Indiana hasn't and won't be 100 percent this season, playing without OG Anunoby the rest of the way and still missing James Blackmon Jr. Tom Crean is still settling on lineups and rotations as the Hoosiers' season slides toward possibly missing the NCAA Tournament.
The Hoosiers had a great chance to boost their tournament profile Sunday at Wisconsin, and had their chances but lost 65-60 to get swept in Big Ten play by the Badgers. Wisconsin got stagnant offensively in the second half and Indiana was able to make a final push that wound up a few buckets short of a huge road win.
Right now, Indiana's only quality win in conference play is an 82-75 home victory over Michigan State. The play of Josh Newkirk has been encouraging, Robert Johnson is solid and Thomas Bryant is a force, at times giving Indiana the look of a team close to matching the preseason expectations.
Against Wisconsin and in a loss to Maryland, Indiana has raised its level of play and looked dangerous. But the Hoosiers also have suffered a 30-point loss to Michigan and a 13-point loss to Northwestern.
Indiana is in trouble. But if the Hoosiers can win two of their upcoming three games vs. Purdue, Michigan and at Minnesota, they can start feeling better about their tournament chances. If Indiana misses the tournament, injuries will be the talking point, though there's still time to go on a run and emerge in March as a popular sleeper pick.