My Two Cents: Energy Boost On Full Display For Indiana, Makes a Difference in Win Over Ohio State
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It's very hard in early January to call a game a must-win situation, but for a boatload of reasons, that's what Indiana was facing on Thursday night when Ohio State came to Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers had lost two of their first three Big Ten games, and even though they were unbeaten at home so far this season, they hadn't seen anyone like the 13th-ranked Buckeyes, who came to town unbeaten in the league and featuring E.J. Liddell, the leading candidate for national player of the year heading into the game.
But maybe not on the way out.
Indiana played its best game of the season in knocking off the Buckeyes 67-51. Their defense, which has been very good all year, was downright nasty, especially in the second half. Ohio State scored only SIX points in the final 10 minutes of the game. And Liddell? He only had 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting, and was literally a non-factor in the game, something that NEVER gets said about him.
The Hoosiers got a huge energy boost from sophomore guard Trey Galloway, who played in his first game since fracturing his wrist on Nov. 17. He had steals (2), flashy assists (4) and much-needed points (8). His aggressive play set Assembly Hall afire.
And then there was Trayce Jackson-Davis, who was clearly the best player on the floor Thursday night. He sprinted past Ohio State's bigs the entire game, getting easy dunks in transition. And even in Indiana's half-court sets, he was quicker and his movements more fluid than we've seen all year. He finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.
Add all of it together, and this was Indiana at its best. Been waiting for a signature win? Well, there you go.
That Galloway infusion of energy was critical, and much-needed. He just provides that special something to this team, being disruptive on defense and in constant attack mode on offense.
Indiana's Trey Galloway (32) celebrates during the second half of Indiana's win over Ohio State. (Rich Janzaruk/USA Today Sports)
It was good to have him back. He didn't miss a beat, even after seven weeks off. There was no easing back into the things for him. He hit the ground running, even coming back a few weeks earlier than expected.
"Yeah, I just think it was just the preparation, just in that time off trying to stay ready,'' Galloway said. "I knew I wanted to keep supporting my teammates when I was out, because I knew they were going to pick me up when I got back, and I came back in and worked hard through a couple weeks.
"I think that's really what helped me, just trying to stay ready for my teammates because I knew I've got their backs and they've got mine. So I just tried to stay ready for them.''
Galloway did everything possible to stay in shape doing everything that didn't involve his left wrist.
"Yeah, I think the one thing (about staying ready) was just conditioning,'' Galloway said. "Our strength coach (Clif Marshall) really pushed me this past month and stuff, just pushing me to stay in shape because I knew my time was going to come soon eventually.
"I think that was the main thing, to just stay ready and keep my body conditioned so I could be ready right when I got back, and I think the other thing is just give glory to God because it was supposed to be about eight weeks, but the time was cut shorter, so I think just glory to God, bringing me back earlier than I was supposed to be.''
Jackson-Davis is a big Galloway fan, and he knew he would make the Hoosiers better instantly. And that's exactly what happened.
"A few weeks ago they asked me how Trey was doing, and I told them that he's going to come back even better than what he was at the time,'' Jackson-Davis. said. "He's been working really, really hard with our strength coach. I've seen him running on the treadmill and weights, doing stuff every day to make sure that he stayed ready, and all that preparation that he did just showed tonight.
"He's a great player and he adds that much-needed spark coming off the bench, and he just gives us so much lift when he comes in.''
The big difference with Indiana Thursday compared to the losses at Wisconsin and Penn State is that they didn't get lulled into standing around against slow-paced teams. Running the court was one thing, but playing with more movement on offense was big, too.
Indiana coach Mike Woodson wanted to play with a little more motion and free up Miller Kopp and Parker Stewart for some open perimeter shots. The Hoosiers didn't shoot well from three — they were just 2-for-15 from deep — but all the movement also led to a lot of easy looks for cutters. Indiana had six dunks, and outscored Ohio State 38-10 in the paint.
The 10 might be the more impressive number. Jackson-Davis had five blocks and completely dominated on the defensive end. Ohio State only made one two-pointer in the second half.
One.
That's some impressive defense.
"I just think that it's Coach Woodson's philosophy, honestly,'' Jackson-Davis said. "I don't think defense has really been our problem this year. It's just been movement and cutting and that's what we did tonight, so offensively we had it all going, and defensively we just stuck with our game plan.
"We listen to what Coach Woodson says, and with that being said, I think it's worked most of the time.''
The increased energy level came a bit from natural rivalries, too. Former Hoosier Joey Brunk, Jackson-Davis' good friend, transferred to Ohio State after the coaching change last spring. This was his first game back, and it raised the ante a bit.
Brunk had six points, getting two buckets over Michael Durr, the guy who replaced him on Indiana's roster, and a pair of free throws. Durr had four points against him, and Brunk and Jackson-Davis tangled often. Trayce beat him with a great move that ended in a dunk, and he also threw a ball off of Brunk's head while going out of bounds.
Intensity wins.
"Obviously, Joey is my brother. He'll always be my brother,'' Jackson-Davis said. "He's also a great player, and he's in a great situation. But on the court, there are no friends, and he thinks the same way, but off the court I'm going to text him after the game and apologize for what I did because I didn't mean to hit him there.
"But at the same time it's basketball; things happen. That's my brother, and he played well, but we needed a W and we got it.''
Woodson was critical of Jackson-Davis only getting five rebounds in the loss to Penn State, and called him publicly as well. He expected him to bounce back, and that's exactly what happened.
"I expect him to play like that. I mean, he's shown that this season that he can produce numbers like that, and so I was kind of harsh on him more than anybody coming out of the Penn State game because he had five rebounds, and that can't happen,'' Woodson said. "Being a 6-9, 6-10 kid like himself that's very athletic, he's got to rebound the ball.
"We know he can score. We get him enough touches, so I'm not concerned in that area, but he defended the rim tonight with five blocks. That's who he's got to be. Listen, when you are considered one of the best players in the country, you've got to accept challenge. I've always believed all players want to be coached. You've just got to push the right buttons to coach them, and that might not even work sometimes, but he's a good young man. He's coachable. When I have to go at him, I go at him, and he responds. I thought tonight was a prime example of that.''
Playing with pace makes Indiana very dangerous. They proved that Thursday night, and they need continue to do it on a more consistent basis.
The Big Ten, it's not easy. But it's very clear that Indiana at its best can play with anyone. Especially at home, where they have a distinct home-court advantage.
"The crowd the fabulous. I mean, hell, the crowd is who they are, man. Hoosier Nation has always been great here in Assembly Hall, and they travel well when we're on the road.'' Woodson said.
"When I look at games like this, you've got to beat good teams and you've got to win at home if you're going to give yourself a shot at the Big Ten. Michigan State is sitting at the top. There are a lot of good teams at the top right now, but we've just got to take it one game at a time. Minnesota is next. We've got to go back and start preparing for them after we break this tape down tonight.''
The key, we learned, is playing with pace, and playing with energy.
Now they need to do it every day. That starts again on Sunday, at home against Minnesota.
Might as well be another must-win situation. They seem to thrive under those circumstances.
Watch Tom Brew's postgame chat with Haley Jordan
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- WHAT WOODSON SAID: Here's what Indiana coach Mike Woodson said after Indiana's win over Ohio State, with the full video of his press conference plus the transcript. CLICK HERE
- WHAT PLAYERS SAID: Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis and Trey Galloway met with the media after the Hoosiers' win over Ohio State on Thursday night. Here's the full video, and the full transcript, of their interviews. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: Here are a few dozens photos from Indiana's win over Ohio State on Thursday. Take a slow stroll through the best win of the season. CLICK HERE
