Bracketology 2023: Christmas wishlist for 5 potential tournament teams

Indiana’s Christmas wish: A Norman Dale defensive effort from their guards

Indiana is ranked No. 14 in the country but the 8-3 Hoosiers are just 1-3 in their last four games after an 84-62 loss to Kansas on Saturday. As decent as Xavier Johnson, Tamar Bates, and Jalen Hood-Schifino have been, they’ve been wildly inconsistent averaging 5.9 turnovers per game. But on the offensive end hasn’t been the problem for the Hoosier guards.

Defensively over the last month or so the Hoosiers’ backcourt has had issues with opposing guards. If you look at their defensive metrics the Hoosiers look good, ranking in the top 80 in three-point defense, two-point defense, and overall efficiency, but it’s the trend of backcourt defense that is a bit concerning. If Indiana wants to compete for a Big Ten title they’ll need Santa to bring them some lockdown defense for their guards.

The defensive inefficiencies have really come to light over the last five games that have seen them go 2-3. In those games, 216 of the 366 points they have given up have come from the opposing backcourts, which is 59% of the production. This has been an issue for the Hoosiers all year long but their talent and a lesser non-conference schedule have allowed them to get by. As the level of competition has stepped up the lack of guard defense has become more prevalent. The Hoosiers need to be asking Santa for a more focused defensive effort as Big Ten play begins or Indiana could struggle more than expected.