IU basketball: Turnovers doom Hoosiers in loss to Nebraska

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LINCOLN, Neb. – Indiana ended a sloppy performance quietly Tuesday night, in a 66-57 loss at Nebraska.

Careless turnovers, stunted offense and a distinct lack of energy on the glass haunted the Hoosiers, who left a four-game winning streak behind in their final regular-season road game of the year.

INSIDER:In error-prone defeat, IU fans learn a little bit more about Archie Miller

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Here are Three Reasons Why:

An old enemy resurfaces

Ball security might not be where IU coach Archie Miller wants it, but there’s no disputing turnovers haven’t been the Achilles heel for Indiana this season.

Entering play Tuesday, the Hoosiers were committing a turnover on 17.1 percent of possessions against Big Ten opponents, down from 21.3 percent a year ago.

Turnovers, however, still appear to be a chronic disease for this group, showing symptoms despite hope for a cure, and so they were Tuesday night. Indiana struggled holding onto the ball virtually from the opening tip, giving the ball away nine times in the opening half. That led directly to 11 Nebraska points.

By the final horn, IU had committed 19 turnovers, including nine from its starting backcourt. Many were unforced. Most were damaging.

Smith stands out again

Freshman forward Justin Smith helped the Hoosiers (16-13, 9-8) survive Iowa’s torrid start Saturday in Iowa City. Without him at Nebraska, Indiana would’ve been thoroughly adrift.

Smith backed up his 15 points in the Iowa win with 16 from the bench, plus eight rebounds, Tuesday night. He got points and rebounds with hustle and athleticism around the rim, following shots for put-backs and dunks. He defended well when Nebraska tried to go into the post. He didn’t look often like a freshman.

It’s now three games in a row that Smith has scored at least 13 points. And it’s noteworthy that Smith’s best games (at Minnesota, Maryland, Illinois, at Iowa, at Nebraska) have come when the Hoosiers needed him most.

Without him, Tuesday night’s defeat would’ve been much worse.

Backcourt loses its battles

The turnovers were only the start.

Robert Johnson scored a co-team-high 16 points, but wasn’t nearly as efficient as he was in the 29-point game at Iowa. Devonte Green committed six of those turnovers, and scored just four points. Off the bench, Josh Newkirk and Al Durham combined for as many points (four) as turnovers.

Indiana’s guards had come up big in big moments recently. But they struggled long before the Hoosiers’ late-game collapse in Lincoln.

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.