin’s way. Fairly or not, the point guard gets much of the blame for that. Traevon Jackson got the best of him on Monday night. As good as Ferrell is, he needs the ball in his hands to be effective, and he’s not the team’s best player. The Hoosiers will have to give him the reins as the floor general while somehow teaching him not to try to do too much. I think the fact that Yogi is not quite there has a lot to do with why Hulls plays as much as he does. Yogi has the most growth potential. If he makes the leap he seems to be capable of making, Indiana will be right back where it was expected to be. Teams need to take advantage now before he becomes a star.
3. Watford doesn’t always play big enough.
Watford has a decent frame, but he limits himself to 3-pointers and drives, and his rebounding is not necessarily what it should be for someone his size. He’s stronger this year — now, he needs to use it. Wisconsin simply stayed in front of Zeller and beat him up in the second half to limit his effectiveness. If Watford could be the team’s inside presence at times and let the mobile Zeller roam, Indiana would be a much more dangerous team.
4. Indiana is uncomfortable with a slower tempo.
This is a huge red flag. Everybody in the Big Ten had to be thrilled to see that something as basic as slowing the game down could bother the Hoosiers so much. Wisconsin allowed three fast-break points. With total control of the style of play, the Badgers were able to exploit each player’s individual weaknesses in the halfcourt on both ends. Iowa slowed the game down too, and the Hoosiers barely escaped Iowa City with a 69-65 win. The Hoosiers only made four 3-pointers and scored six fast break points against the Hawkeyes. Wisconsin limited the same things and had the talent to make it pay off. When Indiana is not raining open threes or scoring in transition, the Hoosiers are still very good, but not unbeatable. The tempo issue will be a particular problem against teams like Purdue that guard tightly, have the size to match up with Zeller and are patient on offense.
5. Will Sheehey has disappeared.
Sheehey is a potential game changer, an athletic 6-7 forward who is tough and has good shooting range. He has gone scoreless the past two games and had just eight points against Penn State the game before. Sheehey is not a starter, though he is one of the most talented players on the team. I wonder if that’s getting into his head. In his past three games, he’s 2-for-13 from the field and has made 1 of 5 3-pointers. This is from a guy who never met a shot he didn’t like. His minutes are down, too — he has played less than 18 minutes just three times this season, and two of them have been the past two games. That’s not good for Sheehey, who seems like he needs to be in a flow to be effective. Perhaps he has been told to tone it down. I don’t know. All I know is that feeling of “uh oh” that used to be there when number zero stepped to the scorer’s table is gone. At least for now.
I believe when Ferrell is ready to take full command, Sheehey’s minutes will increase and the Hoosiers will go back to being themselves.
