WINNING: THE ULTIMATE GOAL
When all is said and done, winning is the ultimate goal. Sure, we all have our thoughts on how that goal should be achieved, but sometimes they just don’t happen the way we think it should. Those wins are often referred to as ugly wins, and the last time I looked, even ugly wins go in the win column and they don’t have asterisks next to them.
Indiana’s win on Tuesday against UCONN in Madison Square Garden was not the prettiest display of basketball by either team as far as execution by any means, but it was two teams competing hard on every single play. The intensity almost had the feel of a tournament game to be honest.
Neither team shot the ball well at all. IU finished at 36.8% (21-57) from the field, including 15.4% (2-13) from deep. Although their 72.2% (13-18) was not only respectable, it was the difference in the game. UCONN wasn’t much better finishing at 41.2% (21-51) from the field, including 28.6% (6-21) from deep, and 60% (6-10) from the line. The rebounding battle was about even, with UCONN pulling down 37 and IU grabbing 34. UCONN did have 8 blocks to IU’s 3, but they also had 22 turnovers to only 13 for the Hoosiers. IU’s 14 assists on 21 made field goals was nice to see, as were their 10 steals.
Indiana ended the game with an interesting box score. Eleven Hoosiers saw the floor against the Huskies, ten of which scored. Yet not a single Hoosier reached double figures in the the scoring column. Al Durham & Joey Brunk led the way with 9 points apiece. Justin Smith & Trayce Jackson-Davis both chipped 8 points, and Devonte Green & Rob Phinisee added 6 points each. De’Ron Davis had 4 points, Armaan Franklin had 3 points, and Jerome Hunter & Damezi Anderson rounded out the scoring with 2 points apiece. Not having a double figure scorer kind of jumps off the page at a stat junkie, but to me it shows the balance of this team. IU has some players capable of going for 20+ points on any given night, but Tuesday night showed me that one guy won’t be relied on to carry them. Nor will one guy be able to be keyed on by opposing defenses. It also showed me they are willing to share the ball.
I said prior to the game that I felt we would learn more from this game than we had the previous two, and I think we did. The Florida State game saw the Hoosiers clicking on all ‘available’ cylinders. The Wisconsin game saw them sputtering around like there was a severe miss in the engine on both ends of the floor. Last night was the first real glimpse of the complete Hoosier team for the 2019-2020 season when you consider the time that point guard Rob Phinisee had missed, and I think it was obvious from the time he came into the game that he will be a difference maker going forward.
IU is not going to shoot as good as they did against FSU consistently, nor are they going to shoot as bad as they did against UCONN on Tuesday night very often. And we can only hope that they play no more games like they did against Wisconsin. Truth is, a healthy Hoosier team can be VERY competitive in every game they play the remainder of the year when they are engaged defensively and play through the adversity within a game.
They battled l Tuesday night when nothing seemed to be going right, especially early on, and then again any time it happened thereafter. Because they are not an offensive juggernaut, the sooner they understand how good they can be defensively, the sooner we will seem their true identity. They are very capable on the defensive end of the floor. At this point it’s a mindset.
As evident by the “upsets” around college basketball here early in the season, there will be no easy games from here on out. Protecting home court will vital in determining in which pack of the B10 you finish in, as well as any post season chances you have as a team.
As far as us Indiana fans, we may want to get used to every game being a dogfight. Not for any reason other than the B10 is, in my opinion, the toughest conference in the country from top to bottom. In the games that IU is efficient on offense they may have a little breathing room. In the games they’re not, success will depend on their defense and their willingness to fight. Fight like they did Tuesday night against UCONN.
Losing is not something anyone likes. Winning is something everyone likes. Pretty or ugly. In the end, it doesn’t really matter because winning is winning. And remember, winning is the ultimate goal.