Under Archie Miller, the Indiana Hoosiers have been identified by the fact that they often lack a true identity. There was no secret that Miller’s Dayton teams bought into a defensive philosophy and identity that brought success. The same has not completely translated to his time in Bloomington, but the signs have begun to show. Indiana has worked their way up to being ranked 32nd in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom. There is a stark contrast between the defense Badger fans saw in Madison against the Hoosiers in December, and the one they will see Saturday morning.
The Hoosiers have not allowed a team to score more than 67 points in their last five contests. Wisconsin just ended a streak of six straight games of scoring more than 67 points in their 63-48 win over Northwestern. Something will have to give.
The identity of the entire Indiana program had to change on the defensive end of the floor when Miller took over. Previous IU coach Tom Crean almost never, at any point of the year, had top-50 defenses according to KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency. The personnel of this 2019-20 group lends itself well to defense, especially on the interior. Trayce Jackson-Davis is an impressive young rim protector who also has the speed to be switchable on high ball screens. That is one of the attributes that will make the New Yorker an intriguing NBA prospect in years to come. Jackson-Davis averages nearly 2 blocks per game, and almost as many blocks as the rest of his teammates combined. The true freshman’s 6’9″, 245-pound frame lends itself well to the pack-line principles that Coach Miller is attempting to instill in his team.
It’s a difficult task predicting if the Badgers can find offensive success against Indiana based on their 84-point outburst at home. When the two teams met on December 7th, IU’s defense was not the only thing that would change as the year progressed. UW was led that day by Kobe King and his 24 points on an efficient 10-15 shooting. No King has been no problem for the Badger offense so far. Success that day at the Kohl Center also came through playing inside-out basketball. The Badgers broke down the pack-line by taking advantage of what it tries to do. Any pack-line defense has the goal of packing the paint and sagging defensively to prevent interior penetration. By getting the basketball inside to Nate Reuvers, the junior big not only had 20 points against IU, but opened things up from the outside that allowed UW to shoot 8-20 (40%) from three. This time around, the Badgers also have Big Ten super-sub Micah Potter. The Ohio State transfer sat out of the last matchup due to NCAA rules. The stretch big man can certainly provide the perfect inside-out counter against the pack-line if he is feeling it from beyond the arc. If the Badgers start inside-out and knock down open looks as a result, it could be a long senior day for the Hoosiers.