Purdue 70, Indiana 55: Three very, very bad things

Well, that sucked ass. On to the recap!

This offense is putrid

You can blame personnel. You can blame offensive scheme. Frankly, it’s some of this and some of that in whatever proportion you decide to allocate, but Indiana is broken offensively. Coming into today, Indiana was averaging under a point per possession in Big Ten play, and only managed 0.86 points per trip today.

This team is devoid of spacing. There are far too many possessions that result in multiple players in the same spot, cratering any inkling of a rhythm. The lack of shooting continues to be a glaring weakness. Any game that results in Zach McRoberts - who had not hit a shot since November before today - taking six shots with the shot clock regularly winding down probably isn’t going to end well. And how about the free throws? I wrote about the free throw concerns in early December. Today, Indiana went 7-18 from the stripe. Combine that with a 4-20 showing from downtown and you have the recipe for a blowout.

This team has a lot of issues right now, and lately the offense has been the biggest one.

Romeo...yikes

Today was not Romeo Langford’s best day. He failed to crack double figures in the scoring column for the first time this season, managing just four points today. He was serenaded with “overrated” chants, and just generally didn’t have it today. That’s fine, it happens. Road games in the Big Ten are hard, especially for a freshman playing in his first rivalry game. It’s be harped on time and time again just how much Indiana needs Romeo on a nightly basis. Today was one of the first times that we got a look at how much tougher it gets for this team when its freshman phenom doesn’t have it.

This team needs something. Fast.

I wrote a piece after the Nebraska game that used a Doomsday ClockI as a metaphor for the basketball program. It was not meant as a call for Archie Miller’s job, but rather as a representation for the growing frustration and anxiety that the recent stretch has brought to the program and fanbase. It’s clear that this time isn’t right. I don’t know if there’s internal strife in the locker room, disdain from the players towards play style or minutes, or other factors that might be affecting this team mentally.

With each subsequent loss, the season inches closer and closer to spiraling into being a disappointment. If this team can’t come out and play with energy and bounce back after getting its teeth kicked in by its less talented rival, I don’t know if this team has it. I won’t pretend to have the answers. But right now, I’m not sure if Archie Miller does either. All I know is that frustration is mounting and the vibe around this team continues to darken.