Thoughts about A 98-51 victory against the Bulldogs:
It was an evening full of history and milestones for Darian and Tucker DeVries.
Tucker, the active leading scorer in Division I basketball, surpassed 2,000 career points. His father, Darian, won his first regular season match by 47 points. the largest margin of victory for an Indiana men’s basketball coach in a debut.
Oh, and this team continues to have fun. The ball movement, the cutting, the screening, the spacing, the passing, the three-pointers, the free throw shooting and the boisterous play continue to define this new era of IU basketball. It’s a new day, a new dawn, as modernity has finally entered Assembly Hall, sending a nearly decade-long era of basketball stuck in the mud into darkness.
It’s fun.
“We have a group with really good IQ and feel,” DeVries said after the game. “For a group that hasn’t been together that long, they really play well together.”
According to the Big Ten Network broadcast, Indiana’s 36-point halftime lead was its largest since a 37-point lead against Howard on Dec. 19, 2011 – a game in which Tom Crean roamed the sidelines and Cody Zeller, Jordan Hulls, Victor Oladipo, Christian Watford and Verdell Jones III graced the starting lineup.
It’s been a minute.
Five Hoosiers scored in double figures. Reed Bailey (21 points) led the way with Lamar Wilkerson (19 points), DeVries (18 points) and Sam Alexis (17 points) not far behind. Tayton Conerway (14 points) rounded out the group. It was a strong night for Indiana big men Bailey and Alexis. The way the Bulldogs defended ball screens, often putting two on the ball, allowed Alexis and Bailey to indulge in quick rolls that allowed them to get easy looks at the rim. Alexis was a perfect 6-for-6 until he fouled a 3-pointer in the second half, his only miss of the night. He added eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Bailey went 7-for-9 from the field, 7-for-7 from the free throw line and had a nice series of back-to-back dunksthe second of which came via an off-the-backboard pass from Conerway.
Indiana’s offensive stats were gaudy. The Hoosiers scored 1.40 points per possession, a better number than they put up all of last season, with 1.35 being the highest against Providence in the Battle 4 Atlantis. IU shot a perfect 16-for-16 from the line. The Hoosiers had 13 dunks. They shot 41.7 percent (10 of 24) from distance, with Wilkerson and DeVries both leading the way with four goals.
On defense, Indiana’s ball pressure forced the Bulldogs into some tough mid-range shots. Drop coverage from high-ball screens also allowed Alabama A&M to settle into the mid-range. But it wasn’t all good. During a 6-0 run for the Bulldogs early in the second half, when Indiana’s defense made some mistakes — and appeared to be working toward a post-double — DeVries called a timeout at the 2:08 mark and was seen on camera chewing out his players a bit.
“Human nature plays a role there sometimes,” DeVries said of Indiana’s defense during that stretch and of the second half in general, when it nursed a big lead. “It’s also nice for us to have something to talk about tomorrow.”
But other than that? It was a sensational start to the season for these new Hoosiers.
See more: The minute after, Alabama A&M Bulldogs
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