A week of opportunity has turned into week of major questions as IU basketball finds itself on the wrong side of another high-major blowout

Another game, another lopsided loss for IU basketball against a high-major opponent as Indiana fell to No. 3 Gonzaga, 89-73 — a score that is closer than what the game felt like for the majority of the second half.

A day after a 28-point loss to Louisville, ‘intentions’ were better to begin the game for Indiana. At the 8:11 mark of the first half, it was just a two point game — then the wheels fell off as IU failed to keep another game competitive against top competition.

“I thought we came out and competed early and then hit that dry spot right before the half and gave them that cushion,” Mike Woodson said after the loss. “I thought the second half we competed. But we gotta play two halves and we didn’t play two halves tonight.”

That dry spot was when Indiana failed to score for 4:46, leading to a 21-2 run for Gonzaga. The Zags went on to make 9-of-15 shots in that span while Indiana missed eight in a row. A two-point lead stretched to 18 at the half.

“Good teams like Gonzaga and Louisville, you can’t spot them (points) like we did,” Woodson said. “It’s hard to come back.”

IU basketball has now lost by 28 points and 16 points in the Bahamas. Add that to losses of 14 to Arizona, 20 to UConn, 22 to Kansas and 28 points to Auburn during Woodson’s tenure and the questions are now not about the talent on the roster, rather the coaching of the roster.

Indiana’s inability to compete in big moments is evident. Indiana’s inability to take a punch and punch back is evident. But for Mike Woodson, it’s about the newness of this roster and working through the early struggles.

“Right now my focus is on our team — a new team that’s got seven new players that are still trying to work things out and work through it,” Woodson said. “I’m going to keep pushing until I get this team to where I think it should be.”

While Indiana has flashed in some moments, the record speaks for itself. Outside of a win against Louisville that went 8-24 last year, Indiana hasn’t showed up consistently enough in big moments.

Coming into this season, Mike Woodson said this was the most talented roster he’s had in his four seasons in Bloomington.

Indiana now sits at 4-2 with no quality wins and two very non-competitive losses against high-major competition.

“We’ve got to get to where we’re competing against top-notch teams like the Louisville’s and the Gonzaga’s,” Woodsons aid. “And we’ll get there.”

SEE ALSO: Key takeaways from the 89-73 loss for IU basketball to Gonzaga

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