BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — In a modern era of basketball where three point shooting and high paced offense reign, the team in Bloomington is putting on a very different type of show. They are putting on a show that is much uglier to watch. The Hoosiers ultimately put down an undermanned Nebraska team in a back-and-forth, rock-throwing contest that went into overtime. The clutch performance of Nebraska guard Dachon Burke kept Nebraska alive in the final seconds of the second half. Indiana was led by freshman star Trayce Jackson-Davis who had career highs of 25 points and 15 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

Off of the 12 overtime points from Jackson-Davis and Rob Phinisee, Indiana moves to 10-1 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten. The Huskers get their sixth loss on the season to move to 4-6, 0-1. Something noteworthy: home teams are currently 11-0 in conference play for the Big Ten this season.

Big Ten wins won’t come easy, but a home game against Nebraska might have been the easiest Indiana will get all season. Minutes before the game, Nebraska announced the suspension of one of their key guards Jervay Green due to a violation of team rules. The loss of Green meant that Nebraska would only have eight scholarship players for the evening.

As it has been for Indiana in recent memory, “easy” would prove to be anything but easy.

Immediately after tip, the Hoosiers showed a brief flash of what their potential ceiling when all cylinders are hitting. Al Durham hit an open three and Justin Smith knocked down a pair of free throws. Devonte Green, Durham, and Smith then each contributed fast-break points to give the Hoosiers a quick 11-2 lead.

But then, the ever-so-familiar early game struggles reappeared. Fred Hoiberg called for offensive sets that pulled out Indiana’s interior and he used off-ball motion to create easy give-and-go layups for his team. Nebraska established their confidence after scoring on a 10-0 run in less than two minutes of game time.

Perhaps it was Tuesday’s late game catching up to this Indiana team who really only had a full Thursday to recover. It could also be Nebraska’s week-long break to prepare for this game. Regardless, Indiana lost their momentum in the blink of an eye, and they were never able to get it back at that same level until the overtime period.

Nebraska’s backcourt of Cam Mack and Haanif Cheatham led their Huskers in moving the basketball and facilitating the offense with impressive passes, which allowed Nebraska to tally assists on half of their 14 made field goal attempts early on. The pair finished the first segment with 16 points and 6 assists combined.

Memories of Madison returned for fans in Simon Skodjt Assembly Hall. Offensively Indiana could not take advantage of opportunities against an active Cornhusker defense. Even when left open, the Hoosiers simply could not make their shots – something that has now become a three-game theme. Indiana opened with making just one of eight from behind the arc. The Huskers continued to live the perimeter open for Indiana, but Indiana could not take advantage.

For the rest of the first half, both teams played each other evenly. Great plays from players like Phinisee, Joey Brunk, and Justin Smith were matched bucket-for-bucket by the Nebraska side. You just know Archie Miller already has tough, defensive practices planned for the team until their next game. The Hoosiers would go in to the break nursing just a single-point lead over the Cornhuskers at the half 40-39.

In the second period, Jackson-Davis took control of the game for Indiana. After just three points and five rebounds in the first half, Jackson-Davis battled his way for ten points around a well-protected rim by the 12-minute mark. He was a major reason why Indiana controlled the early glass against the Huskers.

Indiana also did not disguise their plan of attack. The offensive goal was clear to everyone on the floor and to the thousands in the stands: feed Trayce the ball. All of the Indiana guards looked directly into the lane, and the same with all of the Nebraska defenders. Even clear intentions, there was not much that Nebraska could do against Jackson-Davis who took advantage by being more active and more aggressive under the rim. He ran both ends of the court with upped hustle and spent very little time with both feet planted after shots went up.

— Indiana On BTN (@IndianaOnBTN) December 14, 2019