Indiana Basketball: Biggest takeaways from home victory over Ohio State

Indiana Basketball: Biggest takeaways from home win over Ohio State

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 21: Armaan Franklin #2 of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after making the game winning shot against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 21, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

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BLOOMINGTON, IN – JANUARY 11: Devonte Green #11 of the Indiana Hoosiers (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

1. Indiana can win a game without Trace Jackson-Davis

The premier matchup coming into this game was between big men Kaleb Wesson and Trayce Jackson-Davis. It was the Buckeyes star who had the numbers edge, producing a double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds) on 3/11 shooting from the field. The freshman Hoosier struggled with foul trouble and Ohio State’s frontcourt, scoring a season-low six points on 1/3 shooting in 28 minutes.

Jackson-Davis came into the game averaging a team-leading 15.2 ppg and 8.3 rpg on 64% shooting. Before this one, the 6’9 forward had three games scoring less than 10 points. Two of them (Maryland and Wisconsin), ended up in defeats for Indiana.

It was a collective effort by the rest of the Hoosiers to help beat the No. 11 team in the country. Rob Phinisee returned to the starting lineup for the first time this season and produced 13 points, the only starter in double figures. The bench came through in a big way, scoring 31 of Indiana’s 66 total points. Devonte Green led all scorers in the game with 19, coming off the bench but still having a huge impact.

As good as Jackson-Davis has been so far this season, he’s still a freshman who’ll have his ups and downs. It’s on the rest of the cast to pick up the slack when it happens, particularly the perimeter players. If they can keep it up as they did against Ohio State, more Big Ten wins will come.

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