Indiana didn’t need its best shooting night to look like a Big Ten contender. The Hoosiers shot just 36.2% from the field against North Carolina on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and still won 76-58 in their second of three exhibition games.
The difference was everything around the shots. Indiana outrebounded the Tar Heels 53-31, and turned 15 North Carolina turnovers into 19 points. The Hoosiers led by as many as 22 in the second half. The Tar Heels last lead came at 12-11 early in the first half, and they never led by more than four.
Darian DeVries’s second squad at Indiana has passed the eye test through two preseason appearances, outscoring opponents 172-126. It’s only exhibition basketball, but the early signs point to a team that is bigger, deeper and more physical than last year’s, and Sunday’s game showed why.
Indiana’s size in the frontcourt is felt
Indiana dominated the glass, outrebounding North Carolina 53-31. It’s a stark contrast to where the Hoosiers were a season ago. Samet Yigitoglu grabbed 11 rebounds and used his 7-foot-2 frame to affect the play underneath the basket defensively. Aiden Sherrell added 10 rebounds and continued to space the floor offensively with his ability to shoot the three-pointer.
“We put the roster together to be good at it (rebounding), and then we’ve really emphasized it. And again, the buy-in has been at a high level by a lot of guys, and they’ve done a great job with it.” DeVries said postgame.
North Carolina had to vacate the paint when facing the trio of Yigitoglu, Sherrell, and Sam Alexis. Indiana struggled last season to keep possessions alive; the Hoosiers finished in the bottom half of the Big Ten in total rebounding and offensive rebounds. Sunday felt different; the Hoosiers asserted themselves on the glass and took control of the matchup against the Tar Heels.
“I thought the offensive rebounding was great. I’d like to make a few more of the first shots,” DeVries said. “That’s a night where we don’t have it going. We weren’t very clean on the offensive end, but we were still able to overcome it with some offensive rebounding.”
Alexis couldn’t shoulder the burden alone of being the only one consistently grabbing rebounds last year. On this year’s team, Alexis is the perfect puzzle piece that glues the frontcourt together. His experience, size, and presence in the paint can dictate whether or not Indiana can win a close game later in the future. DeVries has the luxury of multiple threats in the frontcourt, something that was entirely absent last year.
When Indiana gets a chance to shoot, they will take it.
Bryce Lindsay carried the scoring load for the Hoosiers against the Tar Heels, scoring 26 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Lindsay entered the game after Markus Burton picked up two early fouls in the first two minutes and immediately made an impact. He showed why he can be a viable bench option for Darian DeVries.
“I thought Bryce did a great job.” DeVries said. “I thought he made some really good plays. You know, some of the threes and things that we see that a lot.”
Sharpshooter Darren Harris continued to pour in three-pointers at a high clip for the Hoosiers, going 3-for-9 from three-point range and finishing with 11 points. Indiana attempted 27 threes as a team and made nine (33.3%), with Lindsay hitting four of his nine attempts. The volume matters as much as the percentage. With Yigitoglu, Sherrell and Alexis crashing the glass, the Hoosiers can afford to fire away, because a miss often leads to another possession. Burton was limited to 18 minutes but was able to add 11 points for the Hoosiers. If he finds his rhythm and stays out of foul trouble, this offense has another gear.
The Hoosiers showed up defensively
Indiana’s defense was just as important as its rebounding. North Carolina shot 34.9% from the field and 31.8% from three, and Indiana forced 15 turnovers while picking up eight steals. North Carolina’s starting guards and wings struggled to create clean looks. Jarin Stevenson went 1-for-7 and Neo Avdalas went 3-for-11 with four turnovers.
“I thought in general we did a really good job defensively.” DeVries said. “I think they’re doing a terrific job of buying into it.”
The Tar Heels’ best moments came inside from Sayon Keita, who led them with 12 points and nine rebounds. Indiana’s frontcourt held up well against the rest of the Tar Heels’ bigs. Yigitoglu added a block and two steals to his 11 rebounds, Alexis blocked two shots in just 16 minutes, and Sherrell and Burton each had a block and a steal.
The Hoosiers return to action next Sunday at 4 p.m. ET against Western Kentucky in Evansville in the final exhibition game before the regular season starts.
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