Indiana took care of Minnesota on Wednesday night and added another win to the total as Selection Sunday approached.
Here are five take-aways from Indiana’s 82-72 victory over Minnesota:
• Rob Phinisee shows signs of improvement: Phinisee probably played its best basketball in the last few months on Wednesday night. The junior guard was inconsistent throughout the season and was briefly removed from the starting lineup at the start of the Big Ten schedule.
“He’s a thinker,” said Indiana head coach Archie Miller. “He processes things. He’s worried. And I think part of the reason is that it’s hard to avoid the noise if you do not play well. There is a lot of noise. A man does not play well, they are sometimes influenced. You should try to block everything. ‘
But against Minnesota, Phinisee put together an impressive display of 10 points, six assists and four rebounds in 32 minutes on the floor. He was aggressively managing the ball offensively and did a good job with the Marcus Carr of Minnesota, who shot just 3-of-8 in the second half.
“I do not care if he misses a shot,” Miller said. “I really do not. I just want him to be aggressive and make the rights offensive. Shoot it when he’s open. If someone else is open, then pass it on and watch like crazy. ‘
If Indiana is going to make a turn in March, they will need this version of Phinisee.
• Jerome Hunter offers a lift off the couch: Only three games after being selected by a ‘coach’ decision, Hunter scored a career-high 16 points, shooting an effective 5-out-6 from the field and 2-out-2 from three. He also hit 4-of-5 shots from the free-throw line.
‘I just feel like I let my team down, and I was just trying to come back with a bigger chip on my shoulder to show everyone that I’m sorry and that I’m here to help us to win a few games, ‘Hunter said.
Since missing two games, Hunter has averaged 11 points per game and become a spark from the bench.
“He has a lot of confidence in his lap, and he does not hesitate,” Miller said. “He plays through mistakes and gives us a little physicality, a little robustness that we need. But he is hopefully going to play a big role for us. ‘
Hunter, who suffered a serious leg injury during his freshman season, has always had potential, but has never fully assembled it at the college level. With Indiana’s weakened foreland, Hunter has the ability to provide much-needed depth at the four position.
• Turnover remains a major problem: Indiana turned the ball over 17 times Wednesday night and tied a season high. Minnesota converted those errors into 25 points, which was more than one-third of its total points.
Phinisee and Al Durham each had four turnover. Hunter scored three while Jackson-Davis had two. Jordan Geronimo and Trey Galloway were the only two Hoosiers who saw time on the floor and did not have a turnover.
“Offensively, we were pretty effective when we didn’t pass it on,” Miller said.
Turnover has been constant over the past few weeks. The Hoosiers have given away the ball at least 11 times in five of the last six games. Restricting turnover was a point that hammered Miller all season.
In fact, Indiana could win by 20 points if he could reduce the number of turnovers by half.
• Indiana use second-half speed to pull away: With 8:17 left in the game, the score was tied at 55. In the next five minutes, Indiana tackled an 18-4 run, to a 73-59 lead and closed the door.
Sometimes during the season, Indiana has shown the ability to put together powerful offensive pieces, but has not been able to conclude games consistently. On Wednesday, however, Indiana stretched the lead and did not look back.
The run began with three-point tips from Al Durham and Armaan Franklin. Then there was a zip free throw. Jerome Hunter added four points during the stretch. Phinisee and Jackson-Davis also passed on the leaderboard.
“It was a big turn in the game,” Miller said.
On the other side of the floor, Indiana’s defense held strong, forcing six consecutive Golden Gopher misses. In the end, those five minutes were the difference in the game.
• Indiana delivers impressive offensive performances: Indiana has shot better than 50 percent off the field for the first time since the win against Penn State as a team. On Wednesday, the Hoosiers fired 58 percent in a rare offensive eruption.
Jackson-Davis led by 20 points. Indiana’s starting lineup of Franklin, Phinisee and Durham also all scored double figures.
Indiana was also extremely effective from the 3-point line and shot an impressive 7-of-12 from outside the arc. Franklin was 3-out-3, while Durham and Hunter were both 2-out-2.
Free throwing, which has been a problem all year, has put Indiana on the point. The Hoosiers released 14-of-18 in the second half after struggling in the first half.
Overall, the floor spacing and offensive movement was just as good as the entire season. There were few possessions where Indiana took a long time to get into its offensive flow. Aside from the turnover, it was perhaps one of Indiana’s best offensive performances this season.
Submitted by: Jerome Hunter, Robert Phinisee