My Two Cents: Adversity Has Arrived at Indiana, But How Long is it Staying?

Just like that, Indiana has suddenly lost three games in a row, and problems abound with shooting and even defensive intensity. It needs to get fixed — and fast — if Indiana is going to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive with six games to go.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Adversity has set in at Indiana, and it has kicked off its shoes, rolled back the recliner and put a drink on the table, with no coaster.

And it looks like it might be staying a while.

The Hoosiers are in a funk right now, and the dog days of February certainly have caught up with them. They've now lost three games in a row after Saturday's 76-61 drubbing at the hands of No. 17 Michigan State, and the laundry list of issues with this team is long and extensive.

The most frustrating thing about Saturday's loss was ... well, everything. It's bad enough that the Hoosiers had another brutal shooting night, but we've seen that before. Far too many times. This just isn't a good perimeter-shooting team, as evidenced by the fact that they are DEAD LAST in the Big Ten in three-pointers made.

But what they have been this year is a good defensive team. They play hard on that end, and play smart. They've adapted well to Mike Woodson's defensive priniciples, a nice improvement from a year ago, for sure.

But they weren't very good defensively on Sunday, especially during several runs where Michigan State brushed the Hoosiers away every time they got close. Indiana was horrible dealing with pick-and-rolls, and it wasn't just the guards. Their team defense just wasn't solid, especially in that 22-8 Michigan State run to close out the game when the Hoosiers were within three (54-51) with nine minutes to go.

They need to fix that in a hurry, certainly before Tuesday's home game with No. 14 Wisconsin.

"That was a major breakdown as far as our pick-and-roll coverage,'' Woodson said. "Normally we've been pretty good at guarding the ball and really taking care of our assignments in the pick and roll, and they had their way tonight, so we've got to go back, watch this tape, break it down and regroup.

"Wisconsin, they run a bunch of ball screens as well, and we've been pretty good in that category, but tonight we were awful. Just awful.''

What was bothersome about this game was that both teams came into it on two-game losing streaks. But it was Michigan State that played harder, played smarter and shot better. Indiana didn't match them, either with intensity or execution.

Here's a good case in point: Michigan State made a lineup change hoping to get a spark, starting A.J. Hoggard at point guard instead of Tyson Walker. Indiana did the same thing, starting Trey Galloway thanks to his strong performance on Tuesday night in an emergency role and sending two-guard Parker Stewart to the bench.

This was a complete mismatch. Tom Izzo's move worked perfectly, and Woodson's decision completely backfired for all involved.

Hoggard scored 14 points and got inside the paint easily and often, getting fouled a lot and making 6-of-7 free throws. He was also an annoying pest, getting two technicals and a boot from the game. But Walker didn't miss a beat. He had 15 points and made three three-pointers.

And Indiana? Sheesh.

Galloway, a massive fan favorite, went 0-for-6 from the field and was just 1-for-3 from the free throw line. He started for Stewart at the two-guard, but he played the point a lot as well because Xavier Johnson was in foul trouble for much of the game.

Stewart, who was supposed to provide some instant offense off the bench, had his worst game as a Hoosier — and it wasn't even close. He was just 1-for-9 from the field, and 1-for-7 from three. Even worse, he made just 1-of-6 free throws, which makes zero sense for a career 77 percent foul shooter.

Hoggard/Walker 29, Galloway/Stewart 5. There's your ballgame right there.

"They both struggled,'' Woodson said. "I've got to find a balance there somehow as we continue this journey. We can still control our own destiny. I feel good about that, but I've got to go back and regroup and get them ready for Wisconsin.''

Woodson felt that Galloway earned the right to start with his quality play the past month, especially on Tuesday night when Woodson suspended five players — including starting guards Johnson and Stewart — and Galloway had to play the point for 37 minutes. Galloway tied a career high with 13 points, but the Hoosiers lost 59-51. 

