Indiana improved to 4-0 with a 69-58 win towards UNC Greensboro on Thursday night time at Simon Skjodt Meeting Corridor.
Listed here are 5 takeaways from the win towards the Spartans:
Indiana gained, however the Hoosiers shouldn’t be ok with the efficiency
After successful its first three video games by a minimum of 16 factors, Indiana had a closer-than-expected 11-point win on Thursday night time.
The Hoosiers began with a commanding 21-5 lead and have been outscored 53-48 over the ultimate 30-plus minutes.
Indiana’s offense stalled when Myles Rice went to the bench within the first half and by no means returned to its early sport type the remainder of the night.
The ball motion and passing have been poor and the Hoosiers struggled with 3-point taking pictures, ending simply 5-for-19 (26.3 %).
The end result was a postgame by which Mike Woodson was sad along with his workforce and the gamers weren’t made accessible to the media to debate the poor efficiency.
Indiana now has a couple of days to arrange in Bloomington earlier than it departs for the Battle 4 Atlantis within the Bahamas, which begins with a midday ET tipoff on Wednesday towards Louisville.
“We’ve bought to go and clear this sport up earlier than I begin excited about the Bahamas,” Woodson stated postgame. “Louisville is the primary sport, however we’ve bought to scrub this sport up and have a troublesome observe tomorrow, prepare for Louisville that method. However we’ve bought to determine this sport and all of the issues we did mistaken and didn’t do.”
Indiana’s defensive rebounding has the identical points as a season in the past
The Hoosiers have some of the bodily imposing frontlines within the Massive Ten.
It hasn’t mattered to this point on the glass. Via 4 video games, Indiana permits its opponents to seize 30.3 % of its missed pictures, rating 201st within the nation.
On Thursday, UNC Greensboro corralled 17 offensive rebounds. Fortuitously for IU, the Spartans might solely flip these second-chance alternatives into 10 factors.
Consideration to element and fundamentals are missing on the glass. As identified repeatedly by Robbie Hummel on the published, Indiana isn’t doing a ok job of discovering the opposition and blocking out on the glass.
UNC Greensboro’s Jalen Breath, a 6-foot-8 heart, grabbed 5 offensive rebounds. Towards higher competitors, failing to scrub up the defensive glass will show expensive for Indiana.
Indiana’s 3-point quantity hasn’t elevated by a major quantity
Woodson repeatedly pressured within the preseason that Indiana would take extra 3-pointers this season.
The three-point quantity hasn’t modified a lot via 4 video games since final season.
Final season, 27.8 % of Indiana’s discipline aim makes an attempt have been 3-pointers, rating 351st within the nation. This season, 30.4 % of IU’s discipline aim makes an attempt have been 3-pointers, rating 337th within the nation.
On common, Indiana is taking 17.5 3-pointers per sport to date.
That’s a quantity too low in trendy faculty basketball.
Bryson Tucker shines within the second half
Freshman McDonald’s All-American Bryson Tucker has proven no concern coming off the bench early in his profession.
Tucker has been assertive offensively and hasn’t hesitated to search for his offensive instantly after coming into the sport.
In Thursday’s win, the 6-foot-7 wing scored 12 of his 14 factors within the second half. Nearly all of his buckets got here within the midrange, the place he continues to excel.
Via 4 video games, Tucker is taking pictures 13-for-23 (56.5 %) on 2s and 6-for-7 (85.7 %) from the free throw line.
“Tucker got here in, and he shined for a freshman,” Woodson stated. “He seemed – you’ve seen him play since he’s been right here. He’s a man that may assist us. I leaned on him tonight, and he got here via and did some constructive issues.
“However we’re going to wish not simply Tucker coming off the bench, we’re going to wish different guys coming off making basketball performs, successful performs to assist us win.”
Myles Rice once more carries a heavy load offensively
Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice was Indiana’s greatest offensive participant for the second straight sport.
Rice shot an environment friendly 8-for-14 from the sphere and went 2-for-2 from the free throw line to complete with a game-high 20 factors in 35 minutes.
Rice additionally tallied six assists, had 5 rebounds and dedicated three turnovers.
Via 4 video games, he’s taking pictures 46.2 % on 3s, 66.7 % on 2s and 92.9 % from the free throw line.
His sturdy efficiency helped Indiana overcome a poor sport from Trey Galloway, who went scoreless off the bench in quarter-hour. The fifth-year senior had three turnovers. Kanaan Carlyle additionally struggled and shot simply 1-for-7 from the sphere with two turnovers in 26 minutes.
Filed to: Bryson Tucker, Myles Rice, UNC Greensboro Spartans