Hoosiers look solid in early season test
By TYLER SMITH
ISL EDITOR
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — After a few tune-up games to open this year’s schedule, the Indiana Hoosiers were faced with their first true test of the season on Saturday afternoon at home against South Carolina. The Hoosiers didn’t just pass the test. You could argue they aced it.
Indiana was favored by 7 1/2 points against a decent South Carolina team. The Gamecocks came in at #59 in KenPom rankings, and were a No. 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament last season. After falling behind 4-0 to start the game, the Hoosiers went on a run, took the lead, and never looked back. They led for the final 37 minutes of the game. In the end, it was a very solid 87-71 victory at Assembly Hall.
“I’ve learned a valuable lesson from last season about with perimeter players,” said Head Coach Mike Woodson. “That was the whole emphasis this summer- Trying to get perimeter guys that can make plays, and get enough guys in case someone got hurt. We didn’t even play Gabe (Cupps) tonight and he’s a big part of our team. We still have Jakai (Newton) and Anthony (Leal) out as well. I feel good about everybody.”
A trio of sophomores led the way for the Hoosiers. Myles Rice had 23 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Mackenzie Mgbako had 17 points and seven rebounds, while Kanaan Carlyle added 12 points to go along with strong defense.
“Whether I have 2 points and 10 assists, or if I have 20 points and 2 assists, I’m always going to try and make the right play,” said point guard Myles Rice. “Some nights will be my night, and some nights it will be someone else’s night.”
It was an interesting 1st Half to say the least for the offense. Indiana missed their first four shots, connected on their next seven, missed their next six, and then finished by making nine of their final 14. Despite the inconsistency, you’ll take that end result (51%) all day. In the 2nd Half Indiana was more consistent with their shooting, including this wild “shot” by sophomore Kanaan Carlyle:
There were several encouraging signs for the Hoosiers on Saturday. They went 8-for-17 from behind the arc, and went 27-for-33 (82%) from the foul line. They were also able to put a solid team away instead of relaxing like in year’s past. The Hoosier back-court dictated the pace on both ends of the court, and it was a balanced attack on offense with five players scoring in double-figures.
Another encouraging sign for me was Mike Woodson’s tone in the post-game press conference. After a 16-point win against a decent team, Woodson mentioned numerous things that displeased him from the game. He said “we’ve got to get better defending guys off the bounce,” and “we got 87 points and I’m not even sure how we got there because I didn’t think we played that well offensively.” To me, this is a refreshing change of pace and shows a better mentality for this year’s group.
The Hoosiers are 3-0 and will have a few more tune-up games before the Battle 4 Atlantis later this month. It’s a solid start for a program that’s desperate for a good season.
