Indiana cruised at home against a final low-major test before Big Ten play begins.
The IU lead just kept swelling against Bethune-Cookman. It was 10 four minutes into the game, 20 less than 12 minutes in, 30 a minute into the second half, and 40 with 10 minutes left in the game. The Hoosiers were never threatened.
Let’s take a deeper look at how Indiana won 100-56 with our latest edition of The Report Card.
Indiana (7-0) will start Big Ten play Wednesday with a 7 p.m. ET tip at Minnesota.
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OFFENSE (A-)
For the fourth time this year IU had 23 or more assists in a game, and their 27 in this one tied a season high. And Indiana also tied a season-low with seven turnovers. At 9.9%, Indiana had its lowest turnover rate of the season.
“I felt the guys did a great job today just playing within the offense and really moving it and sharing it and getting into actions,” coach Darian DeVries said. “I think the guys are just unselfish. They really have a good understanding of what we’re trying to do on offense, and they really move it and share it.”
The Hoosiers were good inside and out, and at the stripe. But they were highly efficient from the paint, making 68.6% from two. That came mostly via back cuts and transition. For the game Indiana scored 1.41 points per possession, their second best rate of the young season.
The only nit would be occasionally poor shot selection, as the Hoosiers took some logo threes that seemed like they were settling. Those shots do extend the defense, but as efficient as Indiana can be, it doesn’t seem wise to take 30-footers early in the shot clock.
DEFENSE (A-)
Although they didn’t force a bunch of turnovers, Indiana’s ball pressure was good. They were connected and held the Wildcats to just 34.8% shooting from two and 20% from three.
Indiana took away Bethune-Cookman’s top scoring threats. Their top three scorers were held 11 points below their combined average and shot just 28.6% from the field.
While there were 40 missed shots to corral, the Hoosiers did a reasonable job keeping BC off the offensive boards. They had just nine.
IU did give up its second-highest free throw attempt rate of the season, as they continue to be foul prone.
While Indiana’s offense achieves high assist rates, the defense continues to limit assists and force teams to rely on individual play. BC had just nine assists for the game, and no team has had more than 10 assists against the Hoosiers this season.
MORE GAME COVERAGE
- Watch: Darian DeVries and Nick Dorn discuss win over Bethune-Cookman
- IU basketball: Indiana 100 Bethune-Cookman 56 — Three keys, highlights, final stats
THE PLAYERS (*starters)
*Tucker DeVries (A-) DeVries had an efficient, smart, clean floor game, tacking on five assists and no turnovers to his team-high 20 points. He did have three fouls, an issue that continues to pop up for a player too valuable to not have on the floor.
*Lamar Wilkerson (B+) The long balls weren’t falling and Wilkerson focused on not settling for long threes and made 6 of 7 shots from two and had no turnovers. And his head coach said he was solid on the defensive end.
*Reed Bailey (A-) It wasn’t a big scoring game for Bailey, but he was effective pushing off rebounds, and setting up the offense in a point forward role at times. He had seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and no turnovers in just 18 minutes.
*Conor Enright (A-) Enright seems focused on pushing the pace at a faster clip recently, both in transition and in the half court. He was highly effective in that regard, with seven assists and no turnovers. And Enright was impactful on the ball on the defensive end, and added four rebounds.
*Tayton Conerway (A-) Conerway helped spark the strong start with crafty finishes at the rim. He had five assists, three steals and no turnovers. He was good guarding the ball. The only thing that didn’t go well was his perimeter shooting.
Sam Alexis (A-) Alexis was high energy on the glass, he had two steals and a block, and he showed good footwork on multiple paint touches. He had a couple ball handling miscues, but was solid once again off the bench besides that.
Trent Sisley (A-) The freshman was once again an instant spark off the bench with smart cutting and running the floor. He finished with a team-high nine rebounds in just 22 minutes.
Nick Dorn (A-) Dorn seems to be developing a rhythm in the offense. He had what was easily his best shooting game as a Hoosier, making 4 of 5 from long range. He had a couple turnovers as he continues to adjust to the speed and physicality of the game.
Jasai Miles (B) Miles continues to have a good rebounding presence, and he added a couple assists on the day. But he’ll need to tighten his ball handling to earn a larger role.
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Andrej Acimovic did not play — coaches decision.
Aleksa Ristic, Jason Drake, and Josh Harris were all out with injuries.
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