When freshman guard Gabe Cupps knocked down an open 3-pointer from the left wing to give Indiana a 61-50 lead over Florida Gulf Coast with under four minutes to play, Hoosiers basketball felt back.
Assembly Hall erupted. Fans were on their feet. Some eight months removed from its last home game, Indiana had found a rhythm and appeared poised to storm into the distance with a convincing closing stretch.
Seconds later, the Hoosiers allowed Florida Gulf Coast senior guard Chase Johnston to splash a 3-pointer of his own. A quick Indiana layup by senior guard Trey Galloway was succinctly followed by a put-back layup by the Eagles.
This almost felt like the story of Indiana’s night – glimpses of proficient talent followed by defensive lapses thwarting the previously gained momentum.
The Hoosiers became discombobulated down the stretch, watching their lead close to just 2 points with 35 seconds to play after a barrage of turnovers, but ultimately held on for a 69-63 win Tuesday night.
After the game, Indiana head coach Mike Woodson expressed frustration with his team’s free throw shooting, as the Hoosiers made just 19 of 30 attempts. Making free throws is the difference between winning and losing most nights, Woodson said.
But Tuesday night, Indiana overcame its struggles at the foul stripe to start the campaign with a victory. Woodson pointed to a strong defensive showing as the primary reason, though he wasn’t entirely satisfied with perimeter rotations.
“From a defensive standpoint, we held them to 63 points, and that's kind of in the ballpark where we want to be,” Woodson said. “It was all the missed cues on the backside of our defense that we just weren't executing. I got to get that fixed and clean it up. We were pretty good the last two years in that regard.”
Woodson noted in a press conference Monday that his team needs the most growth in rotations moving forward, and the Eagles’ 13 triples illustrated this problem.
Another concerning aspect for Woodson is the Hoosiers’ bench, which mustered just 7 points across four players. Cupps led the charge with 5, and senior forward Anthony Walker added the other 2.
Sophomores C.J. Gunn and Kaleb Banks failed to score. Gunn had a team-low plus/minus of minus-11. Banks played for only two minutes.
Woodson quickly diverted from a question about Galloway’s offensive value to criticism of Gunn, Banks and freshman forward Mackenzie Mgbako.
“My concern is C.J. and Kaleb and Mackenzie,” Woodson said. “All three of those guys are capable of scoring too, so when they're in the game I got to get them comfortable number one, and they got to figure out what the hell we're doing from a defensive standpoint. I got a lot of work to do, put it that way.”
There were plenty of negatives, but Indiana saw plenty to like, including a 19-2 run to go from trailing 48-42 in the second half to leading 61-50 after Cupps’ 3-pointer. The turnaround was sparked by a Woodson timeout less than a minute after the under-12 break, with the Hoosiers allowing another uncontested bucket from downtown.
This six-and-a-half-minute stretch highlighted the upside of Indiana’s offense, with shots falling from all parts of the court. Similarly, the Hoosiers’ defense found another gear, creating four turnovers and forcing the Eagles to work late into the shot clock.
While this run was ultimately just a small portion of the game, it offered insight as to just how good this year’s Indiana team can be – but it was preceded and succeeded by reminders of the work still to be done.
“I had no choice but to call a timeout,” Woodson said. “They had gone on a nice little run, and I drew up a play, we came out of the timeout, got a bucket, and then our defense just … make no mistake, it was our defense coming down the stretch that got us back. The fans got into it, and that was very helpful getting us on a roll. That was enough just to bring it home for us.”
The Hoosiers weren’t particularly impressive for much of the game and have a long way to go, but you’d be hard pressed to find a team in college basketball currently pleased with where it's at.
In essence, Indiana secured a non-visually appealing victory, but a victory nonetheless, and Woodson’s squad has plenty to build upon moving forward.
“I liked our fight when we got down six late in the second half, because you could easily break there and kind of fall apart,” Galloway said. “I think just knowing that we got guys willing to fight when things aren't going well, I like to see that. Obviously, we got to be better and not put ourselves in that position, but to be able to climb out of that and come out with a win was huge for us.”
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
