A Blowout. Exhale.
After getting out to a sleepy start and trailing 37-36 at halftime, Indiana rallied back to beat Eastern Illinois 90-55.
There was really nothing to like about the first half. In the first game, the starters got off to a good start before the substitution broke the flow. Today the starters didn’t even look good in the first 20 minutes.
Then the Hoosiers ripped off a 36-5 run that basically took the entire second half and put the game away. By the five minute mark, Mike Woodson was able to take out the lineup that gave him that lead to give some other guys some run.
Indiana can’t afford to have many more halves like the first one today, but it’s hard to be upset with the end result. Shots went down, the defense locked in, and the Hoosiers won by enough to help their analytical profile.
Here are three things we learned:
Margin of Victory
Analytics matter in college basketball. Winning big against inferior opponents will help Indiana’s NET Rankings, which become all the more important with the lack of marquee non-conference opponents.
It might be hard to believe given just how ugly the first half looked, but Indiana actually won by ten more than projected by KenPom, meaning this should boost the team’s analytical profile. This was not something that happened much at all in the non-conference last season.
With the lack of a marquee non-conference opponents on the schedule this year, winning big in these games is essential. Even if it’s at the expense of working in bench players, Woodson needs to be able to put these teams away.
Whether it was a lack of talent or lack of cohesion, Indiana could not do so last season. Consecutive wins of 15+ points is a better start to this season.
New Pieces
The reason many of us paid for a Big Ten Plus subscription to watch college basketball on a sleepy Sunday afternoon is Indiana’s highly-touted roster. With a revamped backcourt and the top transfer center, expectations were high coming out of the gate.
It’s something that could be a work in progress all season, but it’s safe to say that integrating all of these new pieces has not happened yet.
For a large portion of today’s run, Woodson leaned on three returners, Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako, and Trey Galloway. Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle have shown flashes, but they are not yet in control of this offense.
Oumar Ballo got his points today, but again, was off the floor for significant portions of the game when Indiana went with a smaller lineup.
Given all of the pieces this roster has, we could see tinkering with a variety of lineups all year. Or we could see guys like Ballo, Rice and Carlyle establish themselves more firmly.
The point is, we don’t know what it’s going to look like right now. As long as the margin of victory remains high and the team improves each game that’s okay with me.
Bryson Tucker
One player who has seemingly solidified a role early is freshman Bryson Tucker. In 20 minutes of action, he scored 12 points, grabbed 6 boards, blocked a shot, and recorded an assist.
He showed flashes against Marion before a quieter showing in the opening game of the season. Even after his slow start though, he and Trey Galloway were the first guys off the bench for Woodson today.
Part of this is obviously his defense and athleticism, a sure way to earn minutes as a freshman at Indiana. Tucker’s offensive talent and ability to play in the fastbreak also makes him a good fit for this year’s team, which scored 31 in transition today.
Tucker saw minutes at the two and three spots today, playing alongside Luke Goode and Mgbako on the wings and Galloway in the backcourt. Putting him out there with a pair of shooters helps open the floor and allows him to stay within his comfort zone as a scorer.
Most importantly, he didn’t commit any turnovers today. He wasn’t playing in a ball-heavy role like Carlyle or Rice, but his trustworthiness with the ball today should mean more minutes in high pressure situations as the season goes on.