NCAA Basketball: Michigan’s struggles, a sleeper pick and more weekly takeaways

1) No, Archie Miller is not on the hot seat

Indiana snapped their seven-game losing streak in dramatic fashion on Saturday, beating Michigan State on the road in overtime. That loss will go a long way in calming the storm that was surrounding this program – many Indiana fans were questioning Archie Miller’s job status, which was ridiculous.

However, that victory also doesn’t automatically fix all the things that were (and still are) plaguing this team.

Miller certainly deserves a good deal of blame for IU’s on-court struggles. Their offense has gone into a shell since the calendar flipped to 2019, recording more games in which they’ve scored fewer than 60 points (four) than in which they’ve scored at least 70 (three).

They become so reliant on Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan to carry all the offense that, often, many of the other players on the roster aren’t even looking to score. Indiana is a team that has largely been going through the motions on offense without looking to attack until Langford or Morgan touch the ball. This has made them inefficient and predictable, a combination that has made them extremely easy to defend.

Part of this, too, is that Indiana’s talent level isn’t where we thought it was. They have some quality young players Miller has brought in but, outside of Morgan, the Hoosiers aren’t getting anything from their upperclassmen. That’s a problem that can’t be ignored.

I think that Miller’s surprising success last year and the signing of Langford this offseason sped up IU’s rebuilding timeline in a lot of people’s minds. This stretch served as a sobering reminder of how far the Hoosiers had (and still have) to go. But Miller’s job is secure.