Indiana suffered a three-game losing streak in January that dropped the Hoosiers to 1-4 in the Big Ten.
One. And. Four.
That's never good for a program of Indiana's caliber, but it was especially bad considering IU was the preseason favorite to win the conference. The third loss dropped the Hoosiers to 33rd at KenPom.com and 37th in the NET, and things were trending in the wrong direction. As any coach will tell you, though, these seasons are long and often filled with twists and turns. The best thing about struggling in January is that you still have February and March to get back on track.
Indiana is back on track. The Hoosiers beat Rutgers 66-60 on Tuesday to improve to 7-1 in their past eight games. In this stretch, they've added three Quadrant-1 wins — most notably last weekend's 79-74 victory over top-ranked Purdue — thanks largely to Trayce Jackson-Davis emerging as a legitimate First Team All-America candidate and all-time Indiana great.
"I think we've gotten a lot better playing around Trayce — giving him space," said Indiana senior Miller Kopp. "It comes down to getting better at what the coaches are asking us to do, and we're all feeling more comfortable with where our looks are coming from."
Indiana is No. 21 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1, where Purdue remains No. 1 for the 17th consecutive day. The Boilermakers have at least a three-game lead over everybody else in the Big Ten standings and will return to the court Thursday when they play Iowa inside Mackey Arena.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
| Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | 3-0 | |
Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer combined to go 5 of 20 from the field in Saturday's 79-74 loss at Indiana. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday against Iowa.
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| 2 | -- | 3-0 | |
Noah Clowney finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 79-69 win at LSU. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday against Florida.
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| 3 | -- | 2-1 | |
Jarace Walker finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 81-65 win at Temple. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Tulsa.
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| 4 | -- | 3-0 | |
Gradey Dick finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Monday's 88-80 win over Texas. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma.
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| 5 | -- | 2-1 | |
Starters not named Marcus Carr were limited to just 30 points in Monday's 88-80 loss at Kansas. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday against West Virginia.
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| 6 | -- | 2-0 | |
Azuolas Tubelis finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 84-52 win over Oregon State. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday at California.
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| 7 | -- | 2-0 | |
Jaren Holmes finished with 15 points and six rebounds Saturday's 68-53 win over Kansas .The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday at West Virginia.
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| 8 | -- | 2-1 | |
Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's 76-52 win over Washington State. The Bruins' next game is Thursday at Oregon State.
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| 9 | -- | 2-1 | |
Markquis Nowell finished with 18 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 82-61 win over TCU. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Texas Tech.
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| 10 | -- | 3-0 | |
Josiah-Jordan James finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday/s 46-43 win over Auburn. The Vols' next game is Wednesday at Vanderbilt.
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| 11 | -- | 2-1 | |
Keyonte George finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 89-62 win over Texas Tech. The Bears' next game is Wednesday against Oklahoma.
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| 12 | -- | 3-0 | |
Jack Nunge finished with 21 points and six assists in Saturday's 96-71 win over St. John's. The Musketeers' next game is Friday at Butler.
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| 13 | -- | 2-0 | |
Jayden Gardner finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 63-50 win over NC State. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Duke.
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| 14 | 1 | 3-0 | |
Aidan Mahaney finished with 18 points and three assists in Saturday's 78-70 overtime win over Gonzaga. The Gaels' next game is Thursday at Loyola Marymount.
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| 15 | 1 | 2-0 | |
Gonzaga only grabbed three offensive rebounds in Saturday's 78-70 overtime loss at Saint Mary's. The Zags' next game is Thursday against San Francisco.
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| 16 | 2 | 3-0 | |
Kam Jones was limited to just five points in Tuesday's 87-72 loss at UConn. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday at Georgetown.
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| 17 | -- | 3-0 | |
Bryce Hopkins finished 3 of 14 from the field in Wednesday's 85-83covertime loss at Xavier. The Friars' next game is Wednesday against Georgetown.
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| 18 | 1 | 2-0 | |
Nathan Mensah finished with 17 points and six rebounds in Friday's 72-52 win over Boise State. The Aztecs' next game is Wednesday at Utah State.
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| 19 | 1 | 2-1 | |
Vladislav Goldin finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 67-52 win at Charlotte. The Owls' next game is Thursday against Rice.
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| 20 | 1 | 2-0 | |
Norchad Omier finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's 81-59 win over Duke. The Hurricanes' next game is Saturday against Louisville.
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| 21 | 2 | 2-0 | |
Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds in Tuesday's 66-60 win over Rutgers. The Hoosiers' next game is Saturday at Michigan.
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| 22 | 3 | 3-0 | |
Jordan Hawkins finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 87-72 win over Marquette. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Creighton.
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| 23 | 1 | 3-0 | |
TCU missed 14 of the 17 3-pointers it attempted in Tuesday's 82-61 loss at Kansas State. The Horned Frogs' next game is Saturday against Baylor.
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| 24 | 6 | 3-0 | |
Jarkel Joiner finished 2 of 14 from the field in Tuesday's 63-50 loss at Virginia. The Wolfpack's next game is Saturday at Boston College.
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| 25 | NR | 3-0 | |
Trey Alexander finished with 27 points and two assists in Saturday's 66-61 win over Villanova. The Bluejays' next game is Wednesday at Seton Hall.
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| 26 | -- | 2-0 | |
Caleb McConnell finished 1 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 66-60 loss at Indiana. The Scarlet Knights' next game is Saturday at Illinois.
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