The overall team defense has been as good as I have seen at IU in decades. Also, Trey Galloway needs more talk about being the B10 DPOY this year! He has always been solid but his defense has taken a new step forward this year. Every game they put him on the other teams best wing or guard and ever game he shuts them down. He also rotates over to whoever is getting hot on the other teams and immediately takes them out. He plays harder than anyone in the country while picking up very few fouls. He plays about 38-40 mins a game and typically only has a couple fouls a game. That is so impressive to watch!
X has also made a huge impact in just the few recent games that he has been able to play. What he did against Young of Maryland and them Hawkins of Minn was pretty obvious. Young was Maryland's offense in the first half and X was blanketing him the whole 2nd half. His quick feet and also knowing what to expect and how the other guy is trying to shake him shows. That defensive experience and size/strength have been a huge part of the 3 game winning streak!
Ware is also playing his butt off and helping out the rest of the guys anytime someone gets close to the rim. That is a HUGE advantage to know you just need to stay in front of a guy and then KW can block or disrupt their shot from there. He's a beast on the boards too. He and TJD have different ways of doing it but they are similar in the results.
Also, Anthony Leal is always in the right help defensive spot. Those little things probably go unnoticed 90% of the time because sometimes it is just enough to slow down a drive, make someone rethink a pass, make someone shoot just a little more difficult shot but they add up. His minutes are never wasted. Even the games when he doesn't take lots of shots, he is making winning contributions. He also seems to get in there and rebound at a pretty good clip for a guard. Winning plays are not just about points. He has been a real bright spot this year.
As a long time fan, I think this is best defensive IU team since 2002. While I wish they had picked up additional wins in the middle of the season, I love how hard they're playing. Go IU!
X has also made a huge impact in just the few recent games that he has been able to play. What he did against Young of Maryland and them Hawkins of Minn was pretty obvious. Young was Maryland's offense in the first half and X was blanketing him the whole 2nd half. His quick feet and also knowing what to expect and how the other guy is trying to shake him shows. That defensive experience and size/strength have been a huge part of the 3 game winning streak!
Ware is also playing his butt off and helping out the rest of the guys anytime someone gets close to the rim. That is a HUGE advantage to know you just need to stay in front of a guy and then KW can block or disrupt their shot from there. He's a beast on the boards too. He and TJD have different ways of doing it but they are similar in the results.
Also, Anthony Leal is always in the right help defensive spot. Those little things probably go unnoticed 90% of the time because sometimes it is just enough to slow down a drive, make someone rethink a pass, make someone shoot just a little more difficult shot but they add up. His minutes are never wasted. Even the games when he doesn't take lots of shots, he is making winning contributions. He also seems to get in there and rebound at a pretty good clip for a guard. Winning plays are not just about points. He has been a real bright spot this year.
As a long time fan, I think this is best defensive IU team since 2002. While I wish they had picked up additional wins in the middle of the season, I love how hard they're playing. Go IU!
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