How it Happened: Indiana falls to Louisville in Indianapolis for 2nd straight loss

The first of two Indiana ballgames in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday didn’t go the Hoosiers’ way, as they were defeated by No. 6 Louisville 87-78.

This gives No. 22 Indiana back-to-back losses after a 7-0 start to the season. Similar problems were seen in this one, as well as in the Hoosiers’ defeat at Minnesota on Wednesday, with Darian DeVries’ team currently searching for answers after rising in the polls less than a week ago.

Poor shooting continued for IU, as the Hoosiers finished 26 of 63 from the field and 11 of 32 from 3-point range. Louisville was much better in both areas, going 25 of 54 from the floor and 13 of 31 from beyond the arc.

Ryan Conwell ended as the leading scorer for the Cardinals with 21 points, while Tucker DeVries finished with 26 to lead Indiana. Lamar Wilkerson and Nick Dorn were the only other double-figure scorers for the Hoosiers, as the rest of the team struggled to make shots.

The two sides tied in rebounds with 34 apiece, as that was never the major issue for Indiana. It was taking bad shots throughout the game, and its defense of Louisville was never good enough to execute a comeback after falling behind 16-0 before it could blink.

With that being said, here’s how it happened from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana faces huge deficit in first half

It seemed like Indiana thought tipoff was at 2:30 instead of 2:15, as the Hoosiers didn’t come ready to play, and they paid the price.

Louisville was up 10-0 after the first media timeout, and the Cardinals held a 16-0 advantage before Indiana was able to score its first point. Indiana finally got it going after that, but Louisville’s hot start made a profound impact on the complexion of the game moving forward.

In a big-time matchup like this one, you simply can’t get down that big that quick, yet it was all Louisville inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse to begin the afternoon. Indiana had more turnovers (four) than shots that hit the rim (two) during the first four minutes of play, as its offense was completely nonexistent.

It missed eight shots before its first made basket, with its designed actions not working and its fast-break offense producing nothing. The Cardinals took advantage of that, and their impressive defense on IU turned into a ton of momentum.

Down low, the Hoosiers couldn’t gain an inch, and when Louisville had the ball in the paint, it did whatever it wanted. The Cardinals were also making shots on the perimeter and, based on the zero on the scoreboard during the first six and a half minutes, Indiana couldn’t hit anything.

Both teams ended up settling in for the rest of the game, but the 16-0 deficit Indiana faced forced it to play from behind the entire afternoon. The first six minutes never decide a game, but against Louisville, Indiana’s performance out of the gate was seriously detrimental to its chances of winning.

Lack of shot-making prevents IU comeback

Indiana was constantly trying to chase the Cardinals down, and a lack of 3-point shooting prevented the Hoosiers from cutting into the Louisville lead. At times it seemed like IU was making a run, but every time, U of L made an impact play and squashed the Hoosiers’ momentum.

Offensively, Louisville was simply making more plays and operating more effectively than Indiana. Foul trouble plagued the Hoosiers once again, and a 3-of-16 mark from 3-point range in the first half reflected the quality of shots IU was taking.

The energy wasn’t the issue after the 16-0 run to begin the game, but in order to overcome a deficit of that size, more shots had to be made — and they simply weren’t in the first half. Louisville was the better offensive team, as well as the more physical team, leading to U of L’s 14-point halftime advantage.

In the second half, Indiana’s shot-making was better, as it went 16 of 31 from the field and 8 of 16 from 3-point range, but most of those made shots from deep came when the game was already out of reach. For a team that was supposed to be elite from beyond the arc, it’s been frustrating that poor shooting has been a prime reason the Hoosiers have lost their past two games.

It’s a combination of taking bad shots and missing open opportunities, but whatever the case, it’s something Indiana needs to address moving forward.

In a game like this, the Hoosiers needed to shoot the lights out to come back. But against quality competition, you can’t win with an 11-of-34 line from 3-point range after getting down 16-0. Saturday afternoon proved that, as Indiana simply didn’t make

Louisville’s playmaking proves to be too much

On the defensive side of the ball, Indiana was far too weak on the perimeter, and Louisville made it pay time after time, especially when the Hoosiers were hoping to cut into the U of L lead.

The Cardinals were getting open 3-point shots all game long, and a lack of defensive focus at times allowed that to happen. The physicality was there for the most part, but Indiana wasn’t executing a defense that gave Louisville trouble in the slightest.

In the first half, U of L shot 44% from 3-point range, as the Cardinals retained their lead after coming out of the gate strong, and it was due to clutch shot-making whenever IU seemed to gain any sort of momentum.

In the second half, Indiana cut the Louisville lead to just eight with 13:42 remaining, but the Cardinals responded time and time again, leaving the Hoosiers in the dust just minutes after IU fans really got into it.

Conwell, Isaac McKneely and Kobe Rodgers made most of the big shots for Louisville, but the entire team contributed to an impressive offense that the Hoosiers couldn’t stop when they gained any momentum on the other side of the ball.

It’s hard to come back when you’re not making shots, but it’s even harder when you can’t force the other team to miss. That was on full display at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, as Louisville made more plays than Indiana, and it resulted in a big Cardinals win.

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