Following Indiana men’s basketball’s 69-58 win over the University of North Carolina Greensboro on Nov. 21, head coach Mike Woodson wasn’t pleased with his team’s effort.
“I thought they played harder than we did,” Woodson said. “We didn't play hard, and that's unacceptable. That's on me.”
Despite coming away with the victory, the Hoosiers allowed a season-high 17 offensive rebounds.
During Indiana’s Big Ten Conference opener against Minnesota on Monday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, the script flipped. The Hoosiers dominated the Golden Gophers on the glass, winning the rebound battle 35-22 in a motivated 82-67 win.
“Indiana did a great job,” Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson said postgame. “They had more energy. They had more fight. The game seemed like it meant a little bit more.”
Woodson inserted a defensive-oriented lineup with 11:25 remaining in the first half as the Hoosiers trailed 22-20. He opted to replace junior forward Malik Reneau and sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako, who had scored all but 3 of Indiana’s points up to then, but the risk provided yielded reward. One that was earned with hustle.
Freshman forward Bryson Tucker began a 16-1 Hoosier run with a second chance put-back after fighting for a rebound in the post. Indiana’s suffocating defense sparked a five-minute Minnesota scoring drought that turned a 2-point deficit into a 13-point lead.
It’s difficult to discuss effort without mentioning sophomore guard Kanaan Carlyle’s defensive play. However, it was his offensive production that stands out after a glimpse at the box score. Carlyle tallied 14 points in 21 minutes off the bench and netted three of Indiana’s four 3-pointers.
The Stanford University transfer was a part of the starting lineup in each of his six prior appearances, but after suffering an undisclosed injury earlier this season, Woodson opted to keep him seated for the opening tip against the Golden Gophers.
“I'm perfectly fine with coming off the bench,” Carlyle said. “I want to win games, whether it's being the sixth man, eighth man, 10th man, starting two guard, I don't care. As long as we win, I'm here to do my job, to play defense and provide what I can on offense. That's it.”
Carlyle didn’t simply do his job in the win over Minnesota, he excelled in it. The same can be said for sixth-year center Oumar Ballo, who used all of his 7-foot, 265-pound frame to score a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds.
The Koulikoro, Mali, native provided the Hoosiers with multiple second chance opportunities by tacking on a pair of offensive rebounds. Beyond the boards he pulled in, his ability to box-out Golden Gophers allowed other players to crash the glass.
Ultimately, Indiana doubled Minnesota with 12 total offensive rebounds.
“Those are back breakers,” Johnson said. “They made us pay. It’s deflating.”
It’s a simple task to highlight the Hoosiers’ visibly increased effort in the conference opener, but arguably more important to unpack what led to it.
After the loss to UNC-Greensboro, Woodson said “That’s on me.” So what did the fourth-year coach do to motivate his players to compete with more urgency?
“He was in all of our heads,” Tucker said, when asked that same question. “Making sure we all had the same mindset going into each game.”
Indiana played connected basketball against Minnesota. It was clear that ball movement, a rapid pace and crashing the glass were talking points in practice and it showed come game time. The Hoosiers recorded 21 assists, the second most they’ve produced in a matchup this season.
Five scorers finished in double-digits as the Hoosiers showed a willingness to make the extra pass.
“We all came out and we were all on the same page,” Carlyle said. “We knew the first Big Ten game we had to make a statement.”
Woodson said his team needed to play harder — they did.
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.
