Jack’s Take: Indiana Shows Serious Lack of Leadership in Another Loss to Rutgers
Indiana senior point guard Xavier Johnson compounded his poor performance with an inexcusable play in Tuesday’s ugly 66-57 loss at Rutgers.
Trying to get through a screen, Johnson reached between Antwone Woolfolk’s legs and hit him below the belt. It was completely unnecessary and unacceptable. It looked intentional. And it elicited an understandable reaction from Woolfolk, who shoved Johnson to the ground after his dirty play.
Johnson received a well-justified Flagrant 2 foul, which meant an ejection from the game. The Big Ten said it won’t give Johnson any additional discipline, but he wouldn’t have a strong argument against a suspension from either the conference or his coach. Johnson didn’t do much to help Indiana before he left the game with 13:10 remaining, scoring just two points on 1-for-4 shooting with two assists and five turnovers.
The Hoosiers trailed 39-35 at that point. They made a brief run to cut the deficit to one point with 11:41 left, but Rutgers responded with a 12-0 run that Indiana couldn’t stop until the clock read 5:35. That was enough to hand the Hoosiers their ninth loss in the last 11 matchups against Rutgers and drop their season record to 11-5 and 3-2 in Big Ten play. It may have been Indiana’s worst loss under Mike Woodson.
It also raised questions for Woodson and the rest of the Hoosiers. Where is the leadership? Does this team have a leader at all? Who is going to keep this team together when things get tough?
Woodson named Johnson a team captain before the season, but his performance at Rutgers was the opposite of senior leadership. And Indiana doesn’t seem to be getting that from anyone else, except a guy that plays just 8.1 minutes per game. Tuesday, Indiana looked like a team with six new scholarship players and no one to bring them together.
"Well, I expect our seniors, [Anthony] Walker, [Xavier Johnson] and [Trey] Gallo. Anthony Leal has been great. No complaints there,” Woodson said. “Those three guys are seniors, they have to help lead. The road is different from playing at home. There's no doubt about that.”
“I thought we came out with good intentions and we played hard during spurts of the ballgame. Again, missed free throws, 19 offensive rebounds, terrible from the 3-point line and I don't know how many turnovers we had. We had a lot of turnovers, 18 turnovers. I mean, that's all losing basketball and I've got to fix it.''
Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Jamichael Davis (1) dribbles as Indiana Hoosiers guard Xavier Johnson (0) fouls forward Antwone Woolfolk (13) during the second half at Jersey Mike's Arena. Johnson would be ejected after an officials review.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Indiana finds itself in a similar position from almost exactly one year ago. On Jan. 11, 2023, the Hoosiers got obliterated on the road by a Penn State team that hit 18 3-pointers. The loss dropped Indiana to 10-6 overall and 1-4 in the Big Ten.
Back then, it had strong leadership from seniors like Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson and Miller Kopp. Sure, leaning on All-American talent from Jackson-Davis made turning things around a bit easier. But Indiana’s five-game win streak that followed the Penn State loss, plus an extended 8-1 run with three road wins, didn’t come from talent alone.
Jackson-Davis, Thompson and Kopp were vocal and unafraid to instruct each other when something went wrong. They were motivators who also led by example. They understood Woodson’s coaching and became an extension of that on the court.
This year, players huddle and talk like any team does. But there’s also a lot of standing around and looking during breaks in action. There’s a lot of standing around and looking lost even during action when things start to go south.
Johnson and Galloway are the team captains, and their production is unpredictable and unreliable on a nightly basis. Johnson scored zero points with four turnovers in his return from injury, a 16-point loss at Nebraska. He put together a strong performance to beat Ohio State, scoring 18 points with zero turnovers, then played 23 of the worst minutes of his career at Rutgers.
At his best, Johnson’s speed, ability to get to the basket and 3-point shooting are all things Indiana desperately needs. But it’s a guessing game to know which version of Johnson will show up. It’s also difficult for younger players to rally around that type of inconsistency or see their senior point guard as a leader, especially when Johnson’s reaction to adversity on the road is striking an opponent in the groin.
Galloway’s effort and intentions can’t be doubted. He always plays hard, but he's also been too inconsistent offensively. Galloway scored 28 points in a close loss to No. 3 Kansas, but his 3-point shooting has dropped over 21% from last season. He’s a woeful 21-for-42 at the free throw line, by far a career-low.
Johnson and Galloway were appointed by Woodson to be the leaders everyone else looks to, but they haven’t lived up to that expectation. Maybe it can be fellow seniors Leal and Walker, though they’re on the bench more often than not. What about Malik Reneau or Kel’el Ware? The sophomore bigs lead Indiana in points and rebounds. Becoming leaders is the next step for them.
While Woodson needs more player leadership, it’s concerning that some of his messages aren’t getting across to this team.
“It's been a struggle this year because guys are not catching on quickly as I thought they would,” Woodson said Friday when asked about Indiana’s 3-point defense. “But hey, the only way you get through it is you've got to keep working and hopefully something clicks.”
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson talks with an official during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Indiana faces Minnesota on Friday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, a game it should win, mostly because it’s at home and Minnesota isn’t anything special. With support from fans, the Hoosiers have the confidence to play well at home. But when roles are reversed they can lose to anyone on the road, even this 9-6 Rutgers team that shot 32.3% with 15 turnovers – and won – Tuesday.
Without a strong sense of leadership, winning enough road games to compile a strong résumé is a major uphill battle. Indiana dropped to No. 103 in the NET rankings, with an 0-4 record against Quad 1 opponents.
Time and 15 Big Ten opportunities to turn things around remain. Who’s going to lead that charge?
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- IU-RUTGERS GAME STORY: Almost nothing went right for Indiana in an ugly 66-57 loss to Rutgers on Tuesday night. They missed free throws at an epic clip, had 18 turnovers and gave up 19 offensive rebounds in their second horrible road performance in a row. CLICK HERE
- WHAT WOODSON SAID: It was a rough night in the swamps of New Jersey for Indiana on Tuesday, losing 66-57 to Rutgers. The Hoosiers struggled to make free throws, and once again had too many turnovers and gave up too many offensive rebounds. Here's the full transcript from Mike Woodson's postgame press conference. CLICK HERE
