Five takeaways from Indiana’s loss at Wisconsin

Indiana fell behind quickly and trailed by double figures for more than 36 minutes in a 76-64 loss at Wisconsin Tuesday night. The loss dropped the Hoosiers to 14-9 overall and 5-7 in Big Ten play.

Here are five takeaways from the loss to the Badgers:

Indiana was never in the game

In his postgame radio interview with Don Fischer, Mike Woodson said he “thought Indiana came out with good intentions.”

The reality is the Hoosiers were not prepared to play, nor did they put up a fight.

Wisconsin, known for its elite 3-point shooting, quickly buried the Hoosiers from the perimeter. Most of the looks were uncontested.

Less than four and a half minutes into the game, the Badgers led 19-2. Wisconsin shot 9-for-16 on 3s in the first half. After competing in hard-fought losses to Maryland and Purdue, the Hoosiers rolled over in the Kohl Center.

While the final score reads as a 12-point loss in a venue where IU has not won since 1998, the Hoosiers were never in the game. It was a non-competitive, uninspired effort and the latest example of Woodson’s “most talented” IU roster failing to meet expectations.

Badgers hold Oumar Ballo in check

Oumar Ballo, Indiana’s most consistent player all season, was held in check by Wisconsin Tuesday night.

The Badgers emphasized keeping the ball out of Ballo’s hands and also keeping him off the offensive glass.

The fifth-year senior took just three shots and scored four points, his lowest output of the season. Entering the game, Ballo had scored in double figures in nine straight games.

He also played only 26 minutes, his lowest number since the Chattanooga game on Dec. 21.

“This is the first game this season since he’s been with us that he’s had a bad game,” Woodson told Fischer postgame. “Wasn’t nothing going right for him and I thought our transition defense coming back early, that’s what opened the gates for them a little bit on the 3s that they did make because we didn’t get back and get matched. And he had a lot to do with that.”

Indiana is 1-6 in its last seven games

The Hoosiers started Big Ten play 4-1 and were 13-3 overall after a win against USC on Jan. 8.

But as the competition ramped up, Indiana has fallen apart. Tuesday’s loss was the program’s fourth straight and sixth in its last seven games.

And the road doesn’t get any easier soon. Indiana hosts Michigan on Saturday before traveling to Michigan State on Tuesday. After that, the Hoosiers host back-to-back games against UCLA and Purdue.

All four teams are in the top four of the league standings.

“We can’t afford to lose any games at home the rest of the way,” Woodson told Fischer. “We’ve got five left starting with Michigan, we gotta win all five and figure out these last three games out on the the road.”

IU’s Kohl Center losing streak reaches 21 games

Tuesday was the latest chapter in Indiana’s underwhelming history at the Kohl Center.

After beating Wisconsin 69-59 on Jan. 25, 1998, the Hoosiers have not won a game since in Madison. Indiana has now dropped 21 straight games to the Badgers at the Kohl Center.

It takes a level of toughness and togetherness to win in Madison, which this Indiana team lacks. That was evident when the Hoosiers were down by 20 points less than seven minutes into the game.

Underwhelming starts have been a theme this season for the Hoosiers and Woodson, now in his fourth season in Bloomington, has been unable to remedy the issue.

Woodson couldn’t pinpoint a reason when asked about IU’s lack of energy to start Tuesday’s game.

“I don’t know. It’s hard for me to explain it,” he said. “But we’re running out of games and I’ve got to figure these next eight games out because it’s going to be very pivotal for our basketball team in terms of making tournament play.”

Another poor defensive effort for one of the Big Ten’s worst defenses

Indiana allowed 1.15 points per possession in Tuesday’s loss, the lowest output it has surrendered in its last four games.

However, that’s nothing for the Hoosiers to celebrate.

Big Ten teams are shooting 35.5 percent on 3s and 54.2 percent on 2s against Indiana. From a defensive perspective, the only thing the Hoosiers have done well in conference games is hit the defensive glass.

Indiana’s defense has regressed each season in Big Ten games under Woodson. Conference opponents scored just 1.008 points per possession in his first season at Indiana. In year two, that number jumped to 1.041 points per possession. Last season, the Hoosiers gave up 1.079 points per possession.

This season, the backslide has continued. Through 12 Big Ten games, Indiana ranks 14th in the conference at 1.118 points per possession allowed.

Category: Five Takeaways

Filed to: Wisconsin Badgers