The Hoosiers are going to need more consistency from their lead guard against conference foes.
Myles Rice was arguably the prize offseason addition for Indiana, more so than Oumar Ballo at center.
Indiana had frontcourt options and would’ve found a way to fill that spot one way or another. What it didn’t have was reliable backcourt scoring and creation outside of Trey Galloway. Enter Rice.
Rice is the former Pac-12 Freshman of the Year who helped guide Washington State to the NCAA Tournament last season. He’s a lightning-quick presence at guard who can score in a few different ways.
He’s lived up to that billing… sometimes.
Rice has had games where he just completely disappears. He scored 23 against South Carolina and 20 against UNC Greensboro to enter the Battle 4 Atlantis looking primed to have a good stretch before putting all of 11 points on the board across three games in the Bahamas.
In three games at the Battle 4 Atlantis, Rice went 4/25 from the field. Oof. It should be noted, though, that Rice was visibly dealing with some level of discomfort during these games.
But Rice also put together performances of 2 points in 21 minutes against Minnesota and 4 points in 23 minutes against Chattanooga.
Rice is Indiana’s go-to scorer at guard. The Hoosiers just cannot afford one or two games like that from him, let alone a stretch of three. He had a few games like that at Washington State last year, but it’s been more of an issue as of late with the Hoosiers.
So, what can be done to help him avoid those slumps?
First you have to consider what he does best. Rice’s strengths offensively are passing, especially in the pick and roll, scoring off of ball screens that get him into his spots either in the midrange, from deep or a lane to the rim where he can use that speed and quickness. He also excels when he can push the ball down the court in transition.
He’s isn’t as good as a spot up option and he’s not the best at catch-and-shoot opportunities.
Rice is at his best with the ball in his hands and a chance to use his speed. He either scores himself or finds the open man in transition, but that’s a whole different can of worms with Indiana’s defense looking lackluster this season.
What about the halfcourt?
Sometimes Indiana can make things a bit harder on Rice. He’ll have the ball at the top of the key and Ballo will set a screen before rolling to the basket. Simple, right? Well Malik Reneau is on the block.
There’s less space for Rice to either get to the rim, pull up or get the ball to Ballo, who similarly has less room to work with.
When Indiana goes with one big, be it Ballo, Reneau or even Langdon Hatton, Rice just has more room to operate. That’s… also another can of worms as Indiana is constructed to be at its best with Ballo on the floor for rebounding and rim protection. Reneau often finds himself in foul trouble if he’s that one big and Ballo ends up having to play more minutes than he’s used to.
One way or another, Indiana has to give Rice more space to operate. If you have two bigs on the floor, make sure they’re not both too close to the paint. Or have one on the floor and put Luke Goode in at power forward so there’s a solid floor spacing option.
Ballo is a non-shooter and while Reneau will take them he’s not prone to making them at a reliable rate. If they’re going to share the floor, keep Reneau away from the interior unless it’s a late clock situation where Indiana needs points or the ball is absolutely going to him.
Just clear out the traffic and let Rice do what he’s best at.