Hoosiers Come of Age in Win Over Wisconsin
The Indiana Hoosiers not only upset the No. 3 ranked Wisconsin Badgers in Big Ten play on Tuesday, they may have just turned their basketball season around in the process.
Indiana entered the matchup against the previously unbeaten Badgers in a touch place. The young Indiana team has some great athletes, but has struggled against top teams and has not won games against top opponents that could impress the NCAA selection committee when March Madness arrives.
If Indiana had lost at home to Wisconsin, instead of recording its 75-72 upset, it most likely would not have surprised many, as Indiana was 0-12 against Wisconsin in its previous 12 games.
However, a loss would have given them three losses in four games and a Big Ten record of 1-3.
Yogi Ferrell was the key down the stretch for Indiana leading his Hoosier teammates to the win scoring 25 points and handing out 4 assists. Indiana was behind by 10 points with 13:30 remaining in the game.
At that time, the Hoosiers could have folded and extended a rough beginning to conference play with yet another loss. Indiana had rallied from a deficit of 15 points in their last game to defeat Penn State, but in this game, they were facing the No. 3 ranked team in the country.
Wisconsin has the best offense in the conference. The Badgers put teams away down the stretch, until Tuesday night. Wisconsin cooled off and Ferrell heated up and took control of the game.
Ferrell did not do it alone as Will Sheehey, Evan Gordon, Stanford Robinson and Noah Vonleh all contributed in a 14-2 run by Indiana over a five-minute stretch mid way through the second half.
If the Hoosiers can keep getting great play from Ferrell their leader, who is just a sophomore, then the team will grab some more important conference wins against top opponents.
Vonleh is considered by many a lottery pick or close to it, Sheehey is now playing like a veteran that the team needs and Robinson and Gordon can give them the help the Hoosiers need to win big games.
In their three games to open the Big Ten season, the Hoosiers averaged 17 turnovers per game, on Tuesday they had just nine.
One game does not make a season and it is very early to make any type of assumptions about the possible long-term effect the win will have in a positive way. However, the Hoosiers will now be more confident knowing they can defeat top ranked teams and that could launch them on their way to a big winning streak.
The grit the players showed down the stretch was something Indiana has not seen in a long time, but it was just a win and they still have 14 more conference games left and those will determine if the Hoosiers rise or if they once again crumble under pressure due to youth and inexperience.
It might be too early to have called the game a must win, but then again aren’t they all.