"Well, I thought the other night, he pushed me to do this tonight,'' Woodson said of Galloway pushing his way into the starting lineup. "I don't know if it worked out or not in our favor because he didn't have much to give.

"He tried, but he just couldn't run (the offense) like I wanted him to. A lot of that was with the second unit as well as having Trayce and Race in, because they played a lot of minutes, so it wouldn't have been no different than the other night. It just didn't happen tonight.''

And I'll be honest. I'm still a little perturbed about Tuesday night and the loss to Northwestern where Woodson had to sit five guys — including two starters — in what became a 59-51 loss. If those guys play and Indiana wins, then things are completely different. Vastly, completely different.

It's not a three-game losing streak, just losses to Illinois and Michigan State, two desperate teams when Indiana saw them. Michigan State does this when they get backed into a corner. Earlier this year, they lost at home to Northwestern but then, with six days to prepare, the Spartans went to Wisconsin and crushed the Badgers on their home court.

And now Indiana gets Wisconsin on Tuesday. We all know how this Big Ten season started. Indiana, once up 22 points in the first half, gave it all away and lost in Madison. The Badgers always give them fits, and now they're coming in angry too after losing at home to Rutgers on Saturday.

That happens a lot in the Big Ten, and it's bad luck. You'd want Indiana to get angry too, but for some reason that doesn't always work well for this group. I liked that they didn't back down to all the pushing and shoving on Saturday with the Spartans, and this is a tougher Indiana team than we've seen in the past.

But we've also seen that they don't play SMARTER when their heads aren't in the game. It's blatantly obvious that the suspension and punishment got into Stewart's head, because he was awful Saturday and looked disheartened and frustrated the whole game.

And Johnson, who was suspended as well, played OK in stretches, but he was in foul trouble too quickly. He has a bad habit of getting caught up in all the antics of a chippy game like that. His fourth foul might have been ticky-tack, but he's chest-bumping an opponent 30 feet from the basket, inviting the ref to make that call. He's got to be stronger mentally, too.

Even Woodson gets some of the blame for that, as well. He was as animated on the sidelines as I've seen him all year. He was up yelling and screaming at practically every whistle, which happens often when you're coaching against Tom Izzo, because he's up and in the officials' ears the whole game, too.

Woodson got his first technical of the year, and that bothered him. He also knows that angst probably carries over to his players, too.

"Well, I got to be a little more calmer, I think. No, really I do,'' Woodson said. "This is the first time I've gotten a technical, and I said I was going to go the season without getting one, but sometimes things change.

"No, I've got to be a little more calmer, and maybe they'll be a little more calmer and a little more competitive.''

That can be said for all involved. Adversity has indeed arrived. They are 16-8 now, and 7-7 in the Big Ten. Change Tuesday, and 17-7 and 8-6 sounds way better.

But as I said Tuesday, the Hoosiers simply have to win a tougher game now. They have Wisconsin, Maryland and Rutgers left at home, and road trips to Ohio State, Minnesota and Purdue.

Three wins makes them an NCAA Tournament lock, so it gets back to holding serve at home, and that starts Tuesday night. Assembly Hall needs to be Purdue-game raucous, and every Indiana player needs to go at max-effort and max-productivity.

It is, as Woodson says, all still there for the taking.

So go take it. Starting Tuesday night. It's totally OK for Indiana to now act like the desperate team. Why? Because they are.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• GAME STORY: Indiana made some personnel adjustments on Saturday at Michigan State, but they didn't work out like Mike Woodson had hoped in a 76-61 loss that featured more poor shooting and a rare off night defensively. CLICK HERE
• WHAT MIKE WOODSON SAID: Indiana coach Mike Woodson took to the podium following Indiana's 76-61 loss to Michigan State. Read his full transcript, or watch the attached video of the press conference. CLICK HERE
• LIVE BLOG: Follow all the play-by-play from the game as it played out on Saturday when Indiana lost to Michigan State. CLICK HERE