IU wins season opener

Behind an offensive outburst of 65 percent shooting and four players in double figures, the IU men’s basketball team won its 14th straight season opener Friday night at Assembly Hall with a 96-66 win against Stony Brook.

Sophomore guard Victor Oladipo tied a career high with 16 points and freshman Cody Zeller chipped in 16 points and 10 rebounds in his first collegiate game.

Quiet through much of the first half, Zeller was the recipient of a ‘flagrant two’ foul by Seawolves forward Danny Carter with the Hoosiers only up 22-21.

Carter was ejected from the game and IU took off from there, scoring five points on the ensuing possession and ending the half on a 27-7 run.

The much anticipated debut of Zeller took flight following halftime as, after attempting only one shot in the first 20 minutes, he scored eight points in the first five minutes of the second half.

Zeller brought the Assembly Hall crowd of 16,506 to its feet with a coast-to-coast fast-break dunk that pushed the lead to 79-51 with 7:34 remaining.

The 16 points and 10 rebounds for Zeller marks the third time in the Crean era that a freshman has recorded a double-double in a season opener.

“It was definitely fun playing in front of this crowd,” Zeller said. “I felt like in the first half they were focused on me and some of the other guys stepped up and then in the second half they lost me a couple times.”

Crean said Zeller led the team with 12 deflections and even took a charge as the Hoosiers had a 26-point lead with five minutes remaining in the second half.

“Things like that are a big reason he won three state championships,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “I think it’s a reason why he is a year-round winner.”

Feeding the ball to Zeller throughout much of the night was senior guard Verdell Jones III.

Leading the team with seven assists, Jones called Zeller’s performance ‘remarkable.’

“It’s very rare to see a freshman come in and do what he did today,” Jones said. “They came at him in the beginning and instead of backing down, he attacked right back at him.”

Pacing the Hoosiers in the first half were Oladipo and Will Sheehey who combined for 21 points and nine rebounds on 9-of-11 shooting.

Battling ‘flu-like symptoms’, Sheehey played just 10 minutes, all in the first half, scoring 13 points and grabbing five rebounds.

Oladipo got the night started off the opening tip with a layup four seconds into the game and held the Seawolves leading returning scorer Bryan Drougher to 1-8 shooting on the evening.

“We said last week that we have to get individual defenders, real locked up guys, and not just guys that could be but guys that are,” Crean said. “I think tonight he took a big step in that direction. He drew the assignment of their best player. He wanted that challenge.”

The depth of the Hoosiers showed with no player logging more than 28 minutes and eight players scoring at least seven points.

Following the game, Crean praised the play of his bench as the Hoosiers got 46 points from non-starters.

Leading the way in that group was junior forward Derek Elston who stretched the defense with numerous baseline jumpers while scoring 11 points on 5-6 shooting.

“Derek really has been playing well for us,” Crean said. “When I say that we have the upwards of seven starters right now, he’s that other guy. There’s no question he could move into the lineup depending on matchups.”

The 96 points is the most scored by IU since Dec. 19, 2010 when the Hoosiers beat South Carolina State 102-60.

Prior to IU’s first exhibition game, Crean said the offense was not ‘game ready’ but that was nowhere to be found Friday night as the 65 percent field goal percentage is the second highest in the last four years.

The Hoosiers have a quick turnaround as Chattanooga comes to Assembly Hall on Sunday evening for a 5:00 p.m. tip. The Mocs were the preseason favorite to win the North division of the Big South Conference.

“It will be a very athletic team. It will be a team that’s a little bit older,” Crean said. “There’s a lot of high-level Division 1 transfers on it. It’s important for us to come back out with the same energy and mindset.”