IU basketball picked up its third straight win Wednesday night when it crushed Milwaukee 101-70 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Here are five takeaways from the win against the Panthers:
Lamar Wilkerson stays warm from a distance
Through three games, Lamar Wilkerson showed why he was one of the most coveted guards in the transfer portal last spring.
Transfer Sam Houston continued his strong perimeter shooting Wednesday night against Milwaukee, sinking five of his six 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 24 points.
Wilkerson earned his second KenPom Game MVP in three games with his efficient performance, which also included a 5-for-8 mark from the free throw line.
The 6-foot-1 senior from Ashdown, Arkansas, is 15-for-26 from distance this season, good for 57.7 percent.
Wilkerson did most of his work from the perimeter in the first half as IU scored 51 points. He went 5-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-5 on 3s, in 14 minutes.
Through three games, Indiana has assisted on 70.9 percent of its field goals
Indiana’s ball movement, floor spacing and unselfishness are difficult to guard.
There is very little one-on-one play in the new Hoosier offense and it has led to high assist numbers through three games.
Indiana recorded 23 assists on 34 made field goals in Wednesday’s win against Milwaukee, marking its third straight game with 23 or more assists.
The Hoosiers have 73 assists on 103 field goals made in wins against Alabama A&M, Marquette and Milwaukee.
IU records an assist on nearly 71 percent of its field goals made, which currently ranks in the top ten in the country according to KenPom.com.
“All the guys here are here to win,” Reed Bailey said after the game. “And we know from the coaching staff that we’re going to do that by keeping the ball moving and making sure we touch the ball. When we move the ball and cut and screen and the ball moves, we’re hard to guard.”
Tayton Conerway took what the defense gave him
According to postgame comments from Conerway and Darian DeVries, there was a pregame emphasis for Conerway to attack the rim on Wednesday night.
DeVries had a feeling Conerway could have a big night attacking the paint and his intuition was correct.
Paint accents were a staple of Conerway’s game at Troy last season and when he doesn’t have the option to finish, the senior guard has no problem finding a teammate to watch. In three games, Conerway has nineteen assists and handed out six on Wednesday.
But it wasn’t the passing that was the most impressive part of his performance against Milwaukee.
Conerway continued to go downhill in IU’s 31-point win, shooting 7-for-7 on 2s. He is now 13-for-15 from the three-point arc this season.
Reed Bailey shows off his shooting and passing skills
Reed Bailey’s 6-foot-4 frame, combined with his ball-handling and shooting ability, makes him a difficult cover for opposing forwards.
Bailey stuffed the stat sheet against Milwaukee, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, five assists, a blocked shot and no turnovers in 26 minutes.
He attempted his first three-pointer of the season – a goal from the right wing in the first half – and went to the free-throw line six times.
Through IU’s first three games, Bailey is 15-for-17 from the line. Getting to the line has been a big strength of his play over the past two seasons at Davidson and has been a key part of his offensive play with the Hoosiers thus far.
Playmaking for others was also a staple of Bailey’s play at Davidson, and against Milwaukee his five assists were one behind Conerway for the team high.
Nick Dorn makes his season debut
After ramping up his activity in recent weeks, Elon transfer Nick Dorn saw his first minutes in a Hoosier uniform during Wednesday’s win.
Dorn, who underwent offseason surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his foot, played only eight minutes but was productive.
The North Carolina native shot 3-for-6 from the field, including a 1-for-3 mark on 3-pointers, to go along with three rebounds and an assist.
There is clearly rust for Dorn to shake off, but with games against Incarnate Word and Lindenwood on the horizon it should be a good opportunity for the 6-foot-1 guard to play regular minutes ahead of the Nov. 25 game at Kansas State.
“He gives us another guy who can go out there and make four or five in a night,” DeVries said of Dorn after the game. “Like he shoots at a high, high level and is also a big, strong guy.
“So it just gives us a lot of versatility off our bench right now. That’s definitely something that’s a big luxury as a coach. Even in the Marquette game where we had all the foul trouble, it would have been great to have another guy that we could have put in there.”
See more: Five Takeaways, Lamar Wilkerson, Milwaukee Panthers, Nick Dorn, Reed Bailey, Tayton Conerway
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