Indiana Self-Destructs One Last Time in 61-50 Loss to Rutgers
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Indiana basketball fans haven't had a chance to see their team in person all year, but the thousand or so fans who were at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday night booed the Hoosiers—and their beleaguered coach, Archie Miller—off the court after a brutal 61-50 loss to Rutgers in the Big Ten tournament.
The offensively challenged Hoosiers didn't make a field goal in the final 9:50 of the game and, to make matters worse, missed six free throws down the stretch, including the front end of two one-and-ones.
The brutal finish during the final quarter of the game completely took away all the good things they did earlier, but it was typical of the inconsistencies that have riddled this team all season.
"Without the ability to get some outside shooting, it's tough against those guys,'' Miller said of Rutgers. "There weren't many clean ones, but the good ones we did get just didn't go in. Rutgers is a great team and they do it on both ends. We just couldn't capitalize in the last 10 minutes and score the ball.''
The Hoosiers finished the year on a six-game losing streak and with a 12-15 record. It was Indiana's first losing season since it finished 12-20 in 2010-11.
Rutgers (15-10) advances to Friday's quarterfinals against No. 2 Illinois.
The Hoosiers led for most of the first half, getting inspired play from Trayce Jackson-Davis, who said afterward that he was feeding off the hometown crowd. They had a double-digit lead at one point at 21-11, and their defense was excellent against the Rutgers attack, which was 0-for-6 from three to start the game.
But then the Scarlet Knights got hot and hit four three-pointers in a row. Before long, the lead was gone. Rutgers led 33-32 at the half.
Indiana kept scrapping and took a 42-41 lead on a fadeaway jumper from Armaan Franklin, who was back after missing three games with a foot injury. Jackson-Davis, who had 19 points for Indiana, then gave the Hoosiers a three-point lead on a dunk off a beautiful pass in transition from Rob Phinisee, who had seven assists.
The teams traded baskets for several minutes, and with 9:50 to go in the game, Franklin hit a jumper to give the Hoosiers a 48-47 lead.
It was their last field goal of the game.
What made it worse, too, was that Rutgers' Paul Mulcahy took advantage of a consecutive defensive breakdown and hit two wide-open threes from the right corner, suddenly putting Rutgers up 55-48 with 5:32 to go.
Rutgers made one more field goal, but Indiana could not do anything about it. They got to the free throw line repeatedly but couldn't convert. Jackson-Davis and Jerome Hunter both missed two free throws, and then Phinisee missed the front end of consecutive one-and-ones. Indiana, one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the country, was victimized by its own flaws again. Its only two points in the final 9:50 came on two Al Durham free throws.
Indiana has been in a horrible shooting slump throughout this losing streak, and it continued on Thursday. They shot just 27.6% from the field in the second half, and were just 2-for-16 from three for the game, a meager 12.5%. In their final four games, they were 13-for-74 from three, a horrible 17.8%.
And worst of all, they were 6-for-15 from the foul line on Thursday night, a pathetic 40%.
"You just can't win games in this league when you shoot like that,'' Miller said afterward. "They're a good team and there are lot of ways they can beat you. We made one good run in the second half, but then fatigue sort of set in about that 12-minute mark.
"Defensively we held up pretty good, we played hard and competed but we just couldn't sustain any offense. You have to make free throws and make layups.''
This has been a difficult matchup recently for Indiana, losers of four straight to Rutgers now over the past two years. Jackson-Davis was the only Hoosiers player in double figures. Franklin played 30 minutes in his first game back and scored six points, but was 3-for-10 shooting and missed all five three-point attempts.
Miller concludes his fourth year at Indiana with a 67-58 record. He's had no success in the Big Ten tournament and never made the NCAAs. There were chants of "Fire Archie'' in the final minutes of the game, and speculation will continue to grow on his future.
"Performance matters, and our performance this year was inconsistent,'' Miller said. "Down the stretch, you play with an injury or two, and the reality is, this is what it was. Now you have to take some inventory and get better.
"I am not entering any offseason wondering if I'll be back. Those decisions are made higher than me. My job is to run the program. No one is more disappointed than our team, our coaches. Questions about me coming back is really not my concern.''
Full Archie Miller press conference
Listen to Archie Miller's entire postgame press conference here. CLICK HERE
Related Big Ten Tournament stories
- TOM BREW COLUMN (Feb. 20) There are just too many things going wrong with Indiana basketball right now and it's time to move on from Archie Miller. We may have seen his last win. CLICK HERE
- OHIO STATE ADVANCES: The Buckeyes got past Minnesota and now get the game they've wanted, a rematch with a Purdue team that's beaten them twice this season. CLICK HERE
- MARYLAND ADVANCES: The Terrapins shook off a slow start and then rolled over Michigan State in the second round, winning 68-57. Eric Ayala had 21 points for Maryland. CLICK HERE
- TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS, SCHEDULE: Here is the complete schedule and pairings for the Big Ten Tournament. CLICK HERE
