Indiana Basketball: Where do the Hoosiers go from here?

The Hoosiers lose a heartbreak to Maryland on Tuesday and start Big Ten Conference play 1-3. Indiana is quickly slipping into college basketball purgatory.

Needless to say, this is not where many thought the Hoosiers would be in the first two weeks of January. Three losses to in conference opponents have the Hoosiers pressed with their backs against the wall.

Plenty of play left, but Indiana is running out of losses to give.

Even with the Hoosiers trending downward, they are still the 17th best offensive team in the country, 85.1 points per game. Their rebounding is top-10 worthy, averaging 42.1 rebounds per game good enough for the sixth best team in the country. All the production coming from the offensive side of the ball is leaving on major gap in this team’s game. Defense. Turnovers.

The defensive side of the ball has always been a struggle for Tom Crean lead teams. It doesn’t look like the scheme is going to change any time soon. So how do the Hoosiers combat their less than impressive work on defense? Consistency on the offensive end.

While many around the country will start to write off Indiana as a possible tournament contender, this is where the Hoosiers need hit hard. They are approaching the easier part of their Big Ten schedule in the last two weeks of January with games against Rutgers (11-6, 0-4), Penn State (10-7, 2-2), and Michigan (11-6, 1-3). Two tough tests come with games against Northwestern (13-4, 2-2) and Michigan State (12-6, 4-1). Mix of potential tournament teams and bottom feeder Big Ten opponents.

The right mix that could allow Indiana to prove their worth, or ultimately put this team away for good. the expectation for this squad might have been way higher than what was realistic. Let’s try to dissect two offensive problems the Hoosiers have been facing and weigh the possible solutions.

Problem: O.G. Anunoby’s confidence on the floor

The excitement around sophomore forward O.G. Anunoby pre-season was overwhelming. His performance in the final month of the season in 2016 brought tremendous expectations. Anunoby thrilled college basketball fans with his suffocating defense and electric throw downs. The problem is, that was 2016 and their was little pressure on the young forward.

This season, he was drawing comparisons to former Hoosier and now Oklahoma City Thunder guard Victor Oladipo. His athleticism and pure dominance on defense mimicked the type of player Oladipo was for Indiana. Attention from a national standpoint and the comparisons to NBA talent could be enough to mess with a young player mentally.

Pressure coming from feeling like you have to live up to those expectations and more. This translates directly to the floor. Anunoby at times this season has shown inconsistency with handling the ball. He has shown flashes of greatness with posterizing dunks and blocks, too.

How does Indiana build a consistent confidence level with Anunoby?

Solution: Give O.G. more opportunities to score

Although O.G. Anunoby has had a few average scoring nights this season (5pt vs. Maryland, 7pt vs. Butler), his uncanny ability to drive to the basket, posterize opponents, and knock down the three should hold enough merit to allow him more offensive looks.

While his stat line against Maryland was not all that impressive, he did find a way to get people talking about him:

He has been doing this consistently all season. Driving to the basket and making defenders petrified of getting in his way. So the simple solution to O.G.’s confidence on the floor, let him drive. Indiana has a talented trio of guards that can do more than enough to find O.G. opportunities at the bucket. If he keeps doing this, defenses will be forced to pay closer attention to Anunoby and drawing them away from Indiana’s strength. Three pointers.

Moving forward, O.G. Anunoby’s confidence will parallel his production on the floor. If Anunoby is truly the next NBA ready talent on the floor, Indiana needs to start facilitating him more as such.

Problem: Point guard play has been underwhelming

It could be possible that many Indiana fans have been holding on to memories of recent point guard Yogi Ferrell. The expectation for the point guard to follow is daunting. How do you follow a four-year player who broke the all-time assists record in school history? A player that was instrumental to the leadership and control on the court. How does one follow that type of expectation set in the last four seasons?

The plan seemed to be handing over the keys to the offense to then-Pittsburgh transfer Josh Newkirk. A player who sat out all of last season in order to play in Bloomington. Newkirk’s play this season has been, well, underwhelming to say the least. Not just Newkirk, but other guards who have tried to control the offense have struggled to find a rhythm.

A problem that Indiana has suffered with for the past few seasons. The fast pace play that Indiana thrives off of has negative consequences. It speeds up the offense and allows for more quick decision-making. Thus, the struggle of turnovers. Granted that Indiana this season especially has struggled with giving the ball away, it comes with the direction of the guards.

Through just 17 games this season, Newkirk has turned the ball over 37 times. In 34 games for Pittsburgh in 2014-15 he had 49 turnovers total. Newkirk is turning the ball over on 22% of Indiana possessions, also the highest of his career. His assist percentage is down from his last season at Pittsburgh (14-15: 26% 16-17: 22%) and his attempts from the three have seen a decline (37%, 32%).

Solution: ‘Point guard by committee’ has to go

By now Indiana Basketball has shown that their ‘point guard by committee’ is not exactly working as planned. The absence of veteran guards have allowed for a gap in who runs the offense. The plan for Josh Newkirk to take on most of the responsibility at point has been underwhelming. The turnovers have been consistently high not just for Newkirk but Indiana as a whole.

While we are well underway in Big Ten Conference play, this is a must fix for Indiana. The hesitation to allow freshman guard Curtis Jones to start might be part of the problem. Jones, who was a highly touted Top-100 recruit for Indiana it seems as though Tom Crean is hesitant to allow him more minutes.

At this point, Crean and company need to stick to a plan when running the offense. Whether that’s allowing Josh Newkirk to battle through some of his struggles, or hand over the offense to James Blackmon Jr. Either way, this in large part is one of the reasons Indiana has seen a significant dip in their points per game over the past six weeks.