Penn State has made things challenging through the years. But this was about as clean as it gets.
Fueled by five threes in seven minutes to start the game, Indiana was up eight with 12:08 left in the first. The lead just kept snowballing. It was a 20-point margin with 7:33 left in the first, and 30 with 3:35 left. The margin swelled to a ridiculous 49 (83-34) with 13:57 left in the game. Penn State was never closer than a 33-point margin at any point in the second half.
It was the first time IU defeated a Big Ten opponent by 40-or-more points since a 48-point win over Penn State on Jan. 9, 1993. Let’s take a deeper look at how Indiana won 113-72 with our latest edition of The Report Card.
The Hoosiers (8-2) will return to action Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET when they take on Kentucky in Lexington.
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OFFENSE (A+)
This was elite offensive basketball. Indiana scored its most points in a regulation game since 1990.
The Hoosiers tied the program’s single-game assist record in a Big Ten contest with 30, and they did that with a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. They made 68.9% of their shots from the field overall, including 83.3% from two.
The Hoosiers made 17 of 31 from beyond the arc. As a team Indiana came two made threes short of the single game record of 19. It’s the seventh time this season they’ve hit double-digit 3-point field goals. It’s just the fifth time in program history that IU has made 17-or-more shots from beyond the arc.
IU posted a staggering 1.54 points per possession, and an 82.8 effective field goal percentage. Both appear to be records since such data has been computed.
“We put a ton of time here this last week on just getting more actions, more movement,” IU coach Darian DeVries said. “Sometimes you can’t always do that. People deny. You can’t just throw the ball from side to side. At some point you have to still be able to go make a play.
“I thought the guys did a really good job tonight keeping the ball as we like to say ‘hot’, keeping it hot, keeping it moving. Player and ball movement I thought was really good tonight.”
DEFENSE (B)
Indiana was also very good on the defensive end for about the first 25-30 minutes of the game. With the lead pushing to nearly 50, the effort dropped off a bit as the game took on an exhibition feel. The Nittany Lions were 9 of 30 (30%) from the field with about 17 minutes left in the game. They also had 11 turnovers to that point. PSU only scored .74 points per possession in the first half.
The final stats say IU allowed .98 points per possession — typically a winning number and a significant improvement over the Minnesota and Louisville games. But Indiana was better than that for much of the game. And offense was Penn State’s strength coming in.
IU did a respectable job on the offensive glass, limiting PSU to eight. Fouls were still on the excessive side, as six Hoosiers had three fouls, and Penn State got 22 attempts at the stripe. Finding a balance between physicality and not fouling remains a challenge.
MORE GAME COVERAGE
- Watch: IU basketball’s Darian DeVries, Wilkerson, Bailey discuss win over Penn State
- IU basketball: Indiana 113 Penn State 72 — Three keys, highlights, final stats
- Lamar Wilkerson sets IU 3-point record, Assembly Hall scoring record in monster performance vs. Penn State
Got each other’s backs. pic.twitter.com/pn1909OfAB
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) December 10, 2025
THE PLAYERS (*starters)
*Tucker DeVries (B+) Solid effort from DeVries helping to facilitate the offense with a 6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Indiana needs more than one rebound out of the four spot. He was involved in a lot of actions to set up Wilkerson, and his gravitation pull created space.
*Lamar Wilkerson (A+) How about this from OptaSTATS: Wilkerson is the only Division I or NBA player in the last 30 seasons to score 40+ points and make 10+ threes in a game while playing less than 25 minutes. Is there much more that needs to be said? How about 16 of 22 shooting from the field, with four assists to just one turnover. It was a career night.
*Sam Alexis (C) Alexis’ first start as a Hoosier didn’t go great, as he got in foul trouble, turned it over, and didn’t score.
*Conor Enright (A-) Enright’s role on this team is clear. He’s the energizer. He’s the facilitator. He takes on tough defensive matchups. He’s not going to be a volume scorer. That was his story on Tuesday with his eight assists to one turnover the highlight. He’s up to 49 assists to 10 turnovers on the season.
*Tayton Conerway (A-) Conerway bounced back and turned in a solid performance. He did a little bit of everything, with threes, getting to the rim, facilitating, and getting steals on the other end.
Reed Bailey (A) Bailey responded to coming off the bench with what was probably his best game as a Hoosier. A need for more toughness, physicality and better finishing in the paint appears to have led to the role change. He made all of his shots from the field and free throw line, had a tougher mindset, and rebounded. “He handled it great,” Darian DeVries said. “I thought he did a nice job coming off the bench for us tonight. Very aggressive.”
Trent Sisley (B+) As always, the effort was top notch. Sisley led the team in rebounding by a wide margin with eight in 22 minutes. The shots weren’t falling, but he knows that’s part of his role definition and won’t stop shooting.
Nick Dorn (A-) Dorn proved once again he can be a valuable weapon on this team. He was 2 of 4 from three and is now up to 48.1% from long range on the season on 27 attempts. His presence on the floor with Wilkerson and DeVries can put serious stress on a defense.
Aleksa Ristic – Saw limited action.
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Andrej Acimovic did not play — coaches decision.
Jasai Miles Jason Drake and Josh Harris were out with injuries/illness.
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