Hoosiers blown out in Battle 4 Atlantis

On By Littum

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – One of the ugliest Indiana appearances in recent memory marked an inauspicious opening to the Hoosiers’ first appearance in the Battle 4 Atlantis on Wednesday, in an 89-61 loss to Louisville.

Here’s how the game got so bad away from No. Indiana. 15:

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An ugly, hectic first half

Nothing about Indiana’s performance in the first 20 minutes suggested the Hoosiers (4-1) were ready for the way Louisville speeds up games. Pat Kelsey’s side lean into pressure defense and risk mistakes in exchange to force enough to equalize the difference. IU was too willing to fall into the Cardinals’ trap in the first half.

Indiana committed 11 first-half turnovers to just five assists. The Hoosiers were a shocking 2-of-10 on layups, against a team whose size shouldn’t have been such an issue around the rim. That made it impossible to offset a minus-12 mark in points from 3s, as Louisville made more (7) than the Hoosiers attempted (6).

As the half wore on, chopped up by fouls and mistakes on both ends, the Indiana players began to force the action to their team’s detriment. The opportunities to get back into the game were not taken advantage of. Long scoring droughts weighed IU down. In many ways, the Hoosiers were fortunate to only trail by eight, 37-29, at halftime.

Background issues

The heart of Indiana’s rebuilt roster should be its strengthened backcourt. Between the returning Trey Galloway, Anthony Leal and Gabe Cupps, and the additions Kanaan Carlyle and Myles Rice, the Hoosiers figured to lean on one of the deepest and most experienced guard rotations in the Big Ten.

No group fought as hard Wednesday as that one.

Guards, who saw action against Louisville (4-1) finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and 10 turnovers. Galloway, Rice and Carlyle combined for zero first-half points, two assists and six turnovers, and their overall performance didn’t improve much in the minutes after halftime as Louisville pushed an eight-point lead comfortably into double digits.

Outworked, outhustled, outcoached, outplayed

This is where the gap belonged based on the energy, effort and intensity imbalance between the two teams. The more lopsided the result got on Wednesday, the more hollow it became until it was a canyon.

All teams lose matches. Neutral sites can sometimes lead to funny results. Everyone is allowed to have a bad day.

But a team so experienced, so talented, cannot be forgiven for the surrender it showed on Wednesday in the Bahamas. Too often, these showcase events have been the site of IU’s worst performances under Mike Woodson, not just from a shooting or rebounding perspective, but in effort, preparation, adjustment and poise.

It shouldn’t happen in 4th year. But that’s it. And that’s a bigger problem than just a bad 40-minute performance the day before Thanksgiving.

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