The Indiana Hoosiers is perhaps an issue for school basketball this season. Simply ask the groups residing within the 414.
Three days after the Hoosiers laid a beating on Marquette, they turned their sights to its neighbors on the east facet and beat the College of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 101-70, at Meeting Corridor on Nov. 12.
The Panthers managed to hold with the new-look, high-octane Hoosiers many of the first half and even a bit into the ultimate 20 minutes earlier than first-year head coach Darian DeVries’ crew ran their guests out of the fitness center and into their subsequent tough non-conference problem down the stretch.
BOX SCORE: Indiana 101, UWM 70
Indiana turned the primary staff to hold 100 factors on Milwaukee since Oakland hit that mark on Jan. 4, 2024, doing so with 4 gamers scoring in double digits, led by Lamar Wilkerson’s 24. The Hoosiers have now put up 100 factors or extra in back-to-back video games after doing so in a 23-point win over Marquette Nov. 9. They shot 56.7% from the sphere towards the Panthers, who struggled to maintain them from clear seems from deep early and within the paint late.
"To return right here somebody’s going to have to attain 90 to have an opportunity to win," Panthers head coach Bart Lundy stated.
Regardless of being outmanned, Milwaukee nonetheless shot 46.8% from the sphere with Danilo Jovanovich (18 factors) and Seth Hubbard (17 factors) main the cost.
"Loads of positives to take out of the sport," Lundy sai. "I believed the environment and a few of the adversity we dealt with fairly nicely. We absorbed the scouting report. We had some probabilities to make it a a lot nearer recreation. They’re a very good staff. They’ll actually rating. They made us pay for each mistake that we made. They damage us with some issues we knew we had been going to have to surrender."
Three-point protection lacks in first half
If there was one factor the Panthers couldn’t do towards the Hoosiers, it was permitting open seems from three. It turned out to be a far too widespread sight within the first half.
Indiana hit 9 of its 14 makes an attempt from deep within the first half, with Wilkerson, an authorized marksman who hit 10 threes within the Hoosiers’ first two video games, left with area to function too many instances on his option to sinking 5. These seems got here in a wide range of methods, with being untagged in transition to an excessive amount of area with the shot clock winding down, however Lundy thought the Panthers in any other case did a great job of following the scouting report towards him.
"We had been keyed in on him and (Tucker) DeVries," Lundy stated. "Wilkerson received us on a few turnovers. Each these guys are NBA shooters."
Whereas the Panthers buckled down on Indiana’s perimeter assault within the second half – preserving Wilkerson with no triple over the ultimate 20 minutes – their defensive difficulty turned trying to include the Hoosiers within the paint. Indiana made 11 of 16 two-point area targets within the interval whereas going to the free throw line 17 instances due to 12 Milwaukee fouls.
The staff protection left one thing to be desired, however it wasn’t all dangerous.
Jovanovich showcased some stopper potential on DeVries, who torched Marquette for 27 factors and is a possible all-American, within the first half and Tate Mackenzie stepped ahead to present the Panthers some rim safety that was absent the primary three video games of the 12 months. The reserve huge man and former Michigan soccer recruit showcased his athleticism with three blocks in 10 minutes.
"He and Faizon (Fields) on the rim had been phenomenal. Each of them had been partitions," Lundy stated. "You wish to be taught from all these video games, and we’re studying that Tate’s actually fairly good."
Indiana goes to present loads of opponents suits with its scoring prowess within the months to come back, however nonetheless the full effort wasn’t one which Lundy walked away from feeling good about – and that’s the third time that has occurred by 4 video games.
Danilo Jovanovich shines
On his option to main Milwaukee in scoring, Jovanovich put collectively a sequence on offense that displayed his top-end skill.
The Panthers had been inside six factors at 31-25 earlier than the Hoosiers rattled off speedy 11-2 run in lower than two minutes. With the world rocking on the heels of an off-the-glass alley-oop to Reed Bailey to place Milwaukee in a 15-point gap, the ball went to Jovanovich on the high of the important thing. He slowly backed down DeVries and because the shot clock neared zero calmly hit a fadeaway off one leg in sluggish movement.
That bucket slowed the roll of the Hoosiers momentarily, sparking a 9-2 run to attract the Panthers inside 43-36 with two minutes to go within the first half.
Defensively, Jovanovich was tasked with guarding DeVries and held him to only two factors within the first half by presenting him with a bodily problem off the dribble and never permitting his shifty again cuts to work. DeVries hit a pair of threes within the second half to complete with 12 factors however was, on the entire, outdueled by Jovanovich.
"I believed D-Lo did an unreal job on DeVries," Lundy stated. "This was D-Lo’s greatest faculty recreation on each side of the ball, to play like that towards an all-American."
This text initially appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Danilo Jovanovich shines but UWM gets blown out by Indiana
