If there is such a thing as a honeymoon period in coaching, Indiana's Archie Miller saw his come to an unceremonious end on Friday night when Indiana State came into Assembly Hall and throttled the Hoosiers 90-69.
"We're soft," said Miller. "We're just a soft team. You don't have to sugarcoat it at all."
Boos were heard from Hoosier fans with IU trailing by 21 at halftime.
HALFTIME: Indiana State 54, Indiana 33. Some boos echo through the rafters at Assembly Hall. Hoosiers getting bloodied on both ends. Just an atrocious performance. #iubb
— Chris Goff (@CgoffJG) November 11, 2017
The Sycamores shot a scorching 65.4 percent from the 3-point line, hitting 17 of their 26 attempts en route to a dominant win over Indiana in Bloomington. Meanwhile, Indiana struggled to find any type of success on either side of the ball.
The Hoosiers shot a putrid 22.2 percent from beyond the arc and allowed Indiana State -- a preseason bottom tier MVC team -- to shoot 59.6 percent from the floor. However Miller didn't discredit the Sycamores and their thorough shellacking of his squad.
"The fight, the toughness, I think you're seeing a team that's having to learn how to play a new way, and they don't know how to win yet doing it this way," said Miller. "I make no excuses - Indiana State was ready, and Indiana wasn't."
Unfortunately for Indiana, things won't get easier from here. Sunday's game vs. Howard is the second of seven games in a grueling 20-day stretch for the Hoosiers, which includes a trip to No. 23 Seton Hall and a home game to close out November against top-ranked Duke.
