IU basketball bounces back with comfortable win vs. overmatched Tennessee Tech
Zach Osterman- Youngstown State at Indiana, 8 p.m. on Dec. 29, BTN
BLOOMINGTON – Indiana began to atone for Fort Wayne with a workmanlike win over Tennessee Tech, 87-59 Thursday, in its last game before taking a week off during the holiday.
Coach Archie Miller admitting he put his team through a challenging week of practice following Monday's ugly defeat, and he got the kind of response he will have wanted. Josh Newkirk led all scorers with 20 points, as the Hoosiers moved to 7-6.
Here are three reasons:
Defense bounces back
No one will accuse Tennessee Tech of being a prolific offensive unit. No one can accuse Indiana of being a particularly consistent defensive one though either. Three days after a humbling 20-point home defeat to Fort Wayne, the Hoosiers responded with a defensive performance coach Archie Miller can be more pleased with.
"We just made a concerted effort just to close out with our hands, making it difficult for their shooters to get shots off, and just play hard," Newkirk said.
The Golden Eagles struggled to find any consistent offensive rhythm, going three- and four-minute stretches without scoring. IU finished with an 18-4 advantage in points off turnovers, and allowed just 0.81 points per possession. Perhaps most important, after allowing 17 made 3-pointers in the Fort Wayne defeat, the Hoosiers never let their visitors get comfortable from behind the arc.
"You don't give up as many 3s when they're not as comfortable," Miller said. "They can't pass it on time. The ball's not getting to the paint, so you're not condensing, sort of caving into the defense."
It’s clear at this point that installation of, and adaptation into, Miller’s preferred pack-line man-to-man defense isn’t an overnight job. There will be more dips and valleys this season. But when those are followed by responses like these, then Miller can point to signs of progress.
An assertive Josh Newkirk
Indiana’s redshirt senior point guard has had his own ups and downs so far this season. But Miller has broadly persisted with the North Carolina native, and he got some of Newkirk’s best basketball Thursday night.
Newkirk scored a game-high 20 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the floor and attacking downhill consistently. He was particularly aggressive in the open floor, looking as quick and confident as he has all month.
He also hit 3-of-4 3s, and added six assists and four rebounds.
"Josh Newkirk, he had a couple of hard couple of practices, and forcing him to compete, forcing him to get out of his foul trouble and just not being able to lead us out there more," Miller said. "And I thought he was very good tonight."
When Indiana has struggled this season, it’s been the Hoosiers’ more experienced players that have shouldered the brunt of the criticism. That’s understandable, but suggesting those players have no part to play going forward is foolish.
If there is to be a push toward greater consistency this season, then it will start with that group as well, Newkirk included.
McRoberts’ role keeps growing
Zach McRoberts’ season highlight thus far is certainly still that rebound and pass to Juwan Morgan against Notre Dame. But highlighting that might mean ignoring his growing impact on this team.
"Zach’s done a nice job," Miller said. "He’s been a really nice bright spot for us in the month of December."
The one-time Carmel Greyhound has now played at least 22 minutes in each of IU’s last three games. He had nine rebounds in 31 minutes in that win over the Irish, scored nine in the Fort Wayne loss and finished the Hoosiers’ last pre-Christmas test with eight points and six rebounds.
"Knocking down shots, staying on the offensive glass, he just brings a lot of energy to the team, and he’s great for us at the offensive end," Newkirk said of McRoberts.
Miller clearly values what McRoberts can bring at the defensive end in particular. If he starts becoming a legitimate threat to score 5-6 points per game off the bench, he gives Indiana depth where it’s needed.
Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.
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