News & Views: Bench Rotations Will Be Ongoing Debate

Indiana got great play from its bench on Saturday in the win over Ohio State, and they'll need that to continue with two road games this week.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana had a successful week at home, with wins over Northwestern and Ohio State leaving them just one game out in the loss column behind Michigan State in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers are 3-2 in the league and 13-3 overall.

Now comes a big road challenge, with tough — but winnable — games at Rutgers on Wednesday and at Nebraska on Saturday. Still have a few things on my mind from the weekend, so here's a few things to ponder:

1. Miller vows to shrink bench, but then all 10 contribute

NEWS: An angry Archie Miller says after the Northwestern game that it's time to quit playing 11 guys.

VIEWS: He plays 10 guys anyway on Saturday — sophomore Damezi Anderson was out sick — and everyone contributes in the 66-54 win over No. 11 Ohio State. Indiana's bench scored 31 points, led by senior guard Devonte Green, who was benched but still played well in scoring 19 points. 

THE SKINNY: From the first day of practice in October, Miller has said that all 11 scholarship players will play a role on this team, and that the Hoosiers would be better off for it. But after several games in a row with getting next to nothing from the bench — it scored just 5 points Wednesday against Northwestern — the bench guys performed well in the 66-54 win over No. 11 Ohio State.

"Everybody who played in this game did a good job, had a positive impact,' Miller said. "We've searched for punch off the bench lately, and Devonte certainly helps with that coming off the bench. That changes things for us, because he can maybe be your most dynamic player. 

"But I will tell you that Race Thompson made good plays in this game, I will tell you that De'Ron (Davis) played key minutes is in this game. Armaan (Franklin) didn't play much, but he'll need to be ready to play a lot in the next game.  I told the team after Northwestern that I'd play five guys, it just has to be the right five.Without question, guys that are playing well and playing hard are going to stay in. It was just a good team win. You're not going to beat a team like this without a lot of guys contributing.''

What's that mean going forward? I think you'll still see Miller give every guy a look, and if they're playing well, they'll stay out there. Two things should be in play, though, in my opinion. One, I think Green should continue to come off the bench, if only for that spark. And secondly, keep that short hook on guys if they aren't playing well.

Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Jerome Hunter (21) reacts with teammates after a and one in the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

2. Jerome Hunter makes his biggest splash

NEWS: Jerome Hunter, who only scored nine total points in Indiana's first four Big Ten games and has been something of a liability on the court, plays great against Ohio State.

VIEWS: This breakout game for Hunter could be huge for Indiana going forward, because they really need a spark at the wing position.

THE SKINNY: Hunter played 19 minutes, scored five points and played great defense all da long, which really came in handy once Indiana got into some foul trouble.

"Jerome Hunter played the best game of his college career, and he gave the best minutes all season long at that wing position that we've had,'' Miller said.  Jerome impacted the game in a real positive way, particularly defensively. He gave us great minutes and we feel confident with him out there. He's big and he's physical, and he's going get more confident. He played great minutes for us.'' 

"I'm always talking to him about sticking with things. He loves basketball and he's a very competitive guy. He's a true freshman. He didn't practice or play all year. You've got to get younger players to understand that you make more of an impact on defense. As he plays  more minutes, you'll see him get more comfortable. He was a big difference-maker playing those 18-19 minutes because with the foul trouble we had, we had to move Justin around. It's good to win and play well, and he did that.''

Getting more out of Hunter fills a huge void for the Hoosiers at that 3 spot. It's good for the games where Justin Smith has to play inside more — especially against smaller teams — but it also helps in those games where Smith is in a funk. Miller can sit him down for a while to send a message, too. It's nice having that option if Hunter can continue to get better.

3. Huge week on the road for Hoosiers

NEWS: Indiana is 3-0 at home in the Big Ten and 0-2 on the road, and both road losses were blowouts.

VIEWS: The Hoosiers need to change that story line, and this is the perfect week to do it with games at Rutgers and Nebraska.

THE SKINNY: Road teams in the Big Ten are just 5-32 so far this season, winning only 13.5 percent of the time. This week it's at much improved Rutgers (12-4, 3-2 in the Big Ten) on Wednesday  night and Nebraska (7-9, 2-3) on Saturday night.

Sure, it's hard to win on the road, but if Indiana is going to get wins away from home, these are two venues where it can happen if they play well. Rutgers has been very good this year, and are unbeaten so far at home, so the Scarlet Knights will be slight favorites. Indiana will be favored by a basket or two at Nebraska, but we know the Cornhuskers can be scary. They've beaten Purdue and Iowa at home already, and took Nebraska into overtime in December in Bloomington.

It's never easy, in other words, but this might be the best chance for a good week on the road.

"Sometimes in this league, it just becomes such a slugfest,'' Miller said. "We got a jolt of positive energy (Saturday) and now we need to compete against Rutgers on Wednesday and find a way to win. It's going to be 50 times harder, and the next game is going to be 50 times harder than that one. We've got to keep progressing.'' 

Related items

• TWITTER: Follow Tom Brew on Twitter @tombrewsports
• FACEBOOK:  Join our IU coverage on Facebook at Facebook.com/SportsIllustratedIndiana
• OHIO STATE GAME STORY: Indiana shuts down No. 11 Ohio State CLICK HERE
• OHIO STATE COLUMN: 'The Switch' makes the difference for Archie Miller and Indiana in huge win. CLICK HERE