Indiana vs. Temple: 5 Things Hoosiers Must Fix After Round-of-32 Scare

Indiana avoided a major upset Sunday against Temple, winning 58-52.  The Hoosiers failed to retake the lead until late in the second half, but a big three-pointer by Victor Oladipo helped seal the win.

Khalif Wyatt led Temple with 31 points on 12-of-24 shooting.  Unfortunately, the rest of his team struggled mightily from the field, and the Hoosiers were able to avoid the upset.

That being said, there are a lot of things that the Hoosiers didn't do well.  If they don't fix these things, the Syracuse Orange could be advancing to the Elite Eight instead of Indiana.

1. Prevent Second-Chance Opportunities

In several of the Hoosiers' losses and close wins, the team has seriously struggled boxing out and limiting offensive rebounds.  In the game against Temple, this was no different.

The Owl has 31 rebounds, including an unacceptable 11 offensive boards.  The Hoosiers had 31 rebounds as well, but were only able to grab four on offense.

Boxing out is critical in basketball, and the Owls were able to take advantage of the Hoosiers' relaxed demeanor.  Rather than box out, the Hoosiers waited for the ball to come to them.  When the ball was contested, the Hoosiers were more interested in tipping the ball  than getting both hands on it.

Physical teams tend to give the Hoosiers trouble, and the only way they can beat these kind of teams is by boxing out more effectively.

2. Protect the Paint

The Hoosiers may be a relatively small team, but that doesn't mean they can't protect the paint.

It was difficult to watch players for Temple consistently drive to the basket without much effort.  Whether it was a pick-and-roll, switch or just a backdoor pass, the Hoosiers seemed to stray away from the paint, and guys were able to make easy shots.

In fact, if Christian Watford hadn't made a big block late in the game, the Hoosiers would have been in big trouble.  Cody Zeller strayed away from the basket, leaving a Temple player wide open.  Watford made an incredible play to get to the rim and make a big block.  

With guys like Michael Carter-Williams on Syracuse, the Hoosiers can't have a repeat performance in the paint defensively in the next round. 

3. Better Ball Movement

Other than the dagger shot by Victor Oladipo to seal the game, the ball movement by the Hoosiers was unimpressive to say the least.

The Hoosiers tend to excel scoring in transition, as well as driving and passing out for open threes.  Against Temple, the Hoosiers struggled to do so, going 4-of-13 from behind the arc.

Part of that might have been due to Jordan Hulls missing time in the first half after injuring his shoulder. But the ball movement just wasn't there.  Most of the offensive "plays" were either Zeller in the post or Watford and Oladipo making one-on-one moves from the key.  

The Hoosiers win big when they find their shooting touch from behind the arc.  To do that, the ball movement is going to have to improve.

4. Limit Turnovers

This has been a problem all year for the Hoosiers.  The game against Temple was no different.

The Hoosiers average 12.9 turnovers per game  and had 12 against the Owls. Poor decision-making led to questionable plays and passes that were intercepted or sailed out of bounds.

Zeller was the biggest contributor to the turnover numbers, recording six.  He struggled holding onto the ball down low, and that led to some missed opportunities for the Hoosiers.

The Orange excel at forcing mistakes, forcing an average of 15.5 turnovers per game.  If the Hoosiers are as sloppy with the ball as they were against the Owls, they will be on the wrong side of a lot of fast breaks.

5. Better Play from Yogi Ferrell

Guard play wins NCAA championships, and Yogi Ferrell looked like an impressive guard against James Madison, with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

However, Ferrell just didn't look the same against Temple.  He went 0-of-2 from the field, failing to register a point.  He also had three assists and just as many turnovers. 

Ferrell may only be a freshman, but the team depends on him to run the offense and make exciting plays with his speed and agility.  He wasn't able to drive to the basket as effectively as he would have liked, and the team struggled because of it.

The task will get no easier for Yogi, as Carter-Williams will be on him all day in the Sweet 16 matchup.  He's one of the best pickpockets in the NCAA and consistently frustrates opposing point guards.  

Yogi needs to step up again, and the Hoosiers need to help him out.