BLOOMINGTON — In its second of two exhibition games, Indiana men’s basketball handled business as expected.
The Hoosiers completed exhibition play on a strong note on Friday, with a 106-64 win over Marian at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Division III Knights were completely overmatched against IU, and the score became lopsided quickly.
Exhibition games like this should be analyzed with multiple grains of salt, given the talent disparity. But some positives still emerged on Friday, as well as some potential concerns. Here are a few of those things that stuck out.
New season, same issue
Despite the victories, one aspect of Indiana’s two exhibition games was familiar.
The Hoosiers have struggled with 3-point shooting.
They shot 4 for 19 from behind the arc on Sunday in Knoxville, and they went 6 for 25 from beyond the arc on Friday. Luke Goode, in particular, has endured a slump in exhibition play, shooting 2 for 12 combined. from 3-point range. He couldn’t help but smile on Friday when he finally ended his drought in the second half.
Indiana’s 3-point woes over the last few seasons are well-documented. The Hoosiers added much more shooting to their roster in the offseason, and one of those players — Kanaan Carlyle — missed Friday’s game with bruised ribs. But IU is still attempting a healthy volume of 3-point shots. And even though this team has missed on some open shots from beyond the arc, getting those good looks is more encouraging to Woodson than missing them.
“We didn’t shoot it well from the 3-point line,” Woodson said after the game. “We had all good looks, and we’re going to keep shooting them. Eventually, they will go in.”
Tucker standing out
Throughout the preseason, Woodson has been vocal about Bryson Tucker’s performance. He’s praised Tucker’s maturity, and said he hasn’t looked like a freshman during practices.
Tucker missed the Tennessee game with a minor injury, so Friday was his first game action with the Hoosiers. And he showed why Woodson has been impressed with him. Tucker led IU with 19 points off the bench, on 9-of-12 shooting, with two rebounds, three assists, and no turnovers. He filled lanes correctly without the ball, put himself in the right spots to make plays, and he did his job defensively — although an exhibition game against a Division III team isn’t the time to make big picture assessments of defensive ability.
His teammates, like Woodson, are keen on Tucker’s potential. Sophomore Gabe Cupps said Tucker’s scoring ability has stuck out in practice.
“He’s just a scorer at heart. He’s always trying to get a bucket. And just his confidence. He plays with the ease and a flow that’s very rare for somebody as a freshman coming in,” Cupps said. “The sky is the limit for Tuck. I think he can do whatever he sets his mind to.”
Ballo gets rolling
Oumar Ballo wasn’t at his best against Tennessee, as he missed some relatively easy looks that he typically knocks down.
The Arizona transfer played much better on Friday. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 4 for 6 at the foul line for 16 points, and he added seven rebounds, four assists, a block, and a steal.
Again, Marian isn’t a tough test for a player like Ballo — he should play well against a team like that. But it’s still good for the Hoosiers to have the big man get a better performance under his belt before the games start to count.
Ballo’s game is a little understated. He may not be a highlight machine in the way Trayce Jackson-Davis was. He’s not always swatting vicious blocks and throwing down monstrous dunks. He just gets in good position, uses his size to his advantage, and makes baskets. His free-throw shooting could be a concern at times, as he shot just 56.4 percent from the foul line in his four years at Arizona. And he’s toggled with his motion and shooting hand at times.
But Ballo should be a reliable contributor for IU this year. Woodson called him “a double-double guy,” who can turn in 10-point, 10-rebound games frequently. Woodson did add that he’s looking for Ballo to improve his conditioning.
“There’s a reason why we went after him hard when he went into the portal. We’ve just got to keep working with him, get him in tip-top shape because he’s not where I want him to be yet, and we’re going to keep pushing him until he gets there,” Woodson said. “But he’s headed in the right direction and doing some nice things for our ballclub.”
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