The first big test was passed in impressive fashion.
Indiana set the tone with a 14-0 run in the early minutes of the game. At the 16:50 mark of the first half they took a lead they’d never relinquish. IU led by as much as 13 in the first half, and they stretched the edge to 18 when Trey Galloway made a three to make it 62-44. South Carolina would pull to within eight in the final five minutes, but this was a game that Indiana by and large always seemed to have under control.
Let’s take a deeper look at how IU won 87-71 with our latest edition of The Report Card.
Indiana (3-0) will next host UNC Greensboro on Thursday.
COACHING (B+)
Right out of the gate, give Mike Woodson and the staff credit for getting the team to play harder for a full 40 minutes. That was missing in the first two games, and this one probably wouldn’t have gone well without that.
And give Woodson credit for shrinking his rotation. Only eight players saw the floor for the Hoosiers, and it seemed like the right eight for a high major opponent.
The IU staff seemed to figure some things out with South Carolina’s open three-point shots in the halftime locker room as well, as the attempts went from 19 to 9 from the first to second half.
And recognizing Indiana’s advantage might be at guard in this game, Woodson seemed to emphasize actions that created shots for his backcourt.
OFFENSE (B+)
Woodson didn’t think Indiana’s offense was consistent enough throughout the game. He felt the ball movement was lacking at times, especially when the Hoosiers built out their largest leads.
But IU scored 1.21 points per possession, their second straight game over 1.2. They only went over 1.2 four times last season, and only once against a high major. So perhaps Woodson is just raising the bar on what’s expected from this group.
Indiana lived at the free throw line, and they capitalized on their chances when they got there. Their 64.2% free throw rate (FTA/FGA) was the highest mark in more than a year. The Hoosiers made 27-of-33 at the stripe on the afternoon. The 27 free throw makes are the most for a Hoosier team since making the same number against Northwestern on Feb. 19, 2021.
IU took care of the ball. The only had six turnovers through the first 35 minutes of the game before getting a bit careless in the final five.
DEFENSE (B)
Indiana lost track of three-point shooters in a numbers of ways, especially in the first half, off a host of fill and replace actions, going under screens, after offensive rebounds, and even once no one picked up the man with the ball.
The Hoosiers were more effective in the second half, but against the wrong team these are mistakes that could cost them eventually.
“We cleaned it up a little bit but we just — when guys are making threes, you can sit and shake your head, and my thing is you’re not close enough if you’re able to just catch and shoot the basketball,” Woodson said. “We got to get better in this area where guys are just not comfortable catching the ball and lacing it up.”
The Hoosiers were effective at limiting Collin Murray-Boyles, who came in averaging around 21 points per game. Indiana threw a number of looks his way, and the South Carolina big man eventually came out of the game with five fouls and just two points.
Once again, Indiana allowed too many offensive rebounds, as South Carolina corralled 13.
But through the various challenges, IU limited the Gamecocks to .99 points per possession. SC shot just 38.1 percent from the field and committed 12 turnovers.
MORE GAME COVERAGE
THE PLAYERS (*starters)
*Mackenzie Mgbako (A) Mgbako’s trend of highly efficient scoring to go with solid rebounding continued. He’s clearly improved off the bounce, and Mgbako is reading his man and cutting off the ball too. He didn’t stand out as one of the perimeter defenders struggling to find shooters either.
*Malik Reneau (C+) Reneau struggled on the offensive end, but he did make a three and his free throws. South Carolina’s length bothered him. He also wasn’t a major factor on the glass. But Reneau’s defense was a factor in limiting Murray-Boyles.
*Oumar Ballo (B+) This was a pretty ideal stat line for Ballo. He doesn’t need to be Indiana’s featured scoring option, but if he can produce 13 rebounds and six blocks he’ll be a massive plus. Ballo’s energy level was notably higher than the first two games. In the post, Ballo hasn’t been as effective as expected when it comes to backing down his man.
*Myles Rice (A) Rice struggled with a few turnovers, but that’s really the only thing you can criticize. He shot the ball very well at all three levels, and Rice was dialed in as an on ball defender. Indiana can win a lot of games with this kind of point guard play.
*Kanaan Carlyle (B) The sophomore guard continues to round into form after a sluggish start. He shot the ball well and defended the ball at a high level. His toughness stands out in many ways. But did he call “shot” on his half court lob attempt that went in?
Trey Galloway (A-) The fifth-year was once again a major factor off the bench, playing his most minutes of the season. It seems pretty clear Woodson is going to want Galloway’s playmaking on the floor in late game situations. And his 1-of-1 from three 6-of-6 from the stripe performance should only reinforce that.
Bryson Tucker (B-) Tucker takes some challenging contested midrange shots. You’d like to see him finish at the rim or shoot threes more often. But he’s very competent with those midrange shots, so we’ll see where it goes. All things considered it was a respectable effort in his first high major game.
Luke Goode (C+) Goode is mostly going to be measured by how well he shoots the three. He has played college basketball long enough to reasonably expect this is just a slump he’ll work through. He did hit the boards and added a steal in a relatively brief stint.
Dallas James, Langdon Hatton and Gabe Cupps did not play, coach’s decision.
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Anthony Leal and Jakai Newton were out with injuries
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