Mike Woodson looked down, seemingly unable to watch the game playing out in front of him. Indiana men’s basketball’s sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo had just turned the ball over, only 20 seconds into the second half.
After a gentle rub of his head, Woodson looked back up, only to see an opposition 3-pointer 12 seconds later. Indiana's lead was trimmed to 6 points, and its head coach was not satisfied.
Nearly an hour later, his feelings were the same.
Woodson’s frustration might have been because of Indiana’s sloppy play, leading to 14 turnovers. Or it was the 41.7% shooting from the field and 26.3% from behind the arc. Or it could have been the 38 rebounds the University of North Carolina at Greensboro secured, 17 of which were offensive.
Despite it all, Indiana came out with the 69-58 victory over the Spartans on Thursday night inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
It wasn’t good enough.
“That team came to play; we didn't,” Woodson said postgame. “(The University of) Louisville is the first game (of Battle 4 Atlantis), but we've got to clean this game up and have a tough practice tomorrow, get ready for Louisville that way. But we've got to figure out this game and all the things we did wrong and didn't do.”
However, something Indiana did not fail to accomplish was a fast start. In fact, the Hoosiers’ 21-5 lead nine minutes into the game was their best start this season. Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice had a quick 8 points and sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako added 5.
But as quickly as the momentum came, it vanished just as fast. By the end of the half, Indiana was only up single digits to the Spartans, a team entering the game ranked a modest 166th, according to KenPom.
Offensively, Rice led the squad with 14 points while Mgbako had 9, but no other Hoosier scored more than 5 points.
After an 87-71 victory over the University of South Carolina on Saturday, Woodson was less than impressed with his offense, and that reaction followed a high scoring, efficient offensive performance.
On Thursday, those qualities were non-existent. Indiana’s turnover count ballooned to eight to end the half, shooting 12 for 27 from the field and 2 for 8 on 3-point attempts following Rice’s two early triples.
Halftime provided Indiana with a much-needed break. Or, it should have provided a much-needed break.
The Hoosiers immediately turned the ball over, turning into a Spartan triple. A minute later, Woodson called a timeout with the Indiana lead down to 4. Right out of the timeout, the Hoosiers turned the ball over again.
“You saw how we threw the ball in the half-court setting all over the place,” Woodson said. “We made some passes tonight that had no chance of being completed. These are things that we can all work to get better.”
However, in a game filled with negativity, one budding star emerged –– Bryson Tucker.
With a squad full of veterans, the freshman forward provided the necessary spark for Indiana, bringing 12 points off the bench in the second half. The timeliness of his shots was most important, coming when the game was 40-40, 47-42 and 54-47.
“I think he can make basketball plays to help you win, but like I mentioned earlier, we need more than just Tuck,” Woodson said. “I can't play that first unit 40 minutes. I don't want to do that right now.”
Senior forward Luke Goode made a critical 3-pointer to push the lead to 10 and cause Assembly Hall to explode with noise, but his 1-for-3 shooting didn’t add much to Indiana’s offense. Similarly, fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway, who has shined so far coming off the bench, failed to record a point, committed three turnovers and only had two assists, far beneath his average of 6.3 on the year.
Bench production was one of Indiana’s bright spots through three games, but it disappeared completely Thursday. Tucker bailed the unit out, but moving forward into the season, as games become tougher and legs become more tired, the Hoosiers can’t always rely on the 18-year-old.
But what Indiana should be able to rely on is hard work and intensity, two critical features lacking from its performance Thursday. It didn't cost the Hoosiers against the Spartans, but in the coming weeks, it will need to be fixed.
Patience will be of the essence.
“I've just got to keep working with this team to get them where I want them,” Woodson said, “but we're not there yet.”
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.
