Ryan Corazza

In Indiana’s loss to Nebraska on Friday night, the Hoosiers shot 35 3-pointers, the most attempts in a game of the Mike Woodson era. While there were a couple of questionable attempts, a look back at the film reveals Indiana simply took what the defense gave them.

It would be easy to blame Indiana’s lackluster start to this game on a noon tip over winter break.

In Indiana’s win against Chattanooga on Saturday afternoon, the Hoosiers had a rough time on defense in the first half, allowing the Mocs to shoot 6-of-13 on 3-pointers and post 1.16 points per possession.

Oumar Ballo sat on the bench, inactive for tonight’s contest. Malik Reneau joined him for much of the game, saddled with foul trouble.

In Indiana’s win against Winthrop on Sunday, Myles Rice took eight shots at the rim, tied for a season-high. It’s no coincidence that in a game Oumar Ballo didn’t play in and that Malik Reneau saw limited playing time due to foul trouble, Rice simply had more space in both Indiana’s half-court and transition offense to use his speed to get to the bucket.

Rutgers’ elite defense has given Indiana problems in the Mike Woodson era. The Hoosiers entered tonight’s contest just 1-3 against the Scarlet Knights and had yet to crack 66 points in any of the games. Two seasons ago in Piscataway, NJ, the Hoosiers mustered only 48 points.

In Indiana’s win against Rutgers on Thursday night, the Hoosiers did a nice job of working the corners and baseline to exploit the defense of the Scarlet Knights. In the first half, Rutgers switched from zone to man during possessions, and its inability to mark up correctly allowed Indiana space to roam free on the baseline.

PHILADELPHIA – Mike Woodson, Mackenzie Mgbako and Oumar Ballo addressed the media following Indiana’s 77-71 win against Penn State on Sunday afternoon at the Palestra.

PHILADELPHIA – The Hoosiers have been searching for a victory like this all season.

Penn State is one of the better teams in the country so far this season at turning its opponents over. The Nittany Lions are turning opponents over on 23.3 percent of possessions, good for 10th-best nationally.