Indiana Basketball defeated UNC Greensboro in Assembly Hall on Thursday Night.
The Hoosiers took on the UNC Greensboro Spartans on Thursday night in Assembly Hall, with a final score of 69-58. Although Indiana finished ahead, they left fans with a disappointing performance. Here are 3 takeaways:
Takeaway #1: IU isn’t always looking to shoot
In the past couple of games, the Hoosiers have been seen swinging the ball more and not taking as many 3-point shots. While this may be a result of their poor shooting performances in the first few games, it does seem to work. Sophomore guard Myles Rice has proven that he is skilled when it comes to driving the ball to the basket and freshman forward Bryson Tucker has shown promise in this area as well. Tucker finished the game with 14 points after taking only one three-point shot which was unsuccessful.
It was evident that players, such as seniors Luke Goode and Trey Galloway, who have been known to take many shots during a game, were not looking to shoot as much against UNC Greensboro. In fact, Goode went 1 for 2 from behind the arc and Galloway did not take a single 3-point shot during the game. As a whole, the Hoosiers were 5 for 19 for 3-point shooting which further proves the point that it may be best for them to continue to try running their offense in this way.
Takeaway #2: Younger players contributing the most
It has become apparent that IU’s younger talent is making more of an impact on the games than the older players as Myles Rice and Bryson Tucker were the leading scorers in Indiana’s game against UNC Greensboro. Rice finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Tucker, coming off the bench, contributed 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist and was a huge asset on the defensive end for the Hoosiers in the second half. Furthermore, sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako provided 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
It’s no doubt that these younger guys are playing well for Indiana; however, we have not seen much from the older talent of the team. Trey Galloway, while still earning minutes, appears to be continuing to recover from a knee injury from the end of last season. Senior guard Anthony Leal has also been out with an injury; however, even though he did not play at all in the game against UNC Greensboro, he was dressed for the first time this season, which was an exciting sight for Hoosier fans.
Takeaway #3: Indiana knows they could have had a better showing
After the final buzzer sounded and Indiana headed back to their locker room, it was hard to ignore the fact that regardless of the 11-point win, they looked defeated. There is no doubt that this game was not the Hoosier’s best showing this season. Throughout the first half, boxing out and rebounding appeared to be a struggle. At the end of the first half, IU’s defense declined, allowing UNC Greensboro to go on a scoring run. However, Indiana managed to pull it together, going into the locker room at halftime up by 9. The second half started off slow, but the Hoosiers held on and came out on top despite their poor performance. Watching this team, it is evident that a few fixes, such as better rebounding and shooting numbers, could drastically change the way their games look.
Next up for Indiana (4-0):
Next up for UNC Greensboro (2-2):