The most critical stretch in this game came late in the 1st half, when Purdue scored 12 in a row to take a nine-point lead into halftime. Indiana’s backcourt during the entire run comprised of Rob Phinisee and Devonte Green. IU has been outscored by 20 points since the Arkansas game with this pairing on the court.
On the other hand, one guard combination that worked was Phinisee and Armaan Franklin, who went +3 in 5:15. In fact, Franklin was the only player to post a positive +/- for Indiana on Saturday afternoon (+1). He played the 3rd-fewest minutes out of any Hoosier (10).
In fact, Franklin has been the only player to post a net positive +/- when combining all of IU’s performances since the Arkansas game. That’s right: the only player with a positive +/- in the last 11 games is Franklin.
Indiana’s best lineup on Saturday was Phinisee, Franklin, Hunter, Smith, and Jackson-Davis. They cut Purdue’s 2nd half lead down to six before the Boilermakers pulled away. On the season, this group has only played 8:48 of non-garbage time together, but they have gone +11 in those minutes. Perhaps playing those five more, or maybe even starting them, is a change that Archie Miller makes to snap this four-game losing streak.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Chris Collins continues to own the Indiana Hoosiers. https://twitter.com/IndianaMBB/status/1759341438083461311 Even without guard…