As soon as the ball hit Myles Rice’s right hand, it went back where it came from.
Soaring in transition, Indiana men’s basketball’s redshirt sophomore point guard received a pass from junior forward Malik Reneau. Immediately, Rice returned the favor, assisting a left-handed layup from Reneau early in Wednesday’s 80-61 victory over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
That was good Rice — the quick-moving, elegant-passing, offense-driving guard who won Pac-12 Freshman of the Year last season at Washington State University. It was also good offense from Indiana, which scored 42 points in the first half and 38 in the second while making 52.6% of its field goals.
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said during the preseason he expects his offense to play at a faster pace. Rice is central to realizing Woodson’s vision. At times on Wednesday night, he delivered.
But in others, Rice left Woodson wanting more.
“He has to be patient to get us in something, then know what to go do what he needs to do offensively himself,” Woodson said postgame. “Still a work in motion in terms of trying to get him to play the right way and be a true point guard.”
Woodson cited Rice’s five turnovers, three of which occurred on plays where Woodson said there was nothing available. Rice finished with four assists, giving him a negative assist-to-turnover ratio — he had 11 such showings at Washington State in 2023-24. Such errors, Woodson noted, are correctable.
Still, where Rice goes, the Hoosiers’ offense figures to follow — and Indiana rode the rollercoaster with Rice on Wednesday night. The Hoosiers had 18 assists, a mark they eclipsed only seven times last year, but turned the ball over 16 times, which would’ve ranked tied for the fifth-most last season.
Woodson said he believes Indiana’s turnovers will decrease as it grows comfortable playing faster. Led by the energetic Rice, the Hoosiers often pushed the ball in transition Wednesday night.
But fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway, who tallied a team-high nine assists, said postgame Indiana didn’t find its true quick-paced form until late in the contest.
“We needed to move in a pace that we've been doing in practice,” Galloway said, noting game speed is different than practice. “We got to have that pace for all 40 minutes on offense and defense.”
Galloway had three alley-oops to sixth-year center Oumar Ballo in the final two and a half minutes. The late success arose due to an increased emphasis on pace, which displaced the Cougars’ defense and created gaps nonexistent in Indiana’s halfcourt offense.
Down the stretch last season, Galloway ascended to a ball-dominant role for Indiana, finishing eighth in the Big Ten with an average of 4.6 assists per game. He’s in his fourth year in Woodson’s offense, an innate advantage of understanding how Woodson wants things to look.
Rice is still figuring it out.
When sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako made a rolling layup off an assist from junior forward Malik Reneau, Rice, who made the initial pass to Reneau, looked at the Hoosiers’ bench. Rice and assistant coach Yasir Rosemond appeared to be discussing the play while Rice backpedaled.
It seemed almost as if Indiana’s staff wanted Rice to realize what the Hoosiers’ offense could look like if he orchestrated it as intended.
Woodson said postgame the next step for Rice, who had 11 points while going 3 for 7 from the field and making all four of his free throws, comes in figuring out how to be a “great point guard.”
The process, Woodson said, entails making teammates better while still scoring points.
“He can score the ball — there's no doubt about that,” Woodson said. “He's shown that in practice. I don't want to ever take that away from him. But I do want him to play the right way and run our offense when he's got the ball in his hands and make the right plays when it's time to make them.”
Indiana, which went 10 for 44 on 3-pointers during its two exhibition games, connected on 6 of 16 shots from distance Wednesday. But apart from Mgbako, who scored 31 points and nailed 4 of 5 triples, the Hoosiers were just 2 for 11 beyond the arc.
Woodson said he thought Mgbako was Indiana’s only player who performed well offensively Wednesday night. He spoke highly of the Hoosiers’ defense, which held SIUE to a 35.2% clip from the field and 19.2% from distance.
But on offense, Indiana lacked movement, Woodson said. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Rice may be the Hoosiers’ most explosive straight-line mover. He’ll also have the ball in his hands at the start of most offensive plays.
And so, as Indiana looks toward its noon tipoff Sunday against Eastern Illinois University inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Woodson wants more from Rice — and hopes an offensive identity will follow.
“Don't know. Still searching,” Woodson said about the Hoosiers’ calling card on offense. “I do know we can score the basketball. Certain guys haven't really made shots like I thought they would. They'll start falling eventually.”
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
