Well that left a lot to be desired.
Twice Indiana built 16-point first half leads against UNC Greensboro, 21-5 midway through the opening stanza, and 36-20 towards the end. But between those runs and pretty much the entire second half, the Hoosiers were uninspiring. UNCG came all the way back to tie the game at 40, and it took a 14-2 IU run in response to gain back what would remain a slim margin of comfort to the end.
Let’s take a deeper look at how IU won 69-58 with our latest edition of The Report Card.
Indiana (4-0) will play Louisville at the Battle 4 Atlantis in The Bahamas next Wednesday.
COACHING (D)
Indiana’s effort level has been consistently inconsistent through four games, and this particular display was definitely on the low end. The Hoosiers weren’t playing with pace on the offensive end, and they were consistently getting beat by UNCG on the offensive glass.
Sitting between South Carolina and Louisville, this game had the potential to be one where IU wasn’t mentally sharp and didn’t play hard. Those are things the coaches have to prepare against, and IU coach Mike Woodson said himself Indiana’s lack of effort Thursday evening was “on him.”
The game turned early in the first half when Woodson brought in three subs off the bench at the same time. Indiana did not score for more than five minutes after that. And the Hoosiers really struggled to find offensive continuity ever again after a strong start.
Give Woodson credit for not being so mechanical with his rotations in the second half. He knew Bryson Tucker was a difference maker, and he left him in for 16 minutes after the break.
OFFENSE (D)
Indiana’s offense was slow-paced throughout the game, and left to try to score in the half court, the turnover prone and poor shooting Hoosiers struggled. After scoring 17 points in the first 6:18 of the game, they only scored 52 points over the final 33:42.
Indiana scored just 1.02 points per possession, easily their low mark of the year, as was an effective field goal percentage of just 45.8%. The Hoosiers were careless with the basketball, committing 14 turnovers including several post feeds that had no chance to get home.
Several players seem to get tunnel vision when they have the ball, and try to force their way through traffic rather than pass to open shooters.
The free throw line was a saving grace for IU, as they made 14-of-16 on the night. And the Hoosiers did a pretty good job hitting the offensive glass with 13, although there were obviously a lot of misses to account for.
DEFENSE (B)
UNCG scored just a tick under .86 points per possession. Indiana has held all three non high-major opponents under .86. The UNCG shooting percentages were low — 31.7% overall, including 28.1% from three. And the Spartans committed 14 turnovers.
While the numbers look good, it continues to feel like Indiana is going to run into a three-point barrage at some point. The Hoosiers once again gave up a high volume (32) of 3-point attempts, but ran into another team that wasn’t able to convert at a high clip. The Hoosiers had plenty of good contests, but there were also plenty of makeable shots that UNCG missed.
The real concerning number here is 17 offensive rebounds by UNCG. Some of that total is an unavoidable result of three-pointers resulting in long rebounds. But it was pretty clear on several occasions the Spartans were more aggressive than IU when it came to chasing down misses. It was the highest offensive rebounding rate against IU so far this season, and the Hoosiers have already had a couple clunkers in that regard.
MORE GAME COVERAGE
- When IU needed someone to step up against UNC Greensboro, Bryson Tucker responded
- Watch: IU basketball coach Mike Woodson discusses win over UNCG
- IU basketball: Indiana 69 UNC Greensboro 58 — Three keys | Highlights | Final stats
THE PLAYERS (*starters)
*Mackenzie Mgbako (D) It was an off shooting night, and Mgbako didn’t post good rebounding numbers either. Woodson seemed frustrated with Mgbako on multiple occasions. After an incredibly hot start to the season, Mgbako didn’t look confident towards the end of the game.
*Malik Reneau (C) Reneau seems to have become a bit less reliant on his footwork, and a bit more intent on just playing bully ball. He got his shot blocked on multiple occasions because he tried to force something that wasn’t there. It was a good rebounding night, as Reneau posted just his fourth double-digit rebounding game in an IU uniform.
*Oumar Ballo (B) The big man showed a soft touch in the paint, rebounded at a high rate, and bothered a ton of shots.
*Myles Rice (B+) Rice picked up where he left off against South Carolina with a hot shooting start, and he get to the rim for scores a couple times in the second half to help IU put the game away. He did have a run of turnovers that were head scratching, but Rice also added six assists and five rebounds.
*Kanaan Carlyle (D) Whatever confidence might have been gained against South Carolina was nowhere to be found in this one. He turned in a poor shooting night, wasn’t a presence on the glass, turned it over a couple times, and didn’t seem as locked-in on the defensive end.
Trey Galloway (D) The fifth-year senior guard just didn’t look or move like himself on this night. There’s not much more you can say beyond Galloway didn’t have it, and you hope whatever the issue was, it is limited to one night.
Bryson Tucker (B+) With his unique repertoire in the midrange, Tucker scored 11 points in a just over six minute stretch of the second half. His run started right after UNCG tied the game at 40. Woodson started calling plays for him. He ended up with a career high 14 points in a career best 25 minutes off the bench. Tucker’s season is going to continue to be interesting to watch unfold.
Luke Goode (C+) Goode made an important second half three to help Indiana pull back away. His teammates missed him a few more times when he was open from behind the arc.
Langdon Hatton saw limited minutes
Anthony Leal and Dallas James did not play, coach’s decision.
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Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton were out with injuries
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