Indiana men’s basketball had little trouble taking care of the University of Saint Francis on Thursday, winning 104-59 in its second and final exhibition game of the preseason.
Against the NAIA school from Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Hoosiers’ controlling effort came with little surprise. Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis led the Hoosiers with 19 points, and freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino added 15 points and five assists.
With Indiana playing against weaker competition than it will during the regular season, there’s little stock to be placed in the result. However, certain moments showed where the Hoosiers have improved from last season. Here are three plays that made the difference Thursday.
12:23, first half: Jalen Hood-Schifino layup
Indiana showed off an ability to push the pace on fast breaks early in the first half when senior forward Race Thompson found Hood-Schifino up the court and flipped him a pass.
The freshman took the ball up the court the rest of the way. He went behind the back on the dribble to beat a Saint Francis defender and worked his way for a layup, electrifying the crowd and letting out an ‘ooo’ of his own.
The layup, already his seventh point in eight minutes, was another example of Hood-Schifino’s ability to move with the ball and drive up the court. Just over two minutes before, Hood-Schifino grabbed a rebound and did all the work himself, driving past several Cougars on his way to 2 points.
Hood-Schifino had no hesitance to pull up from 3-point range either, making all three of his shots from beyond the arc.
Hood Schifino’s potential as a one-and-done hasn’t been a tightly held secret; Trayce Jackson-Davis talked about it at IU basketball media day. He shined in Indiana's first exhibition as well, alongside co-freshman Malik Reneau, who added another 15 points today. But his preseason has been full of displays of prowess and flashes of potential that Indiana hasn’t seen in a pure skill standpoint in several years.
“What you can expect from Jalen Hood-Schifino is just a leader,” Reneau said. “Someone that's going to be there every day working hard every single day and ready to go. He has a pro bag. He gets to his spots.”
2:47, first half: Miller Kopp 3-pointer, assisted by Xavier Johnson
Shortly after the under-4-minute media timeout, senior guard Xavier Johnson drove the ball into the lane before kicking it out to senior forward Miller Kopp, who was wide open in the corner. Kopp, taking time to set his feet and gather the ball, pulled up and swished the 3-pointer to put Indiana up 44-20.
Kopp made another from range shortly into the second half on a fast break to put Indiana up 58-24. Similarly to his first attempt, Kopp took time to gather the ball and check his feet before pulling up.
“Those shots are weird because usually I'm not that open, but I do practice those shots where I have more time than normal,” Kopp said.
Kopp only took two shots in his 17 minutes during the game, raising questions about how much the Hoosiers will use the senior forward throughout the season if other shooting options open up. Kopp, who transferred from Northwestern largely to play the role of range shooter, shot 39.1% from deep last year but only averaged 6 points a game.
Johnson struggled in his 15 minutes on the floor, and the pass to Kopp was one of just three assists. He didn’t play for most of the second half after picking up his fourth foul with 16 minutes to go and missed all four of his 3-point attempts.
“I told Xavier after the game, ‘You don’t have to do it all this year,’” Woodson said. “’We got enough pieces on this team that you can just do your part and not have to stress out about thinking you have to do everything.’”
12:35, second half: Jackson-Davis alley-oop from Hood-Schifino
Indiana was lucky when a tipped pass by its defense bounced off a referee instead of going out of bounds. But it did stay in, leading to a steal and a transition. Hood-Schifino carried the ball up the floor on the fast break before finding Jackson-Davis for a lob and a slam.
It took six seconds in the first half for the freshman guard to find the senior forward for an alley-oop, and their second connection — coming 27 minutes later — is another in what could be many connections if Hood-Schifino remains in the starting lineup.
Jackson-Davis's 19th and final point, coming on the alley-oop, was an exclamation marking his return after sitting out Indiana’s first exhibition game Saturday. Despite a heavily wrapped right hand, Jackson-Davis had no problem overpowering the Cougars on Thursday. He grabbed nine rebounds as well.
“Trayce is who he is,” Woodson said. “He’s going to be there when it counts. It was nice having him back in the lineup.”
Jackson-Davis played 21 minutes in his return, allowing him to work back into the game atmosphere ahead of Indiana’s season opener against Morehead State on Monday, but he’ll receive a boost all season with Reneau playing behind him and alongside him to steal away the attention of his defenders.
“It helps us in terms of how we run our offense (when both are out there),” Woodson said. “They can both run pick and roll. They can both pass the ball. And they’re smart enough when they’re double teamed to get rid of it to the right guy.”
