BLOOMINGTON — Indiana men’s basketball performed a complete turnaround in just one game.
IU shot a jarring 1 for 20 from 3-point range against Winthrop on Sunday. But Thursday was another story. Against Rutgers, the Hoosiers went 12 for 27 from beyond the arc, their most threes in a single game under Mike Woodson. The improved outside shooting led to an 84-74 win at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
“Guys stepped up, they made ’em, which was kind of nice to see,” Woodson said after the game. “That’s probably the most threes we’ve made this season so far and I just hope it continues to be a carryover because I thought in the Winthrop game we got some good looks, we just didn’t make them. Tonight, guys stepped up and they knocked them down which we’re going to need moving forward.”
Indiana had six players drill 3-pointers on Thursday. Trey Galloway, Luke Goode, and Mackenzie Mgbako all led the way with three apiece. Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle, and Anthony Leal added one each, with Leal’s coming in stunning fashion on a ridiculous halfcourt fadeaway at the buzzer for halftime. The Hoosiers made the Scarlet Knights pay for their lackluster zone defense, which provided lots of open looks from beyond the arc.
After the Winthrop game, Woodson talked about how shooting is “a funny thing,” and how he could only hope that the good looks his team attempted on Sunday would start to fall. The team didn’t change anything behind the scenes because of the rough game. And it worked. Mgbako said the IU coaching staff just emphasized that the players need to keep shooting.
“We got to trust in ourselves, trust in our ability to make shots and know that they’re going to fall down when thaw need to,” Mgbako said. “Just keep shooting the ball and keep looking for the open man.”
Indiana won’t hit 12 threes every night, but this game was indicative of the type of performance this team is capable of when the outside shots are falling. Rutgers star freshman Ace Bailey caused problems for the Hoosiers individually, but they turned in one of their more complete performances of the season anyway.
The Scarlet Knights went on a 13-0 run in the middle of the first half, but never led by more than seven points. Once the Hoosiers regained the lead just over four minutes after that run, they held that edge for the rest of the game.
In the bonus (extra notes)
- Myles Rice’s effort continues to stand out for IU. He led the team with 21 points on Thursday, but it goes beyond that. He continues to play solid defense. His pace and hustle set the tone for everyone else on the floor. He’s consistently chasing long rebounds, sprawling for loose balls, and making the sort of effort plays that translate to winning basketball in the long-run. The Washington State transfer has been one of Indiana’s most important players early in the season, and there’s a case for him being the biggest X-factor on the team.
- Indiana’s offensive rebounding against Rutgers was noteworthy. The Hoosiers grabbed 18 offensive boards, their second-most of the season and tied for their second-most under Woodson. Oumar Ballo was the biggest key in that regard, with seven offensive rebounds; Leal came up with three. And the way IU made use of those extra opportunities was even bigger — the team scored an impressive 34 second-chance points on Thursday. For a team that so often this season hasn’t been doing the little things right and hasn’t been capitalizing on opportunities like those, perhaps this game could be a turning point.
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