Once dull, the fans inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall came to life.
Indiana men’s basketball sophomore guard Kanaan Carlyle sat just outside the 3-point arc with one arm pointed at Minnesota fifth-year senior guard Femi Odukale. Several feet to Carlyle’s right stood redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice, who aimed his right index finger at Carlyle and motioned his left hand to his right elbow, emulating a sniper.
Carlyle was seconds removed from a mid-range jump shot splashing through the net, and he had one free throw coming after Odukale’s foul. But for Carlyle to even touch the ball, it had to go through a maze.
Rice dished a dazzling behind-the-back pass to freshman forward Bryson Tucker, one that drew audible gasps of astonishment from the crowd. Tucker quickly pitched the ball back to Carlyle, who took two dribbles to his right, elevated and gave Indiana its largest lead of the game at 68-47 just inside of 10 minutes to play.
The Hoosiers (8-2) cruised to an 82-67 victory over the Golden Gophers (6-5) in their Big Ten opener Monday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Indiana’s offense ran, and ran, and ran. The Hoosiers finished with only 18 fastbreak points, but they scored 42 points in the paint — many of which came in transition when sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo or junior forward Malik Reneau sealed their defender, handled the entry pass and finished at the rim.
Rice scored his lone 2 points on a layup after running the length of the court. Indiana routinely beat Minnesota down the floor, giving itself advantageous scoring opportunities.
The Hoosiers, at least on paper, capitalized. They shot 56.6% from the field, their third-best mark this season, and scored 1.2 points per possession, their fourth-highest output of the year.
But Indiana head coach Mike Woodson wasn’t entirely pleased.
“I thought we played great the first half — the ball moved,” Woodson said postgame. “Then in the second half, we started really well, I thought, but we got to get some things fixed, too, because I thought we had some lapses where we just didn't play good offense.”
Woodson cited three factors for the Hoosiers’ offensive spells: selfish plays, turnovers and free throws. At various points in the game, he visually and verbally expressed frustration with his team’s play.
With four minutes to play in the first half, fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway turned the ball over and, if only for a second, let his angst show in his face. As a result, he was late to close out on Minnesota senior guard Mike Mitchell Jr., who drilled a 3-pointer in front of Galloway.
Indiana assistant coach Yasir Rosemond jumped off the bench and yelled toward Galloway. At the ensuing timeout, Rosemond and fellow assistant Kenya Hunter each patted Galloway’s head in reassurance.
The possession after Carlyle gave Indiana its 21-point second-half lead, Ballo failed to play satisfactory weak-side defense against Minnesota fifth-year senior forward Dawson Garcia, who made a layup with 9:16 remaining in the game. Rice drew a foul 11 seconds later, and Woodson used the brief stoppage to air his grievances to Ballo.
Just over 30 seconds later, Woodson watched Rice throw a poor post entry pass that bounced off the backboard and into a Golden Gophers’ hands. Woodson waved his hand away, but he didn’t forget about the play. The Hoosiers called a timeout after another turnover 20 seconds later, and Woodson spent several seconds laying into Rice, who — unsuccessfully — attempted to defend himself.
Finally, as frustration in Assembly Hall and on the Hoosiers’ bench grew over missed free throws, Indiana director of basketball administration Armond Hill dropped his eyes to the floor as Reneau clanked a free throw inside of three minutes left.
Indiana committed 14 turnovers and shot a season-worst 62.1% at the free throw line on 29 attempts. Still, the Hoosiers dished 21 assists and outrebounded Minnesota 35-22. For Woodson, the game marked progress — but not without more coaching points.
“We got to build on this game, but those are areas we can fix,” Woodson said. “And when you get a team down 15, 20 points, you got to remember how you got them down and continue to do the same things that got you the lead. I don't think we did that coming down the stretch.”
The Hoosiers led by double digits for the entire second half. The Golden Gophers never drew closer than 12 points.
Yet Indiana wants to be better — perhaps because it saw a glimpse of its offensive ceiling, one in which lifting tempo leads to easier opportunities at the rim and better movement when layups and dunks aren’t available.
Five different Hoosiers scored in double figures. Ballo led the team with 18 points, while Tucker scored a career-high 16. Reneau also tallied 16 points, and Carlyle and sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako added 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Despite having its third-worst 3-point shooting game of the season at 28.6%, Indiana showcased a versatile offensive attack — before Carlyle and Woodson said the Hoosiers grew comfortable.
Moving forward, comfort may be Indiana’s worst enemy. After Monday, the Hoosiers know what they can be — and how far their offense can take them.
“I feel like when we're playing fast, when we're all sharing the rock and we all play together, it works magic,” Carlyle said postgame. “When we're all scoring the ball, when we all up playing defense and bring high energy, I don't think there's no team in the country that can beat us.”
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.
