Fans had a finger on the panic button at halftime. But it was all smiles 20 minutes later.
Playing lethargically, IU trailed Eastern Illinois 37-32 with 1:34 left before halftime, and they went into the locker rooms down a point. Just over a minute into the second half, EIU extended back out to a 43-38 lead, but at that point the Hoosiers had seen enough. Indiana went on a 38-5 run and cruised to a 90-55 win.
Let’s take a deeper look at how IU won 90-55 with our latest edition of The Report Card.
Indiana (2-0) will next host South Carolina on Saturday.
COACHING (B-)
With several high major opponents coming up on the schedule, Mike Woodson has got to figure out how to get his players to bring the energy for 40 minutes. Indiana was not ready to play for the Sunday early afternoon tip.
“I thought we were still home in the bed sleep,” Woodson said. “It was awful.”
Getting the team ready to play is job one for the head coach, and IU clearly didn’t bring enough energy in the first half. But job two is making in-game adjustments, and Woodson and staff were on point. It’s fair to criticize and praise the effort equally.
One clear adjustment was an emphasis on picking up full court after makes and making life uncomfortable for EIU’s primary ball handlers. Indiana also closed out on shooters more effectively.
“We just changed our mindset going into the second half,” IU forward Malik Reneau said. “But we got to have that for all 40 minutes.”
Winning a half 54-18 suggests Woodson’s team might have learned something about themselves that they can carry with them the rest of the way. But we won’t know for sure until we see them play a few more times.
OFFENSE (B-)
Indiana scored 1.25 points per possession, more than any game a season ago. They were nearly unstoppable once the ball got inside. IU made 32-of-44 shots from 2-point range, and almost all of those attempts came in the paint area.
Indiana ran a lot of good halfcourt sets that resulted in dives to the rim and layups for Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau. It was often those two passing to each other.
A major part of Indiana’s offense was the transition game. They scored 31 points on the break and many of those were IU’s 17 points off turnovers. There was a concerted effort to push the pace, especially after the break.
DEFENSE (B-)
EIU connected on 5-of-10 threes in the first half as IU’s perimeter defense was slow to find and recover on shooters. Most of threes came as Indiana’s forwards tried to contend with guards. The Panthers shot 59.3 percent overall before the break. Transition defense was also a first half issue, as the Hoosiers were slow to get back and EIU scored 11 on the break.
But in the second half, EIU shot just 16.7 percent, including just 3-of-20 from two. Although they continued to use bigger lineups, IU’s forwards were much better contesting the arc after the break. And Eastern got just two fast break points in the second half.
In the end, IU held the Panthers to .76 points per possession. The Hoosiers forced 17 turnovers against just eight assists.
MORE GAME COVERAGE
THE PLAYERS
Mackenzie Mgbako (B) For a second game in a row, Mgbako shot the ball at a high rate and rebounded. The nit would be his first half perimeter defense, but he was better after the break. Mgbako is showing more skill off the bounce as well, both looking to score and finding open teammates.
Malik Reneau (B) Reneau was efficient offensively, and like Mgbako, his perimeter defense improved in the second half. He continues to show more quickness on both ends, although you’d like to see a higher rebound total.
Oumar Ballo (B) The big man contributed in a number of ways. His specialty is sealing his man with early post position. He also rebounded and passed effectively. Ballo continues to show a willingness to sprint the floor and get ahead for lobs and early post position.
Myles Rice (C) Beyond several nifty passes, Rice wasn’t a major part of the offense, and it took him a half to really lock in on defense. But his on ball defensive presence did play a major role in flipping the script.
Kanaan Carlyle (C-) Although they came late in the game, Carlyle got a couple of threes to go down, which was just what he needed. Because offensively beyond that, the sophomore guard hasn’t been adding much to the mix. But he is probably the team’s best on ball defender right now.
Trey Galloway (B) Although Carlyle is starting, Galloway has looked like the more effective of the two to this point. He’s now averaging 8.5 assists per game on the young season despite playing just 17.5 minutes per contest. The offense is flowing much better when he’s on the court.
Bryson Tucker (B) Tucker was efficient and ran the floor well on the offensive end. He has really good body control on the move and doesn’t get sped up. The freshman was a factor on the glass as well.
Luke Goode (B-) Goode saw some threes go down as well. That’s going to be his primary specialty, and he got off five attempts from long range in 12 minutes. IU will take 2-of-5 all day long.
Gabe Cupps (B-) Cupps has clearly settled into a diminished role this year, but that’s to be expected. He isn’t making a big splash, but he’s steady.
Langdon Hatton and Jakai Newton also saw the floor.
Dallas James did not play, coach’s decision.
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Anthony Leal was out with an injury.
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