Indiana is on the board with a Quad 1 win in the NCAA’s NET rankings.

It was nip and tuck for the entire first half, with neither team leading by more than four points, and both teams struggling to score.  They went into halftime tied at 29.  But an electric first three minutes of the second half changed the game.  IU opened with a 12-0 run over the first 2:49, and outscored PSU 32-16 over the first 9:40.  The Nittany Lions fought all the way back to 73-71 with 1:43 left, but Indiana was able to make more plays and close it out.

Let’s take a deeper look at how IU won 77-71 with our latest edition of The Report Card.

Indiana (12-3, 3-1) will next host USC on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.

COACHING (B+)

For the second straight game, Mike Woodson found a way to get his team to play with intensity for 40 minutes, something that had been lacking for most of the early part of the season.

And the game planning decision to take away the three-point shot and make Penn State one-dimensional offensively paid off.

Indiana was the aggressor coming out of the second half locker room, and that stretch was the difference in the game.  But Woodson allowed his team to get too conservative offensively and lackadaisical defensively — and nearly gave the game away over the final 10 minutes.

Woodson was less conservative playing guys in foul trouble, including Oumar Ballo who was on the floor with four fouls and more than five minutes remaining in the game.  That helped IU pull it out.  But to that end, Woodson will have to figure out how to get more out of his bench or find rotations to mitigate their collective lack of high level play.

And most important, Woodson and his staff deserve credit for holding things together in the final minutes as the lead slipped away.  The team showed poise in the final two minutes.

OFFENSE (B)

In what was their best stretch of offense of the season, IU scored 32 points in the first 9:40 of the second half.  That would average out to more than 130 points over a full game.

But the Hoosiers got away from what allowed them to pull out to a big lead.  They seemed intent on running out the clock, and only made three field goals over the last 10 minutes.  And they didn’t shoot the ball well and weren’t particularly efficient in the first half either.

For the second straight game, offensive rebounds were a major part of Indiana’s production.  They grabbed 13 of their own misses for 17 second chance points.

Indiana turned the ball over on 20% of their possessions, the highest rate in their last five games.  But against a ball hawking defense, their 14 total giveaways weren’t enough to allow PSU to run wild with pick sixes going the other way.

This looks like a better offense with guards and wings surrounding a single big man. Overall the Hoosiers scored 1.1 points per possession.  They haven’t lost a game yet when they score more than 1.0.

DEFENSE (B)

The IU defense set the rules for this game. If Penn State was going to win, that was going to happen from two-point range. The Nittany Lions made just 3-of-21 from three (14.3%).  The Hoosiers did an especially good job on sharpshooter Zach Hicks, who didn’t get off a three in the first half, and finished the game just 1-of-5 from deep.  This whole effort guarding arc could be part of an emerging identity the Hoosiers need on this end.

While Indiana did a good job guarding the long ball, they need to be better stopping drives to the basket.  And  Indiana did not do a good job of getting back and setting their defense after the break, which helped facilitate Penn State’s second half run.  It was the Nittany Lions that scored 26 points over the final 10 minutes as the Hoosiers seem to wear down.

“Second half when they made their run, they started getting back downhill which was very concerning.  I don’t know if we were a little tired or what, but we weren’t getting back building our defense in the halfcourt setting,” Woodson said.

Overall PSU made 62% of their shots from two, in part because IU doesn’t have an elite rim protector.

Penn State was just the fifth team to score more than 1.0 points per possession against IU with 1.02.  But they were the second team IU has defeated in that scenario, along with Providence.

MORE GAME COVERAGE

THE PLAYERS (*starters)

*Mackenzie Mgbako (B+) Mgbako scored eight straight points out of the break to give IU a cushion they’d never relinquish.  It was a masterful stretch for the sophomore.  He also made a couple late free throws in a clutch moment.  But he did have five turnovers and didn’t rebound at a particularly high level.

*Myles Rice (B+) Rice gives Indiana the ability to attack pressure rather than just break it.  And his defense mitigated the impact of Penn State’s Ace Baldwin.  It was not an efficient scoring game for Rice, but his impact was felt in a number of ways.

*Trey Galloway (B+) Galloway was good against Penn State’s pressure defense with six assists against just two turnovers.  And he was good on the defensive end for the most part as well.

*Luke Goode (B+) Goode’s aggressive play can be seen in his seven rebounds and two steals.  And a 3-of-5 day from long range was just what the doctor ordered.  He gives the IU offense much better spacing and that makes everyone better.

*Oumar Ballo (A) Although Penn State had a 7-footer, Ballo was unfazed.  He was the most dominant player on the court from start to finish.  And he did a good job fighting through foul trouble to stay on the floor for 32 minutes.

Kanaan Carlyle (D) It is becoming a broken record at this point to say Carlyle didn’t look comfortable or confident.  But that was once again the case.  Indiana has to solve that because they need his production.

Bryson Tucker (C) Tucker brought some positives with three rebounds and two assists along with a nice cut to the rim for a dunk — but he didn’t shoot the ball well.

Anthony Leal (C) This wasn’t a high impact game for Leal, who continues to not be a significant offensive threat but does bring intangibles.

Langdon Hatton (D) For the second straight game Hatton seemed to struggle with Big Ten size, speed and physicality.

Dallas James did not play, coach’s decision.

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Malik Reneau was out with a knee injury.  Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton are out long-term with injuries.

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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