He couldn’t explain it.
For senior guard Devonte Green, it was just something he could feel.
His teammates see these types of performances from him in practices and he’s had high scoring games before, but nothing like this. They tell him to keep shooting if it’s a good shot, but to him, every shot is a good shot.
No. 17 Florida State University didn’t have an answer for him. Each time he made a shot, the crowd of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall would roar. Green scored a career-high 30 points off the bench to help the Hoosiers defeat the Seminoles 80-64 and remain undefeated on the season.
The performance didn’t come as a surprise for IU head coach Archie Miller or his teammates.
“Devonte Green was special tonight,” Miller said. “There wasn't a whole lot of coaching that went into anything he did, as usual. When he's good, he's good on his own.”
Green hasn’t started a single game this season and still didn’t tonight but played the most minutes in the IU backcourt. When Green was on the sidelines, the offense was stagnant and struggling to find much of a rhythm.
With less than six minutes remaining in the first half, IU had a five-point lead with FSU continuing to stay close. That was until Green hit three 3-pointers within less than two minutes to help push IU’s lead to double-digits. It was an offensive spark that helped IU go on a 12-0 run.
In the prior two games, Green made three 3-pointers in each, but he matched that in the first half alone against FSU. In the second half, the Seminoles made three 3-pointers themselves to remain within striking distance.
But when Green came back in around the 16-minute mark, he only had one thought — win the game.
In the second half, Green had a few bad pass turnovers that FSU took advantage of but still was the only IU player who was consistently hitting shots. At one point, IU had a 15-point lead, but it came down to two points in the second half.
But it was still Green who would hit shot after shot or make the pass that would help IU keep FSU from completing a comeback.
Toward the end of the game, Green went up for a final 3-pointer. He wanted the foul but didn’t get it. Instead, he made the shot. No one seemed surprised that the shot went in because it was the type of play he’s been making for a while now.
“I thought it was a foul, but if not, it's all right,” Green said. “It went in anyway.”
Before the season started, Miller called Green their most gifted offensive player. With his team 8-0, it’s been tough to argue with that statement. Green might not start a game this season, but IU will need these types of nights from him to become the team Miller wants them to be.
“Devonte's always been a guy, I think, that's wired to score,” Miller said. “He values it. He doesn't have a fear of things going bad because he's got to be out there. He's got to play.”
