Indiana Tightens Up Defensively, Cuts Down Fouls in Win Over Chicago State
With a full week between games, Indiana head coach Darian DeVries didn’t waste any time addressing one of the Hoosiers’ most glaring issues - fouling. And heading into Saturday’s matchup against Chicago State, it was a problem that couldn’t be ignored any longer.
Indiana was averaging 18.9 fouls per game, a mark that would be the program’s highest since the 2016-17 season. Opponents were getting to the free-throw line at an alarming rate - 22.7 attempts per game - which would be IU’s worst defensive free-throw rate in over a decade. Simply put, Indiana was giving away too many free points and putting itself in a bind with foul trouble.
Look at the Hoosiers' three losses this season: Minnesota shot 20 free throws, Louisville had 19, and Kentucky stepped to the line 29 times. That’s not just a trend - it’s a problem.
And it wasn’t just about the scoreboard. The fouls were chipping away at Indiana’s depth, forcing key players to the bench early and often.
So DeVries made it a point of emphasis coming out of the Kentucky game. The message was clear: play tough, play physical, but play smart.
“I think people can see it’s those reach-in fouls. That goes for me, too.
I got those two early ones last game,” forward Reed Bailey said after Saturday’s game. “It’s something we emphasize, but we also still want to be playing physical, playing with aggression so you don’t want to take that away.
But I think it’s definitely been talked about.”
And the results spoke for themselves. Against Chicago State, Indiana committed just 10 fouls as a team - by far their cleanest game of the season - and held the Cougars to only six free-throw attempts. That discipline helped pave the way for a comfortable 78-58 win at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Only one Hoosier, Jasai Miles, finished with more than two fouls. Bailey, Nick Dorn, and Trent Sisley all logged meaningful minutes without committing a single one. That’s the kind of control DeVries had been pushing for.
In his pregame radio interview, DeVries revealed that he and his staff had gone deep into the film this past week, reviewing every foul Indiana had committed this season. The goal wasn’t just to count whistles - it was to understand the why behind them.
“We broke down some of those fouls and where they came from and showed them the difference between, ‘Hey, here’s an aggressive one that we’re willing to accept a foul every now and then, and here’s the ones we got to stop,’” DeVries said. “Maybe it’s reaching in from behind or whatever when you don’t need to. That’s something that, A, we can’t let them be at the free-throw line and, B, we don’t need you sitting over on the bench.”
Some of the fouling, DeVries admitted, comes down to the team’s size. Without a true rim protector, Indiana has to rely on physicality and positioning to defend inside.
That can lead to contact - and sometimes, to whistles. Other times, it's about decision-making in transition, especially after turnovers, when players might reach in instead of getting back.
But against Chicago State, Indiana showed real progress in cleaning up those areas. Yes, the Cougars came in ranked No. 348 in KenPom - and even moved up two spots after the loss - so this wasn’t exactly a high-stakes defensive test. Still, you can only play the team in front of you, and Indiana did what it needed to do.
The next challenge comes Monday against Siena, and that’s where the real test begins. Can the Hoosiers maintain this balance between physical defense and smart, foul-free play when the competition ramps up?
DeVries knows it’s a fine line. He doesn’t want his team to lose its defensive edge. And without elite shot-blocking, Indiana’s strength has to be its collective toughness and positioning - which, to their credit, has led to one of the better two-point field goal percentage defenses in the country.
“I don’t want us losing our edge either from a defensive standpoint,” DeVries said. “Our two-point field goal percentage defense is one of the better ones in the country and we don’t have shot blocking, so there’s a reason for that too. We got to make sure there’s just a nice balance - we don’t want to foul but we also maintain our physicality.”
Saturday was a step in the right direction. Now, Indiana has to prove it can keep walking that line - even when the lights get a little brighter.