Even after a win on Saturday against Big Ten Conference opponent Illinois, it was not enough to keep the Hoosiers from falling out of the AP Top 25.

For the first time all season, Indiana Basketball is not included in the AP Top 25. Rightfully so, the Hoosiers dropping three straight games was not exactly the way Tom Crean and company planned to enter Big Ten play.

Be that as it may, Indiana did salvage a complete game Saturday. The home win against Illinois, 96-80, snapped a three game losing streak. The losses to Nebraska, then-No. 6 Louisville, and then-No. 13 Wisconsin should have come as a wake up call. The team that was built extensively off of expectations set in early November have now essentially crumbled.

The Hoosiers are pegged as a team that can beat any team on a given night. In the same token, they can lose to an opponent on any given night. Ultimately the two top-5 ranked wins against Kansas and North Carolina seem like a distant past for this Hoosier team from a national perspective. Indiana’s non-conference cupcake schedule didn’t help either.

Indiana came into conference play with one of the worst non-conference RPI rankings in the country (No. 309 out of 351) according to KenPom. Perhaps the Hoosiers felt that match-ups like Kansas, North Carolina, Butler, and Louisville were enough to suffice the other lackluster non-conference opponents. Many could point to the problems the Hoosiers have dug for themselves to the strength of the non-conference opponents, but it goes much deeper than just scheduling.

Whether you agree or disagree about the state in which Indiana Basketball finds themselves, there are bright spots. The Hoosiers are in a perfect situation. The national media has counted them out, but the ones who follow them more closely have a different opinion.

Putting together a complete game…

It’s no secret that the Hoosiers have had their fair share of early struggles. It seemed that every game among the last three weeks have come with a different problem. If it’s not the offensive consistency, it’s the lack of team defense. Turnovers have always plagued Tom Crean led teams, and the same is said about this team.

One of the biggest bright spots for Indiana was Saturday’s win against Illinois. It wasn’t the fact that Thomas Bryant put up a season high point total (20 points) or the guards had a stellar performance. It was the collective effort to play a complete game from start to finish. While the second half of the game wasn’t exactly anything to write home about, it was better than what we have seen over the course of 10 days.

The Hoosiers came out with a defensive aggressiveness that was unusual for this team. Indiana scored the first 15 points of the game. The Illini were struggling to find opening offensive opportunities. The offense was on par with what we knew Indiana’s team was capable of. Along with Bryant’s 20 points, James Blackmon Jr. lead all scorers on Indiana with 25 points. Robert Johnson helped with 18 points of his own. The difference maker above all was the control of the ball. Indiana only allowed 4 turnovers in the first half, something they had not done all year.

It was the first time in about a month or so that we saw Indiana put together a performance they could finish. When the Hoosiers close out games, push from tip-off to conclusion, they win games.

Consistency from the guards…

It goes without saying that the Indiana offense heavily relies on its guards to lead the scoring. James Blackmon Jr. and Robert Johnson are essential to Indiana’s success. The pair of veteran guards, when on, are the most electric shooting duo in the Big Ten. When the two are not shooting particularly well, the offense seems to panic. Other guys on the team take low percentage shots and try to force offense that frankly isn’t there.

The guards also play a crucial role in facilitating to other players on the court. Thomas Bryant and O.G. Anunoby can be versatile scoring threats when in the right opportunity. Those types of opportunities come when Blackmon and Johnson are consistent offensively. Bryant has matured tremendously in just the less than 2 seasons with the team. He can be every bit as important to the offense as the guards are.

Like I have told many furious Hoosier fans on social media this week, let us all take a deep breath. While certainly this Indiana team has flaws we did not foresee early on, I wouldn’t give up on this team just yet. Who knows, Indiana could rattle off 8 straight wins (including the win over Illinois) before they play Wisconsin again. To me, there is no real panic button. Rather a reassessment of where this team is realistically at compared to what we thought two months ago.

Indiana squares off at Maryland (14-2) tomorrow 7pm ET on ESPN.