For the second time in as many tries, IU put together an impressive showing against a high major opponent.
Indiana never trailed in this one. The Hoosiers jumped out to a 20-4 lead with 13:29 left in the first half. It looked like they might put Kansas State away early. But the Wildcats responded to pull to within 22-20. IU closed the first half with a 17-7 run and opened the second 10-2 to take a 49-29 lead with 16:53 left in the game. Kansas State would get as close as 10, but never seriously threaten again.
Let’s take a deeper look at how Indiana won 86-69 with our latest edition of The Report Card.
Indiana (6-0) will host Bethune Cookman on Saturday at Noon ET.
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OFFENSE (B+)
Kansas State followed the defensive approach Lindenwood had some success with against IU: Switch most of the perimeter screens, make someone/something other than Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson shooting threes beat you. The Hoosiers made clear strides against that style. But not right away. Early on, Indiana tried to shoot threes over the defense. At one point in the first half, 18 of their 25 shots were from beyond the arc.
“We thought we needed to get more paint touches in the second half, so we wanted to run a little bit more of our stuff where we got Tayton going downhill getting to the rim,” coach Darian DeVries said.
With the attention on Wilkerson and DeVries and the lane open, IU shot 17 of 24 (70.8%) from two. The added focus on drives did contribute to more turnovers — a season high 17 for Indiana against just 15 assists. But the Hoosiers shot their highest effective field goal percentage (56.1%) in three games, and they drew fouls, getting to the line for a season-high 29 attempts.
For the game Indiana scored 1.13 points per possession. The gave their half court offense a boost by pushing the pace when the floor was broken off KSU turnovers, and they grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and scored 11 points off those.
DEFENSE (A)
It was unfortunate Kansas State made a couple garbage time threes in the final minute against IU’s walk-ons. Without those, IU would have held the Wildcats 30 points below their season scoring average. A prolific 3-point shooting team, the Wildcats were just 6 of 20 (30%) from long range before those two late makes.
The low volume from deep was just as important as the low percentage, as IU ran KSU off the line and forced the Wildcats to play inside the arc. And Kansas State made just 43.2% from two as Indiana’s defense was connected and every shot in the paint seemed to be contested.
Indiana harassed KSU into 19 turnovers, and the Wildcats only got 10 assists on the night.
Coming into the game, Kansas State’s season-low points per possession was 1.11. They manufactured just .91 against IU.
In addition to taking away 3-pointers, Indiana eliminated second-chances. Defensive rebounding was a major concern for IU coming into the game. But the Wildcats rebounded a season-low 25 percent of their misses for just eight offensive rebounds. Indiana’s ability to run KSU off the arc paid dividends on the glass as well.
“When you don’t have those long shots, you don’t have long rebounds,” DeVries said. “We were able to keep guys in front of us a lot more. Now we were in perfect box-out position as opposed to being in rotation where now you got to go find guys.”
MORE GAME COVERAGE
- IU basketball’s supporting cast proved it can carry the load in win over Kansas State
- Watch: IU basketball’s Darian DeVries, Tayton Conerway, Reed Bailey talk win over Kansas State
- IU basketball: Indiana 86 Kansas State 69 — Three keys, highlights, final stats
- Kansas State’s Jerome Tang discusses the game
THE PLAYERS (*starters)
*Tucker DeVries (B+) When his shot volume is lower, he’s probably going to lead the team in assists, and that’s what happened on Tuesday, with five assists against just one turnover. Everything about his night was solid except a 1 of 6 effort beyond the arc.
*Lamar Wilkerson (B+) Wilkerson’s only production came from beyond the arc, but he was efficient there, making 4 of 7. There were a couple head-scratching turnovers. He helped out on the defensive effort against Haggerty.
*Reed Bailey (A-) It was a rough first 10 minutes for Bailey, but he figured things out and had a stellar back 30. With the lane open, Bailey utilized his skill to get to the rim, and his newfound physicality to get to the free throw line for 15 attempts. His production was central to IU pulling away early in the second half.
*Conor Enright (A) Enright was an absolute nuisance defensively, leading the charge against the nation’s leading scorer, P.J. Haggerty, who he helped keep 12 under his scoring average with six turnovers. Enright made threes, facilitated the offense, had two steals, took charges, and co-led the team in rebounds with six.
*Tayton Conerway (A-) Conerway’s ability to get past his man and into the paint made Kansas State pay for their defensive attention to the perimeter. IU spread the floor and let Conerway drive, and he made five of seven shots from two. He also played a key role against Haggerty and others defensively, and had three steals. His seven turnovers were the lone negative.
Sam Alexis (B+) Alexis was impactful when he was in the game, but foul trouble limited him to just 10 minutes.
Trent Sisley (A-) Sisley’s motor was great. He ran the floor, crashed the boards, and played good defense. He didn’t look like a freshman at any point. “He doesn’t get really much plays run for him right now as a freshman but, man, he impacts the game. He will fall into double digits. He will fall into rebounds because he knows how to play. He finds his role and he really capitalizes on it and a lot of it is just with effort plays,” DeVries said.
Nick Dorn (B) Dorn is still feeling his way through his return to the floor after recovering from an injury that dates back to last season. He ran the floor well, and that got him into position for open threes he’ll eventually start making.
Jasai Miles (N/A) Miles played two minutes.
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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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