IU’s Big Ten tournament stay lasted just one uninspiring game, following Thursday’s 61-50 loss to Rutgers. With the Hoosiers unlikely to accept any potential invitation to the NIT, the season now appears over.
With fans allowed inside Lucas Oil Stadium, the Hoosier faithful expressed their displeasure throughout the second half, with chants of “Fire Archie” and boos rained down at the final buzzer
“I’m not entering any offseason wondering if I’m gonna be back,” Miller said postgame. “Those decisions are made higher up than me. My job is to coach the team.”
Here are three reasons why Indiana lost to Rutgers:
Insider:IU’s season is over. An offseason full of questions is just getting started.
Doyel:Under Archie Miller, IU does one thing consistently — disappoint the hell out of you.
Strong start peters out
A familiar refrain for the Hoosiers this season.
This one was sustained better, Indiana the aggressor for long stretches in the first half. IU was not perfect. There were mistakes of enthusiasm. But the Hoosiers were the front-foot team for most of opening 20 minutes and were rewarded accordingly.
Their lead stretched to as many as 10 points, Rutgers struggling to match their energy. Playing in front of an IU-partisan crowd for the first time all season, the Hoosiers gave fans in attendance at Lucas Oil Stadium something worth cheering for.
But it dried up late. As has too often been the case, Indiana stopped scoring, held without a point for more than 2 ½ minutes to end the half. Rutgers got going at the other end, at one point hitting six-straight shots.
The result, another lead lost. Indiana trailed by one at halftime.
Insider:Archie Miller’s $10 million buyout makes decision on his IU future trickier than it seems
More:Twitter ponders Miller’s future as IU basketball coach
Jackson-Davis comes home, shows up
Playing in IU’s second-ever game inside Lucas Oil Stadium, Trayce Jackson-Davis native showed up and showed out in front of a hometown crowd.
Rutgers hasn’t always been Jackson-Davis’ favorite Big Ten opponent. The Scarlet Knights are active and athletic defensively, and Myles Johnson’s length gives him trouble.
But he played unburdened from the start Thursday, attacking in the halfcourt and sprinting out in transition. He got the biggest ovation when starters were announced pregame, and some of the loudest eruptions when he scored big buckets.
None louder than an open-floor slam dunk that capped an 8-0 IU run midway through the first half, pushing the Hoosiers back into the lead and forcing Rutgers to call timeout. For the night, Jackson-Davis finished with 19 points, Indiana’s star shining bright when he was needed most.
Old wounds reopened
In the end, as seasons tend to, this one ended for the same reasons it fell short of expectations.
The Hoosiers could not make shots. They could not turn stops into scores. They missed more free throws than they made in the second half and at one point went more than seven minutes without a point.
Despite Rutgers’ own mistakes leaving the door open to a comeback, Indiana repeatedly declined to take the opportunity. By game’s end, the boos in the building weren’t directed at Rutgers, or the officiating, but at Indiana’s bench and its fourth-year head coach.
With the Hoosiers (12-15) likely to decline any invitation to the NIT, Miller’s fourth season in charge — unprecedented in so many ways — ended in an ugly scene.
Follow IndyStar reporter ZachOsterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.
Rutgers 61, Indiana 50
INDIANA: Hunter 3-6 0-2 7, Jackson-Davis 8-14 3-7 19, Thompson 2-8 0-0 4, Durham 3-8 2-2 9, Phinisee 2-6 1-4 5, Franklin 3-10 0-0 6, Galloway 0-2 0-0 0, Geronimo 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-56 6-15 50.
RUTGERS: Johnson 4-8 2-2 10, Baker 3-9 0-0 7, Mulcahy 4-12 0-0 10, Young 5-13 2-2 13, Harper 4-11 3-5 13, McConnell 3-4 0-0 6, Omoruyi 1-2 0-0 2, Mathis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-60 7-9 61.
Halftime—Rutgers 33-32. 3-Point Goals_Indiana 2-16 (Hunter 1-3, Durham 1-4, Galloway 0-2, Phinisee 0-2, Franklin 0-5), Rutgers 6-23 (Harper 2-6, Mulcahy 2-6, Young 1-4, Baker 1-6, Mathis 0-1). Rebounds_Indiana 29 (Jackson-Davis 9), Rutgers 38 (Johnson 13). Assists_Indiana 14 (Phinisee 7), Rutgers 16 (Baker 7). Total Fouls_Indiana 14, Rutgers 18.
