Indiana got the new year off to a good start.
Washington led 22-17 six minutes into the game despite torrid early shooting by the Hoosiers. But a 13-2 run put IU up 30-24 with 10:35 left in the first half. Indiana was able to extend that margin to as much as 14 before halftime. The Huskies got it back within four at 54-50 with 16:04 to go, but a quick 8-0 IU response gave IU a cushion they’d never relinquish.
Let’s take a deeper look at how Indiana won 90-80 with our latest edition of The Report Card.
The Hoosiers (11-3, 2-1) will return to action Wednesday when they travel to Maryland for a 6:30 p.m. ET tip in College Park.
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OFFENSE (A)
Despite two weeks off, Indiana started the game on fire. With Washington in a triangle-and-two and focused on taking away Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson, the Hoosiers made five straight from three to kick things off. Tayton Conerway made three from deep, and Conor Enright two. Overall the Hoosiers made 18 of 26 shots to start the game, providing a 14-point edge. A second shooting run — seven straight makes in the second half — gave IU a 13-point lead.
Indiana was elite taking care of the ball, with a season-low four turnovers (6.3% turnover percentage). Conor Enright was especially potent, with nine assists and no turnovers.
The Hoosiers were strong from three (12 of 28, 42.9%) and from the stripe (16 of 20, 80%). It’s the ninth time this year IU has made at least 10 baskets from beyond the arc. They closed the game effectively too, making free throws and not turning the ball over.
Washington coach Danny Sprinkle said he was focused on taking Wilkerson and DeVries out of the game, and IU had five other players score eight or more points in a balanced effort.
“I thought the guys did a nice job of getting into actions and using Lamar and Tucker at times as sort of decoys, but using the attention they were getting to take advantage of some other things,” IU coach Darian DeVries said. “I just thought our movement was pretty good for most of the night. There’s always some spots in there that maybe we weren’t quite as clean. Overall offensively I was really pleased with how the game went.”
DEFENSE (C)
Indiana could have put the game away in the first half with a better defensive effort. But the Hoosiers gave up a season-high 1.26 points per possession. That was fueled in part by the Hoosiers only forcing four Husky turnovers — a season low defensive rate of 6.3% by IU.
The Hoosiers also fouled excessively and sent Washington to the line for 25 attempts, and they capitalized with 22 makes.
IU’s transition defense was a step late at times as well, and that played a part in Washington shooting 55.5% from two — nearly 12 percentage points better than IU’s season defensive average.
There were positives. Indiana held the Huskies to 28.6% shooting from three. And although Washington was the bigger team and came into the game a national-top 40 squad in offensive rebounding, the Hoosiers kept them off the boards and eliminated second chances.
“We spent a lot of time on it (defensive rebounding) during this break in our practices of increasing our physicality and doing a better job there. Just more of getting that mindset,” DeVries said. “They’re big. They play around the rim a lot with their fours and fives or their guards. Sometimes it’s easier when someone takes a three to go hit a guy because he’s out in space. When it’s just all under there, it’s a lot of bodies and stuff, somebody’s got to come out with the ball. I thought our guys did a good job of staying with it, pursuing the ball.”
MORE GAME COVERAGE
- Watch: Darian DeVries and IU basketball players talk win over Washington
- IU basketball: Indiana 90 Washington 80 — Three keys, highlights, final stats
THE PLAYERS (*starters)
*Tucker DeVries (C) Beyond playing the part of a decoy, it was a unusually quiet night from DeVries. He typically has a bunch of assists when he’s not scoring at a high volume, but had none on the night and overall just seemed to be out of rhythm. The good news, his teammates responded.
*Lamar Wilkerson (A-) Wilkerson delivered a huge second half with 18 points. He also had three assists to just one turnover. He continues to impress with his ability to pose a threat inside the arc. The defensive intensity wasn’t always there.
*Sam Alexis (B+) Alexis played just 16 minutes despite starting, and he still managed to deliver a team high six rebounds.
*Conor Enright (A-) Enright played in the first half like he had been coached to look to score more, and he responded with a season-high 12 points, 11 before the break. In the second half he turned into the facilitator and finished with nine assists vs. no turnovers.
*Tayton Conerway (A-) Conerway had a perfect first half: 5 of 5 from the field overall including 4 of 4 from three, and 4 of 4 from the free throws. His 18-point half, along with Enright, gave IU a nice cushion despite limited production from Wilkerson and DeVries before the break.
Reed Bailey (B) Bailey’s effort off the ball created several good opportunities at the rim. But he’ll need to be more efficient playing through contact, and probably not look to score over/through players who have a significant size advantage.
Trent Sisley (A-) The freshman scored 10 straight points for IU in just over two minutes in the second half as a four-point lead became 12. He continues to rebound at a nice rate, and his effort is never in question.
Nick Dorn (B+) Dorn once again came in and proved he’s a key player on this team IU can rely on in Big Ten play. He’s instant offense off the bench and provides excellent spacing when paired with Wilkerson and DeVries.
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Jasai Miles, Aleksa Ristic and Andrej Acimovic did not play — coaches decision.
Jason Drake and Josh Harris were out with injuries.
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