In their second exhibition game of the season, Indiana basketball continues to show its potential for the 2026 season.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Indiana basketball took down the University of North Carolina with a final score of 76-58 in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday. In the Hoosiers’ second exhibition game of the season, they had another dominant performance, showing the potential head coach Darian DeVries and his squad have.
The Hoosiers started out strong and went into the second half up by ten points with a score of 41-29. Leading the way in scoring for Indiana was fourth-year guard Bryce Lindsay. He was not included in the starting five but still finished the first half with 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist.
“I have no problem with coming off the bench if that’s, you know what’s best for the team,” Lindsay said. “All I want to do is win, so if that’s what it takes to win.”
Lindsay did not slow down in the second half and finished the game with 26 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. Lindsay proved to be efficient on and off the ball, while showcasing the dynamic duo that he and Markus Burton can be while they are on the court together.
“I feel like I’m great at, you know, playing on and off the ball,” Lindsay said. “And I feel like that’s how I can show my versatility that way. You know me and Markus, if he has the ball, I can be off the ball. He can be off the ball as well. So I think the best part of my game is that I can do both.”
Burton finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists for Indiana.
Another big reason for Indiana’s success was their rebounding. The Hoosiers outrebounded the Tar Heels 53-31. Leading the way were SMU transfer Samet Yigitoglu and Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell. Yigitoglu finished the day with 11 rebounds and Sherrell with 10. Sherrell also provided seven points for the Hoosiers. Last season, rebounding was a consistent issue for Indiana. After two exhibition games, it is evident that this was a focus of DeVries in the offseason.
“I think the guys have done a great job,” DeVries said after the game. “We put the roster together to be good at it, and then we’ve really emphasized it, and again the buy-in has been at a high level by a lot of guys, and they’ve done a great job with it.”
The Hoosiers will look ahead to their next exhibition game as they play Western Kentucky on Oct. 25 in Evansville, IN, at the Ford Center. The Tar Heels will be back in Chapel Hill as they host Charlotte on Oct. 27 for more preseason play.