BLOOMINGTON – Indiana made life interesting Sunday, trailing by one to outmatched Eastern Illinois at halftime thanks to a glaringly lackluster performance from the Hoosiers over the opening 20 minutes.
Mike Woodson’s team turned it around after halftime, outscoring the Panthers (1-2) 54-18 in the second half on the way to a 90-55 victory. Let’s overreact to it.
Effort an issue
Malik Reneau more or less admitted Indiana (2-0) didn’t take Eastern Illinois seriously enough at the start of Sunday’s game. Mike Woodson said completely straight-faced he thought his team was still in bed during an opening 20 minutes as ugly as any the Hoosiers put on the floor last season against these kinds of nonconference opponents.
The Hoosiers were slow on defense, lagging in transition and sloppy with the ball. Too many players either looked too disengaged with the game, or too panicked about its flow and prone to mistakes because of it.
As a matter of practice, Woodson does not share what’s said in his locker room with the public or the media. But given how much sharper IU was from minute 21 on through the end of the game, the message delivered during Sunday’s intermission must have been a doozy.
If Indiana is capable of the kind of intensity and production it showed in the second half, against a team that’s so obviously less talented across the board, then the Hoosiers need to ensure these slow starts don’t become a habit against tougher opponents. They won’t be so forgiving.
Encouraging from Mackenzie Mgbako
Mackenzie Mgbako’s 49 points through two games and 6-of-9 start from behind the 3-point line should be encouraging to Woodson, no matter the opposition.
Mgbako’s 16 rebounds, four assists and three steals should be even more so, as they speak to a player whose progress from his freshman to his sophomore seasons appears to be manifesting itself in more than just his offense.
This time a year ago, Woodson was defending Mgbako as a young player needing time to fit into the college game. Mistakes in his performances came often, and at times IU couldn’t even trust him on the floor defensively late in close games.
Sophomore-year Mgbako looks more engaged and details-focused. Multiple times Sunday, his steals or deflections led directly to quick scores at the other end. And his offensive game, which had already progressed by the end of last season, has now become so polished he can score at all three levels. That makes him uniquely dangerous within this team.
Small sample sizes and opponent quality provided, this is still a promising start to Mgbako’s second year in college.
Trey Galloway provides a steadying presence
Myles Rice finished Sunday with five assists to just two turnovers, and if he was guilty of anything in that ugly first half, it was probably trying to force the issue too much in an effort to spark his team to life.
But no one looked like the adult on the floor more so than Galloway, who in 18 minutes scored five points and handed out an eye-popping eight assists.
For those keeping score at home, that’s 17 assists in just 35 minutes for Galloway through two weeks. Fully 66% of baskets scored while he’s on the floor are being assisted by the fifth-year guard.
There was more to Galloway’s game Sunday, though. He was the responsible ball handler, the best communicator and the player least affected by either Indiana’s malaise or the anxiety it produced. As the game turned in the second half, Galloway’s slick passes and defensive effort proved crucial.
Woodson is still building Galloway’s minutes back up after offseason knee surgery. Whether the veteran guard jumps right back into the starting lineup once he’s fully fit is a fascinating debate.
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