After a long offseason, Indiana basketball is back. The Hoosiers opened exhibition play with an in-state matchup against the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Oct. 11. Whether it's because it’s the first outing of the season for both teams, an in-state showdown, or just for the love of the sport in the Hoosier state, Hinkle was anything but quiet.
The starting five included Markus Burton, Darren Harris, Jaeden Mustaf, Aiden Sherrell, and Samet Yigitoglu. Bryce Lindsay served as a sixth man, and Trevor Manhertz contributed valuable minutes. Returners Sam Alexis and Trent Sisley each saw nearly 14 minutes.
Takeaways:
Long-awaited rebound success
Indiana's primary focus this offseason was rebounding. Last season, the Hoosiers averaged just 32.4 rebounds per game (315th nationally). In the Big Ten, they ranked 15th in offensive rebounding rate. Safe to say, it's no surprise DeVries made this a summer focus. At halftime, when Indiana led by just three points, they doubled Butler on the boards, 30-15. They ended up outrebounding the Bulldogs 53-33. Sherrell was the leading rebounder, grabbing nine total. Close behind with eight each were Jaeden Mustaf and Trevor Menhertz off the bench. DeVries shared during the postgame presser how pleased he was with Indiana's performance on the glass,
"There's plenty of other stuff that we can work on, but I thought the whole focus coming into this game that we've prioritized this whole offseason played out exactly how we wanted it to," DeVries said.
The Hoosiers scored 25 second-chance points from 17 offensive boards, just over 26% of their total points. Rebounding will be an important stat to watch during non-conference play, as it could be what the team needs to be successful in an aggressive Big Ten conference
Hoosiers hot from the perimeter
Last year's Indiana team relied on shots beyond the arc to create any offense- mainly from Lamar Wilkerson. Against Butler, the Yigitolgu-Sherrell frontcourt combo was a significant part of Indiana’s good looks from three. The Hoosiers got the ball down to the baseline, where one of the bigs could then dish it out to the perimeter for a less-contested shot. Indiana finished making 13 of their 33 shots from three-point territory (39.4%). Burton and Harris hit three each, while Lindsay and Manhertz added a pair each. The Hoosiers didn't just find success from beyond the arc; they also showed a willingness to attempt that shot. For most of the team, it looked like DeVries was generous with the green light from the perimeter, encouraging for IU fans, as it points to a likely more balanced offense than in his first season as Indiana's head coach.
Early Foul Trouble
While there have been noticeable improvements so far compared to last year's squad, a similarity stands out– early foul trouble. At the end of last season, Indiana averaged 18.3 fouls per game, often forcing heavy minutes from a bench that lacked real depth. Against the Bulldogs, it was evident right from the first half that this would be a "problem" in this matchup. Immediately into the second half, Burton and Mustaf each picked up their third foul, and with 7:15 still left in the game, they each tallied four. With 16:38 to go, Sherrell added his third and final foul. Matching his three was Lindsay. In total, the team had 23 fouls, five more than last season's average.
Because this is an exhibition game, this wasn't as detrimental as it would've been in a Big Ten matchup– it actually gave opportunities for bench players like Manhertz, Prince-Alexander Moody, Drew Snively, Justin Mondon, and Ian Stephens to see minutes. Burton's early foul trouble limited him to just 15 minutes, less than half of his 33.2-minute average over his three-year collegiate career at Notre Dame. During the season, IU will likely crumble against tier-1 opponents if it is forced to rely on a portion of the bench. So yes, a reflection of a poor pattern from last year's team; however, not something for Indiana to stress about at this point, rather monitor as they work through non-conference opponents.
The consensus from the postgame presser from both Indiana and Butler is that both are excited to play other teams rather than against themselves, finally,
"When we play each other, it's hard to really see the exposures," DeVries stated.
The Hoosiers are back in action for their second exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 18 vs. UNC.
