It was a close game between Indiana Basketball and Winthrop. Indiana pulled away in the final 3 minutes of the competition with their closing 8-0 run.
While Indiana held the lead for almost the entire game, the Eagles were breathing down their necks.
Takeaway #1: Hats off to Hatton
Senior center Langdon Hatton was ultimately the key to Indiana Basketball’s success. Before this game, Hatton totaled 6 minutes of playing time this season- 4 minutes against Chattanooga and 2 vs. Miami (OH). Starting redshirt senior center Oumar Ballo was not in uniform on Sunday, allowing Hatton to show his stuff. He did just that. In his 26 minutes against Winthrop, Hatton put up his season-high of 7 points. He was electrifying on the defensive end as he brought down 11 rebounds, blocked 3 shots, and recorded both an assist and a steal.
When looking at free throws, he shot 5-6. Head coach Mike Woodson acknowledges his presence and leadership against Winthrop.
“Thank god for Langdon. I thought he played his butt off.” Said Woodson. “He came and gave us a big lift when we needed it.” His performance just proves how much depth Indiana’s bench has. It is promising for their upcoming games.
Takeaway #2: Three-point shooting
To address the white elephant in the room, the three-point shooting was substandard, to say the least. Indiana Basketball only sank one of their 20 three-point shots. Their singular 3 was made by Luke Goode, who made one of nine. Other attempts were made by Myles Rice, Mackenzie Mgbako, Trey Galloway, and Kanaan Carlyle, all coming up short. Woodson is still optimistic about three-point shooting in their upcoming competitions.
“They just have to keep working, and eventually, they’ll fall,” said Woodson. “If they were bad threes, then I would really sit here and complain, but I feel good about the guys who are shooting them.”
The Hoosiers were at 5% with 3-pointers, which isn’t exactly comforting as they head back into Big Ten play against Rutgers on Jan 2.
Takeaway #3: Winthrop’s offense wasn’t enough
Winthrop stuck with Indiana the whole game because of their consistent shooting. Five players reached double digits against the Hoosiers. Senior guard Kasen Harrison and senior forward K.J Doucet led the team in scoring with 14 points each.
Their shooters have also been consistent throughout this season. Doucet earned his third double-double against Indiana, and graduate student guard Nick Johnson has surpassed 10 points for six consecutive games.
Winthrop still needs to improve its overall offense. They only made 38% of their field goals and 26% of their shots from outside the arc.
Next up for Indiana Basketball (11-3): vs. Rutgers (7-5)- Jan 2 at 8:30 p.m. EST.
Next up for Winthrop (10-6): vs. USC Upstate (4-11)- Jan 2 at 4:00 p.m. EST.
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