With big games coming up, Indiana avoided a low-major letdown against Tennessee Tech.
IU struggled to get separation early, with their biggest lead only six through the first 15 minutes. They’d earn a 10-point margin late in the first half, only to see it slip back to four at the break. But a 26-9 start over the first 10 minutes of the second half gave Indiana all the breathing room it would need.
Let’s take a deeper look at how Indiana won 90-66 with our latest edition of The Report Card.
The Hoosiers (4-0) will next travel to New York to face Arkansas at Madison Square Garden.
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OFFENSE (B-)
The free throw line was Indiana’s best offense in the first half. They took 23 shots from the charity stripe in the first half, and another 13 in the second. IU’s free throw rate (FTA/FGA) was the highest for a game in the Darian DeVries era.
The constant fouling made the game feel choppy, but some halftime adjustments had everything flowing coming out of the locker room. The Hoosiers shot 66.7% (18-27) from the floor in the final 20 minutes, including 83.3% (15-18) on field goals inside the arc.
“In the second half we wanted to ball screen more and get those (big) guys out in space and then get them in rolls because they were trapped,” IU coach Darian DeVries said. “I thought that opened up the floor a lot more and gave us driving lanes, and then we were still able to throw it inside and give us advantages that way.
With a major size advantage, the Hoosiers were especially efficient inside in this one — making 67.6% of their shots from 2-point range.
With six players in double-figures, IU once again showed it is a balanced team with multiple scoring threats.
Indiana had its lowest offensive rebounding rate of the young season, and it didn’t have a strong night shooting threes.
DEFENSE (A-)
First some context — Tennessee Tech came into the game averaging 100 points per game while shooting 41.2% from three on very high volume. They posed a major test.
Indiana’s defense was sound throughout the game. The Hoosiers lost track of some wild shots and gave up some offensive rebounds in the first half, but even those bad misses were a result of solid pressure on shooters.
“I thought overall defensively, I was pretty pleased,” DeVries said. “The offensive rebounding for them was the big setback for that. But first shot defense, I thought was one of our better outputs.”
The defense went from good to great after the break. Tennessee Tech shot just 31.6% from the floor in the second half and converted on only 3-of-13 attempts from beyond the arc.
For the game IU only allowed .87 points per possession and a 40.7 effective field goal percentage. While struggling early in the season to defend 2-pointers, IU limited Tennessee Tech to just 38.5% from two.
SEE ALSO:
- Indiana Shakes Off Sluggish First Half to Bury Tennessee Tech, 90-66
- Watch: IU basketball’s DeVries, Yigitoglu and Sherrell talk win over Tennessee Tech
- IU basketball: Indiana 90 Tennessee Tech 66 — Three keys, highlights, final stats
THE PLAYERS (*starters)
*Aiden Sherrell (B-) He led the team in rebounds with eight. Sherrell struggled from 2-point range. He was 1 of 4 in this game. But he was 6 of 6 from the line and had some nice moments on defense too.
*Samet Yigitoglu (A) He showed toughness getting stitches mid-game, elite efficiency, and some nifty footwork. Yigitoglu was automatic against the undersized Golden Eagles when he caught it in the paint.
*Jaeden Mustaf (B) He’s fearless when attacking the rim. And he was a bit careless with the ball at times. Mustaf earned 10 free throws, and he made some nice defensive plays too.
*Darren Harris (B-) After multiple big performances, IU only got him four shots. His presence wasn’t felt in a meaningful way, but Harris did have the highest plus-minus on the team, which suggests his presence was creating space for others.
*Markus Burton (B) It was a tale of two halves for Burton. He was shut out in the first and scored 12 in the second. He led the team with five assists. Two fouls limited his first half minutes, but Burton did not commit another.
Bryce Lindsay (B+) Lindsay played a key role in Indiana finally getting meaningful separation in the second half. His job is to come in off the bench and be a microwave scorer — and he did just that.
Sam Alexis (B) Alexis did his thing with five rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes. He’s always around the ball.
Trent Sisley (B-) Sisley isn’t getting big minutes right now. But he did produce three rebounds in 10 minutes. The offense created some open threes that he’ll want another shot at.
Trevor Manhertz (A-) He battled through an injury and left the game a couple times. When he was on the court he was solid. Manhertz had a two-possession sequence where he drove baseline for a dunk, and then made a three while being fouled. He also made multiple nice passes in the paint. He scored 10 points and added five rebounds in just 14 minutes.
Vaughn Karvala, Clemens Sokolov and Drew Snively played limited minutes.
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Prince-Alexander Moody is out with an injury.
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