Auburn used a 17-4 run to take the lead against Indiana, which ultimately resulted in the Hoosiers (7-2) falling to the Tigers (6-2), 104-76, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. Before Auburn's run, Indiana led 22-10 seven minutes into the first half.
It was Indiana’s second-largest margin of defeat in coach Mike Woodson’s tenure, behind only its 29-point loss to Saint Mary's in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Indiana committed 12 turnovers compared to Auburn’s three and the Hoosiers were unable to stop Auburn from beyond the 3-point line.
Next, Indiana will face Kansas, the No. 2 team in the nation. What do the Hoosiers need to improve upon from their performance against the Tigers to get ready for the Jayhawks?
Maintaining momentum
Early in the game, Indiana established a 12-point lead after the Hoosiers quickly tied their season record of four 3-pointers in a game. It took Indiana just over seven minutes to reach that mark. Woodson then substituted the team's second unit into the game alongside starting guard Trey Galloway and Auburn went on a 42-12 run. The Tigers closed the first half with a 52-34 lead.
It was a quick reversal after Indiana's starting five was responsible for some of the best minutes that the team had played this season.
“You can’t just burn them,” Woodson said at the postgame press conference, when asked about pulling his starters. “You can’t play them for 40 minutes. You’ve got to play some of your bench guys, and I believe in my bench, so I went to my bench. It was my bench in the Michigan game that helped us win the game.”
The second unit has been strong for the Hoosiers at many points this season, including in Indiana's win against Michigan last Tuesday. With the absence of starting point guard Xavier Johnson, Indiana needs other players to step up.
When Indiana's starters returned to the game, the score was tied, but neither the Hoosiers' first nor second units could find a rhythm offensively on Saturday after the team took an early lead.
Defending and converting from the perimeter
One of Indiana’s primary weaknesses so far has been its difficulties guarding the perimeter, which were on display on Saturday.
The Tigers made 14 3-pointers, including eight in the second half. Indiana made a season-high six 3-pointers, with only two coming after the first four minutes of the game.
Indiana’s opponents have attempted 227 shots from beyond the arc and they've made 78 (34.4%), whereas Indiana has attempted 114 shots from three and made 31 (27.2%). Auburn attempted 29 3-pointers and the disparity in 3-point shooting between Indiana and its opponents is certainly a component to watch.
“[They were] not really letting our defense get set,” freshman guard Gabe Cupps said. “A lot of the times in transition, you’re trying to get back to the rim to take away layups, and then they had us scrambling to find their 3-point shooters.”
Indiana will face a tough test once again when it faces Kansas. The Jayhawks are 66 for 173 from three and they average 6.6 made threes per game. Outside shooting could be a key to success for Indiana. Kansas’s opponents average 8.2 made threes per game.
Don’t ‘let the taste go out of your mouth’
A reporter asked Cupps how a loss like the one on Saturday could impact the team in its upcoming games.
“I think there’s a good balance," Cupps said, "of not letting the taste go out of your mouth of getting beat like this, but then also using it as motivation to practice harder, communicate better, give more effort."
Just three weeks ago, Indiana experienced a similar loss to No. 5 UConn, falling to the Huskies 77-57 in the Empire Classic. The following day the Hoosiers bounced back with a 74-66 win over Louisville.
“I’m not happy with the way we played tonight. It’s kind of like a carbon copy of our UConn game,” Woodson said. “Where they couldn’t score, we couldn’t score, and it was back and forth, and finally we just caved in.”
Following the UConn loss, Indiana won four games in a row before losing to Auburn.
Indiana's next opportunity to bounce back will come against Kansas at 12:30 p.m. ET next Saturday in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
