Indiana Basketball🏀 Weekly W/Steve Risley: IU/Michigan State recap and Wisc preview

#indianahoosiers #wisconsinbadgers #collegebasketball Join Mike Goodpaster and former Hoosier Steve Risley as they look back at the Michigan State loss and ahead to the battle with Wisconsin. Check out BetMGM Offer Here: https://thegruelingtruth.com/yt/betmgm/sport/ 🔥 The discrepancy in free throw makes Indiana’s defensive performance on Saturday was far from its best this season, but it wasn’t awful by any means. While Indiana’s pick and roll defense left a lot to be desired, the Spartans shot only 43 percent from the field and 35 percent from three. A major difference, however, was each team’s ability to convert from the free-throw line. Michigan State finished the game 25-of-28 from the free-throw line. Indiana made just 16-of-27. Michigan State only took one more free throw than Indiana, but made nine more. For Indiana, Race Thompson was just 2-of-4 from the line. Trey Galloway was 1-of-3. Parker Stewart was a dismal 1-of-6. Jordan Geronimo was 1-of-1. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Tamar Bates made a majority of Indiana’s shots from the stripe. Jackson-Davis was 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. Bates was 4-of-4. “There’s no excuse for free throws,” head coach Mike Woodson said. “We just got to be better in that area.” Entering Saturday, Indiana was shooting just 68.3 percent from the free-throw line as a team. Winning on the road in the Big Ten, especially against ranked teams like Michigan State, requires teams to do the little things, which includes making free throws. Indiana didn’t show an ability to do that on Saturday and capitalize on all of the fouls called. Indiana’s offense struggles again There were many times on Saturday when Indiana’s offense appeared to be without much rhythm and flow. The Hoosiers finished the day shooting 34 percent from the field. A lack of 3-point shooting was also an issue. Indiana shot just 24 percent from three. Stewart was 1-of-7 from deep, Miller Kopp was 1-of-3 and Trey Galloway was 0-of-3. For a majority of the season, Indiana’s offense has only needed to be average because of how good its defense has been. But recently, Indiana’s offense hasn’t done enough. Over the last three games, all losses, Indiana’s best shooting percent from the field was 37 percent against Northwestern. In that game against the Wildcats, Indiana shot 25 percent from three, which was also the Hoosiers’ best percentage from deep over the last three games. “I just got to get them comfortable, man, and feeling good about themselves to make them,” Woodson said. “I mean some of those shots were good shots. Northwestern was the same way. I mean you get wide-open looks and we’re just not making them.” Indiana hasn’t been able to establish an efficient inside-out game over the last few contests. That has both been a result of Trayce Jackson-Davis’ struggles, but also the shortcomings of Stewart and Kopp. When that duo isn’t hitting from outside, it forces the lane to be more clogged. “If you noticed tonight, when we did cut, they (Michigan State) just stayed and let the cutter go,” Woodson said. “… They just basically zoned up when we threw the ball in there. And sometimes he (Jackson-Davis), has to make quicker moves and get the ball out and then we get the ball moving around.”