IU a discombobulated mess with few answers

MADISON, Wisc. — As AJ Storr prepared to take Wisconsin’s 28th and 29th free throws of the night, Indiana’s Xavier Johnson and Malik Reneau communicated with each other during the dead ball.

Not verbally.

Johnson — who was planted outside the 3-point arc — stared at Reneau, who was crouched over on the left block in rebounding position. It was a blank stare, one that told an extensive story.

There was nothing for either player to say at the moment. Indiana (12-7, 4-4 Big Ten) had been thoroughly dominated by No. 8 Wisconsin (14-4, 6-1), 91-79. Johnson — the Hoosiers’ outspoken captain — had nothing to say to the sophomore big man.

That moment wasn’t an isolated one for IU on Friday night. After the Hoosiers led 12-11, Wisconsin went on a 15-4 lead to open a double-digit advantage that lasted most of the evening. IU continually struggled to get stops, and the body language — the lack of eye contact, minimal cheering from the bench and nonverbal communication — worsened as the game continued.

It’s Mike Woodson’s third year as Indiana’s coach. Each year, the Hoosiers have faced hardship and multi-game losing streaks. But a critical factor that separates this year’s squad from previous ones is the synergy of the players.

Put frankly, Woodson’s other teams enjoyed playing together and showed a genuine level of care for one another. This team doesn’t seem to have those same qualities.

That’s not to say that the players on this roster dislike each other — that’d be an exaggeration. But it doesn’t feel like they care whether the collective fails or succeeds. Or whether they get embarrassed, as they did twice this week.

Six of IU’s seven losses have been by nine or more points. This is a bunch that’s shown if you give it a light nudge, it won’t fight back. That is unless it means picking up a petty flagrant foul — which has happened in three of IU’s past four games.

CJ Gunn was guilty of committing a flagrant on Friday. Gunn checked in the game for eight seconds when he responded to Max Klesmit rubbing his head against Gunn’s right shoulder with an uppercut elbow. Flagrant 2. Ejection.

“You’ve got to be level-headed on the court,” Reneau said. “You can’t just let any small thing irk you on the court and give up flagrants like that.”

Gunn struck Klesmit directly in front of Wisconsin’s bench, and the Badgers immediately pointed it out to the officiating crew. Klesmit knocked down a pair of free throws to cap a stretch where he scored 20 points in less than five minutes. It was the Hoosiers’ second ejection in as many weeks after Johnson struck Rutgers forward Antwone Woolfolk below the belt last Tuesday.

Both plays reeked of desperation, nay discombobulation. When things get tough and the Hoosiers become frustrated, they disassemble quicker than a Jenga set.

Friday’s box score tells a lot. Both teams scored substantially in what Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said “looked like an NBA All-Star Game at times.” Each side made 28 field goals. Wisconsin had 14 assists. Indiana had seven.

“I feel like the disconnection happens when they start going on their runs, and I feel like we start to not trust in each other,” Reneau said. “So we’ve just got to figure out a way to get back to the drawing board, trusting the extra pass, and trusting our teammate to make the extra play.”

Wisconsin is a team that knows what it is and has chemistry playing together. The Badgers carried over most of their production from last season, albeit one where they finished in the NIT.

IU lost four starters from an NCAA tournament team, including Trayce Jackson-Davis, one of the program’s alltime greats. Nobody expected the Hoosiers to replicate last season, but they shouldn’t look this bad. Not in the transfer portal and NIL era of college sports, with one of the most-funded programs in the country.

“We’re a new team,” Woodson said. “And I’m not using that as an excuse. We’ve got 10 new players, and we’re still trying to figure each other out.”