'We just didn’t have it': Off night for Indiana results in missed opportunity with loss at USC

On Saturday night in Los Angeles, Indiana’s momentum was at a season high. The Hoosiers didn’t quit in their double-overtime victory over UCLA, winning their third game in a row to catapult them firmly into the NCAA Tournament conversation.]

But on Tuesday, some 15 miles to the east, it didn’t appear to be the same Indiana that hung on for a thrilling win in Westwood just three nights earlier.

The Hoosiers couldn’t complete a 2-0 West Coast swing, as USC got the better of Darian DeVries’ ballclub with an 81-75 victory at the Galen Center. Indiana looked sluggish and undisciplined, and the same issues that have plagued IU throughout the season were on full display in a Big Ten After Dark matchup that held serious postseason implications.

“We just didn’t quite have it tonight,” head coach Darian DeVries said postgame.

Indiana was outrebounded by 15 and allowed USC to score nine more second-chance points than the Hoosiers. Fouling was also a major issue throughout the ballgame, as the Trojans were fouled 24 times by Indiana and scored 25 points at the charity stripe, compared to IU’s 13.

On top of all that, Indiana didn’t shoot the ball well for the better part of the contest. Sure, Lamar Wilkerson’s 33 points were sensational, but no other Hoosier scored in double figures. Outside of Wilkerson, Indiana shot 5 of 23 from 3-point range and well below 50% from the field.

“Nick (Dorn) has been shooting about as well as anybody in the country. He just had an off night. Tucker (DeVries) had some really good looks as well. They just didn’t go down,” DeVries said.

Dorn made just two of his 12 shots, all 3-pointers, and fouled out late in the second half. DeVries was even more inefficient, making just 1 of 9 field goals, including 1 of 8 from deep.

The Hoosiers also didn’t get the same production out of their bigs that they did in the three wins leading up to USC. Reed Bailey and Sam Alexis were vital in making sure Indiana wasn’t dominated in the paint, but against the Trojans, they just weren’t the same.

Bailey went 2 of 6 from the field and missed some head-scratching layups, while Alexis wasn’t the defensive stopper he has been of late. Playing two overtimes on Saturday may have played a role in the lack of energy early on, but whatever the case, the Hoosiers didn’t have the juice they’ve displayed recently.

“It’s tough. It’s a hard trip, man. That’s why a lot of people don’t come out here and are successful,” Wilkerson said, explaining the difficulties that come with a trip across the country.

“Been out here for a week — tired, fatigued, stuff like that. But I’m not making excuses for us. We’ve got to be better. We’ll figure it out.”

Instant Analysis: Three takeaways from Indiana’s 81-75 loss to USC

Whatever the root cause, it simply wasn’t Indiana’s night outside of Wilkerson. That’s not a winning recipe in the Big Ten, and while travel fatigue could have played a role, it’s something every team in the league has to deal with.

There were flashes of the team Indiana showed against UCLA, Purdue and Rutgers, as the Hoosiers turned a 14-point USC lead midway through the second half into a two-point game with just over 30 seconds left. Indiana chipped away until it was right back in it, but the Hoosiers simply couldn’t make a big enough play to fully close the gap.

“Couldn’t get that three to go, and then we couldn’t follow it up with that stop,” DeVries said, emphasizing that he believed his team competed but never found a game-changing possession on either side.

And with how Indiana executed down the stretch, you wonder what the result might have been if the Hoosiers hadn’t dug such a large hole early on. What if Indiana didn’t allow so many second chances? What if it didn’t send USC to the free-throw line so often? What if it found scoring outside of Wilkerson?

Indiana might’ve made it close in the final moments, but if it had played the style of basketball shown in the previous three games, the conversation would be about a four-game winning streak heading back to Bloomington.

“It shouldn’t have been that close in the first place. We dug ourselves a hole, and then we just couldn’t get out of it,” Wilkerson said after the loss.

A 1-1 road trip to Los Angeles isn’t catastrophic, but when you get a Quad 1 opportunity in front of a crowd that featured just as many Indiana fans as USC supporters, it feels like an opportunity you can’t pass up.

Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, they left the West Coast with just one resume-boosting win instead of two. Indiana heads back to Bloomington with a 15-8 overall record and a 6-6 mark in conference play.

After three straight wins, Indiana could have afforded itself some breathing room on the bubble. Instead, it’s right back in the thick of it. Joined by USC, the Trojans now hold the edge in any head-to-head conversation, making the loss sting even more.

But all of that needs to be flushed. Despite Indiana putting a few glaring weaknesses on full display, the Hoosiers need to move on. Wisconsin comes to town Saturday for what might be the most important game on Indiana’s schedule to date.

“Our biggest thing is we’ve got to get back, get some rest, regroup and then get ready for the next one,” DeVries said.

“We’ve been playing good basketball and had a rough one tonight, but we can’t let it linger. We’ve got to get refocused and get ready for Saturday.”

If Indiana can get back on track, it will remain inside the tournament picture. If not, the Hoosiers may carry the image of a missed opportunity at USC with them moving forward.

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