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Indiana Basketball: Hoosiers lose on the road to Wisconsin…again

By Charlie Salek

LOUISVILLE, KY - DECEMBER 09: Archie Miller the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers watches the action in the game against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on December 9, 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - DECEMBER 09: Archie Miller the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers watches the action in the game against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on December 9, 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Even under new head coach Archie Miller, Indiana basketball was unable to go on the road and beat Wisconsin. That makes 16 straight losses in the Kohl Center.

The last Hoosier victory in Madison was in January of 1998. Yes, you read that correctly; nearly two decades have passed since the Indiana Hoosiers’ last road win over the Badgers. Over the years, the Kohl Center has been a house of horrors for the Hoosiers and another chapter was added to the tortured history this season. What went wrong for the Hoosiers this time?

First, Wisconsin center Ethan Happ deserves plenty of credit. The junior big man was the best player on the floor all night and assembled a crazy stat line to the tune of twenty-eight points, nine rebounds (six offensive), four assists, four steals, and two blocks.

Indiana Hoosiers Basketball
Indiana Hoosiers Basketball /

Indiana Hoosiers Basketball

The Badgers’ offense completely revolved around Happ and he made some nice plays to find open teammates when the Hoosiers double-teamed him. Defensively, he was stellar and was active in the paint all night.

Happ’s dominant performance may have been due in part to the foul trouble that IU’s key frontcourt players were in. Sophomore De’Ron Davis picked up two fouls almost immediately after tip-off.  Junior forward Juwan Morgan found himself tethered to the bench after he was assessed his third personal foul early in the second half.

The Badgers wore the Hoosiers down in the second half. Wisconsin was able to widen its lead by extending possessions with offensive rebounds and made Indiana pay by burying open threes.

Thankfully, there were a few positive takeaways for the Hoosiers. Collin Hartman submitted an impressive performance off the bench. IU’s redshirt senior leader scored 18 points on 6-10 shooting. Also, Robert Johnson showed flashes of excellence when he attacked the basket. The senior guard tallied fourteen points and five assists, with only two turnovers.

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The Hoosiers showed some signs of improvement but ultimately lost another winnable game in Madison. Unfortunately, IU fans will have to hear about this ignominious streak for another year.

Up next for the Hoosiers is a tough road test against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Hoosiers will travel to Minneapolis this Saturday for a 5:15 pm ET tip.

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