Just about 90 minutes from tip-off Wednesday, Xavier Johnson and Kel’el Ware walked out of the tunnel in full gear. Johnson looked ready for his first in-game action since November. And Ware, prepared but not primed, following his absence against Kennesaw State. Indiana was at full strength for the first time since Nov. 26, 2023.
As the clocks hit zero, Johnson and the Hoosiers walked into the tunnel as Nebraska handed them their first Big Ten loss of the season, falling 86-70 to the Cornhuskers. It was an overall sloppy showing for the Hoosiers on the road as they resumed conference play.
“Don’t turn the ball over, that would help,” Mike Woodson said when asked what the team needs to fix from Wednesday night. “I thought tonight that was the biggest problem. When I look at the stat sheet, when I look at the perimeter play, [Nebraska] outplayed our starting two guards. They were awful tonight.”
Down 41-33 heading into the locker room, Indiana had collected nine turnovers, with four by Johnson and two by Trey Galloway. Among the turnovers, Johnson was also held to zero points, shooting 0-for-3, whereas Galloway was held to four points, shooting 2-for-7.
Overall, the team shot 13-for-28 in the first half, with Nebraska taking full advantage of Indiana’s early mistakes.
Those early mistakes, however, would be ongoing for Indiana on Wednesday night, with Nebraska pouncing on every opportunity to take advantage.
With 10 turnovers in the second half and an unstoppable Nebraska team, Indiana rarely got any opportunity to maintain possession or find any offensive production.
One who was able to produce, on the other hand, was Ware who was a positive constant for the Hoosiers. Woodson had announced before the game that Ware would see action on the court, but that he was not 100% following an illness, which had kept him away from action against Kennesaw State.
And despite two limited practices beforehand, as well as a visible fatigue throughout the game, Ware finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, collecting his fifth career double-double in Lincoln.
Although Ware’s offensive production was a consistent strong suit throughout the Hoosiers showing on Wednesday night, Indiana’s defense had been dismal throughout. Nebraska’s 86 points on the night was the second-most points Indiana had given up to opponents this season, behind its 100-87 win over Kennesaw State.
“This team is not as good as we were defensively the last two years,” Woodson said. “A lot of it is because we do have new faces but we’ve got to overcome that. I’ve got to get them over the hump when it comes to defending and rebounding and not turning the ball over. It’s my job to do that and we failed in that area tonight.”
At the end of the game, the Hoosiers had committed 19 overall turnovers, which ultimately rewarded the Cornhuskers with 27 points.
“I think a lot of times, we were trying to create things that weren’t there,” Woodson said. “We just had some unforced turnovers that were just unacceptable, but we’ve got to go back and fix that because you’re not going to beat anyone in the Big Ten doing that.”
Indiana will look to fix the mistakes that have been especially apparent on the road for the Hoosiers, and their next test does not come to be much easier.
Next up, Indiana (10-4) will continue Big Ten play, facing the Ohio State Buckeyes (12-2) back in Assembly Hall on Saturday for an 8 p.m. tip.
