November 28, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; Indiana Hoosiers forward Luke Goode (10) steals the ball from Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Michael Ajayi (1) in the second half at Imperial Arena at Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images No. 14 Indiana’s two heavy losses in Battle 4 Atlantis relegates the Hoosiers to a No. 7 game when they face Providence on Friday morning in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
It was two humiliating games for Indiana (4-2). In the opening round, they lost 89-61 to Louisville, falling behind by as many as 38 points. Thursday was almost as close as Indiana fell to No. 3 Gonzaga, 89-73.
The Hoosiers rallied to take the lead midway through the first half against Gonzaga, but their success was short-lived. They were down 23 points early in the second period. There they were never challenged.
The rebounding numbers tell us that Gonzaga won on the boards 42-27, paving the way for an edge in second-chance points, 23-4.
Indiana coach Mike Woodson called the Hoosiers’ lack of success on the boards “the difference in the game.”
“This is a major problem we’ve had, and a lot of it is that we’re not putting the body on the body to block it,” Woodson added. “That has to stop. We have to let our guys compete.”
One of the few positives was the offensive play of 7-foot center Oumar Ballo, who hit 11 of 13 shots en route to a season-high 25 points.
The Indiana guards were overwhelmed. In two games, Myles Rice has nine points and two assists, making 3 of 17 shots, while Canaan Carlisle has six points and three assists, making just 2 of 10 shots from the floor.
“The last two games our perimeter play has been exposed. I need to fix that,” Woodson said.
Providence (5-2) is in a similar mindset after Thursday’s 69-58 loss to Davidson.
The Friars, who shot just 31 percent from the floor, fell behind 9-0 early, trailed by double digits most of the time and never led.
“A disappointing night, a disappointing response from our program,” Providence coach Kim English said.
Jayden Pierre had 14 points and Wesley Cardet Jr. added 13 to lead the Friars. Freshman Oswin Erhunmwunse came off the bench to provide 11 rebounds, including nine on offensive boards.
A particular concern for English is the Friars’ inability to get shots close to the hoop. Providence made just 10 of its 37 attempts inside the arc.
“I want to go back and watch and really analyze and figure out why we didn’t finish better,” English said. “We think that’s the difference in the game.”
The Friars are without Bryce Hopkins, who is recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL. There was speculation that Hopkins, who averaged 15.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last season, would make his season debut in the tournament.
After a 7:30 p.m. tipoff Thursday night, Providence will depart at 11 a.m. Friday.
“We need time to make things better here, to get better, to figure things out, to represent them, to represent them, to demand them, to demand them,” English said. “We don’t have that luxury now.”
–Field level media
