Thoughts on a 90-55 win against the Panthers:
Indiana played groggy in the first half of this noon tipoff.
“I thought we were still in bed asleep,” Mike Woodson said. “It was awful.”
The Hoosiers feigned interest, playing uninspired basketball with no edge.
As such, the Panthers, a team that lost by 45 to Illinois to begin their season, led 37-36 at halftime. The Hoosiers couldn’t stop Nakyel Shelton, who scored 15 points in the first half and made more 3-pointers himself (3-of-5) than Indiana made as a team (2-of-7). Just like to start the opener, Indiana played sloppy, turning the ball over on 23 percent of its possessions in the first 20 minutes of the contest. Eastern Illinois bumped that one-point lead out to five (43-38) at the 18:48 mark in the second half.
But from there? It was all Indiana.
The Hoosiers closed out the game on an impressive 52-12 run. How did they turn the deficit into a blowout? By stepping it up on defense. With Indiana increasing its physicality and intensity, Eastern Illinois’ offense crumbled. The Panthers shot just 16.7 percent (5-of-30) in the second half. Oumar Ballo blocked three shots. The Panthers turned it over nine times. After Indiana got a stop, it often pushed in transition, scoring several easy baskets thanks to its superior talent, size and athleticism. The Hoosiers had 20 fast break points in the second half, with 13 points off turnovers. Trey Galloway was in the mix pushing in transition, as he had a game-high eight assists after racking up nine against SIUE. Indiana also did more damage from deep (4-of-11, 36.4 percent) after the break, but its volume from 3-point range is still trending low through two games.
Ten of the 11 players who saw game action in the second half scored. Bryson Tucker picked up where he left off against Marian, scoring in various ways and looking like he belongs. He posted 12 points (5-of-6 from the field, 2-of-2 at the line) in 14 minutes of action in the second half.
Kanaan Carlyle, who has shown some grit defensively but is still looking for his footing on offense, hit both his 3-point attempts in the second half. Luke Goode made 2-of-5 for the game, as he’s starting to trend in the right direction from deep.
Indiana’s starting frontcourt did most of the offensive damage. As he did against SIUE, Mackenzie Mgbako led the way with 18 points. Mgbako got going immediately and finished an efficient 7-of-10 from the floor, 2-of-4 from deep and 2-of-2 from the line. Ballo (17 points, 8-of-10) and Malik Reneau (17 points, 8-of-12) weren’t far behind.
To put this 35-point win in context: It’s Indiana’s first 20-plus point win in 57 games since a 24-point win against Elon on Dec. 20, 2022. The Hoosiers didn’t have a win by more than 20 last season. It’s also Indiana’s first 30-plus point win in 63 games since it beat Jackson State on Nov. 25, 2022 by 39 points.
The computer rankings that ultimately determine the NCAA tournament field should look upon this win favorably. For instance, KenPom projected a 25-point win for the Hoosiers this afternoon.
Once Indiana woke up, it performed as it should have and then some. The hope is the Hoosiers don’t need such a halftime jolt next time.
Filed to: Eastern Illinois Panthers
