Undefeated met uninspiring on Thursday evening.
Indiana got off to a good start, up 10-0 early, and 27-11 with six minutes to go until halftime. The margin hovered in that area until Lindenwood pulled to within 34-28, and then 37-31 with 16:01 left in the game. But IU hit the knockout blow — a 25-8 run to go up by 23 with 9:43 remaining. They never looked back.
Let’s take a deeper look at how Indiana won 73-53 with our latest edition of The Report Card.
Indiana (5-0) will host Kansas State (5-0) on Tuesday evening in Bloomington.
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OFFENSE (D)
Indiana’s offense seems to lose its rhythm and flow when defenses switch screens. Suddenly, the artistic movement we saw the first three games becomes unimpactful. IU coach Darian DeVries said the team spends most of their time practicing against man defense that does not switch. They prepared for switching this week, but it’s still a work in progress.
“It’s something the last couple days I thought we did a really good job in our practices the last couple days of really exploiting some of that switching,” DeVries said after the game. “It didn’t have maybe as good of carryover as we would’ve liked, but something I know that we’ll continue to get better and better at as we see it more.”
With their offense stagnant at times, Tucker DeVries bailed out Indiana on more than one occasion with some desperation heaves. That helped IU gain some separation. But the Hoosiers were highly inefficient, especially when compared to their earlier games this season. They posted season lows with just 1.03 points per possession and a 45.1% effective field goal rate.
IU avoided a nervous finish by turning it over just eight times, and earning 25 attempts at the free throw line. But this was an offensive performance that left a lot to be desired.
DEFENSE (B+)
IU completely dominated on the defensive end in the first half. Lindenwood was held scoreless for the first 6:29 of game action. The visitors started the game 7-for-39 from the floor, 0-for-10 from the 3-point line, and committed nine first-half turnovers.
The stretch to start the second half was not good for IU, as Lindenwood made 3 of 4 shots and pulled to within six. But that was really the extent of their successful offense, as they missed 8 of their next 9 as the Hoosiers clamped down.
“I thought in the middle of the second half, 15, 14 minutes to go there, I thought the lineup change came in and they did a really nice job of coming in and picking up and disrupting their catches on the wings,” DeVries said.
For the game IU limited Lindenwood to .75 points per possession. The Lions had an effective field goal percentage of just 27.6% — the lowest IU has held a team since the 2021-22 season. They shot just 28.6% from two. Lindenwood also had just eight assists against 14 turnovers for the game.
But despite the strong performance, IU had one glaring issue. The Hoosiers allowed 19 offensive rebounds. Now of course some that was due to the Lions missing 50 shots, but it’s still far too high of a total against a low-major opponent. This is a problem that has the potential to lose games against high majors.
MORE GAME COVERAGE
- ‘We just got to play harder’: IU men’s basketball looking for answers after another sluggish win
- Watch: Darian DeVries, Tucker DeVries and Sam Alexis talk win over Lindenwood
- IU basketball: Indiana 73 Lindenwood 53 — Three keys, highlights, final stats
THE PLAYERS (*starters)
*Tucker DeVries (A-) It’s not clear Indiana pulls this out without Tucker’s strong second half run. He produced 15 of the points in IU’s 25-8 run to put the game away. He didn’t turn the ball over and had three assists. Indiana needs more on the glass from him.
*Lamar Wilkerson (C-) It was a second straight poor shooting night for Wilkerson. But he’s still shooting 44.4% from three on the season. He didn’t seem to let his shooting woes bother him on the defensive end or when it came to rebounding. You can understand the shooting slumps, but he needs to be better finishing in the paint.
*Reed Bailey (D) If Bailey is Indiana’s starting five, he’ll need to rebound more, finish through contact better, and be stronger with the ball. He’s got a lot more to offer than what we’ve seen of late.
*Conor Enright (C+) Enright was pesky on defense, mixed it up in Lindenwood’s screens, and he made a three — his only shot attempt on the night. You’d like more scoring out of a starting guard, but to this point Enright hasn’t looked for his shot.
*Tayton Conerway (B) As is often the case, Conerway did a little bit of everything, with six rebounds, four assists (against just one turnover) and two steals. He only took one shot from two. Conerway has the ability to be more impactful as a scorer in the paint than what he showed in this game.
Sam Alexis (A-) Alexis brought toughness, physicality and effort. He grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked four shots. His effort seemed to be rewarded, as he played eight more minutes than Bailey despite not starting. Alexis was the most enthusiastic player on the court for IU.
Trent Sisley (B-) Sisley continues to deliver the energy and effort plays. Everything he does, the dial is turned to 10. It wasn’t his most efficient day as a scorer, but eight points and six rebounds from a freshman is solid.
Nick Dorn (C) Dorn’s minutes are picking up. He still has a long way to go when it comes to regaining his rhythm after missing time going all the way back to last spring. It will take time. But you can see the potential.
Jasai Miles (N/A) Miles saw limited action.
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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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