Indiana suffered its first loss Sunday afternoon, falling 77-57 to UConn at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Here are five takeaways from the loss to the Huskies:
Indiana was dominated on the glass
The Hoosiers struggled on the glass in each of their first three games, a warning sign of what was to come against better competition.
On Sunday, UConn dismantled the Hoosiers on the glass.
The Huskies grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and outscored Indiana 16-0 in second-chance points.
“That’s been a big concern since we started this journey,” Mike Woodson told Don Fischer on the postgame radio show. “The two exhibition games and then the first few games.”
It’s still a big concern.
Outside of Kel’el Ware, every player on the IU roster has been below average on the boards through three games. Malik Reneau grabbed just three rebounds against UConn and is averaging fewer than five per game. Trey Galloway has a total of six rebounds in four games. Mackenzie Mgbako has 11 rebounds in four games. Xavier Johnson has eight rebounds.
Indiana now ranks outside of the top 300 in defensive rebounding percentage nationally. Opponents are rebounding more than 35 percent of their missed shots against the Hoosiers.
The Hoosiers continue to not emphasize the 3-point shot
Another game, another contest with Indiana seeming indifferent to attempting shots from the perimeter.
The Hoosiers took only 13 3-pointers on Sunday – UConn took 22 – and were outscored by 12 points from behind the 3-point line.
Through three games, Indiana ranks in the bottom 15 nationally in point distribution from 3-pointers. The Hoosiers are generating just 27.3 percent of their points from distance.
In each game this season, Indiana has been outscored by double figures from beyond the 3-point line.
While it’s unrealistic for Indiana to take a high volume of 3-pointers with its personnel, continuing to be outscored from the perimeter by such a large margin is not a winning formula for the long term.
Mackenzie Mgbako continues to struggle
Freshman Mackenzie Mgbako followed up his best game of the young season against Wright State with a forgettable performance against UConn.
Mgbako scored two points in 23 minutes on 0-for-3 shooting from the field. His only points came from the free throw line.
His defense has been an equally glaring issue.
Mgbako continues to get beat on simple plays like back cuts because he’s often out of position and stands straight up when…