Trayce Jackson-Davis posted a “fan” letter earlier this week, in which he received criticism for playing “soft” and for not being a strong leader from the Indiana team as a whole.
That wasn’t the situation for the majority of Thursday night. With nine rebounds, three assists, and 30 points, Jackson-Davis tied his season high for the night. At the heartbreaking Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Indiana was defeated by Iowa 91-89 despite the player’s best efforts.
Mike Woodson commented after the game, “His game spoke for itself.”. “The guy gave it his all to make sure we won. He was pretty damn good for us considering he hadn’t been playing and hadn’t been able to practice. He came out and got you at 30 and 9. “.
Regarding Jackson-Davis’ ability to contribute against the Hawkeyes, there was some skepticism. In a media appearance earlier this week, Woodson stated that he would be keeping an eye on Jackson-Davis’ playing time because of his history of back problems.
But as has been the case for the Hoosiers this season, things didn’t go as expected, and Jackson-Davis was forced to take on more responsibility than he might have anticipated. Race Thompson collided with a Hawkeye defender just over 12 minutes into the first half and fell hard, hurting his knee.
Thompson was assisted off the court after spending a few tearful minutes on the floor with his teammates. He came back on crutches, wrapped his right knee in an ice pack, and decided not to participate in the rest of the game.
Source: Daily Hoosier
It’s difficult because, in my opinion, he had his legs cut out from under him, Woodson said. No call; that was a poor play. “.
Thompson and Jackson-Davis were both able to maneuver around the Hawkeyes relatively easily, which was a key component of Indiana’s first-half strategy and helped the Hoosiers build a 21-point lead.
Thompson scored nine points and grabbed three rebounds in his ten minutes on the court. The fact that Indiana was leading 30-13 when he left serves as additional evidence of his contributions. Soon after the game resumed, Iowa went on an 11-0 scoring run. Indiana only had a 10-point advantage at the break.
In addition, Indiana’s defense was unable to contain Hawkeye star Kris Murray without Thompson’s assistance, and Murray ended up finishing the game with 30 points and 10 rebounds.
Jackson-Davis was once again expected to be the primary big man with Thompson out and Malik Reneau continuing to struggle. He played for a total of 38 minutes in a game in which he wasn’t expected to play nearly every minute.
He wasn’t at his best, either. Woodson said, “I understand why he didn’t want to come out. He gave it his damnedest effort to help us win. “.
As the team made its way to the locker room at halftime, Jackson-Davis grimaced, walked with a slight limp, and held his back. As a precaution, Jackson-Davis missed Indiana’s final two non-conference games against Elon and Kennesaw State. Prior to this week, he reportedly hadn’t been taking part in practices.
According to Jackson-Davis, “I basically told him you gotta ride me. “I had the impression that my teammates needed me both at that specific time and throughout the game. “.
Jackson-Davis’ injury didn’t seem to affect his performance on Thursday, but it’s no secret that Indiana’s team performance is suffering as a result of injuries. That is further demonstrated by Thompson’s departure.
Despite the ups and downs of his play occasionally, Xavier Johnson is a playmaker and a leader for Indiana. Without Thompson, Indiana lacks a second big and a partner for Jackson-Davis who can threaten just about anyone. There are some notable absences from the team.
Woodson said, “There’s nothing you can do about it; it’s part of the game. “All I can do is hope Race and X recover quickly and return. The other guys, however, need to step up and play while they’re away. “.
Thompson’s condition is unknown, so others will need to step up in his place. The other encouraging aspect of Thursday’s game was Jalen Hood-Schifino, who finished with 21 points and a career-high nine assists. However, the Hoosiers’ overall performance still seems to be lacking something.
Before Northwestern visits Bloomington on Sunday afternoon, they only have a brief window of time to try to determine what needs to be fixed.
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