Indiana dropped its third straight game on Wednesday night. The Hoosiers fell 85-66 to Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center and are now 1-4 in league play.
Here are five takeaways from the loss to the Nittany Lions:
Indiana’s defense continues its freefall
Mike Woodson’s first Indiana team finished with the Big Ten’s best defense.
His second Indiana team is close to the Big Ten basement defensively. After surrendering more than 80 points for a third straight game, the Hoosiers are 13th in the conference in points per possession allowed. Only Minnesota, which is barely inside the top 200 nationally in KenPom, is worse.
Penn State, which spaces the floor and creates open 3-point looks with its movement and passing, took its offense to another level on Tuesday. The Nittany Lions splashed in 18 3-pointers on 31 attempts, good for 58.1 percent. Indiana looked unprepared for the perimeter onslaught, which continued for the entire game.
Most alarming was Indiana’s lack of adjustments in-game to cover shooters. None were made. Two different Penn State players made seven 3s and many of the looks were wide-open.
Unless Indiana makes some major changes and adjustments defensively, its freefall down the league standings will continue.
Indiana’s ability to handle adversity is lacking
When things have gone well for this Indiana team, the Hoosiers have proven capable of beating solid teams. Early season examples of this were an impressive win at Xavier and a dismantling of North Carolina in Assembly Hall.
But when things get tough, Indiana has typically folded.
In its first loss of the season at Rutgers, Indiana’s roster was at full strength besides Jalen Hood-Schifino. But the Scarlet Knights brought grit and physical toughness and the Hoosiers didn’t respond. The result was a 15-point loss.
In a neutral court loss to Arizona, the Hoosiers were knocked on their heels by the pace and aggressiveness of Tommy Lloyd’s offense. Indiana fought back, but its unfocused start was too much to overcome.
At Kansas, Indiana was crushed in the paint by an undersized Jayhawk team that was far more aggressive.
Against Iowa, Indiana started quickly and built a 21-point lead, but once Iowa regained its composure, Indiana’s focus and defense collapsed.
In Sunday’s loss to Northwestern, Indiana had a lackadaisical start and spotted the Wildcats a 17-point lead before deciding to pick up the intensity.
And on Wednesday at Penn State, Indiana’s defense…