Indiana improved to 3-0 with an 87-71 win against South Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers led nearly the entire contest as five players scored in double figures. Here are five takeaways from the win against the Gamecocks:
Myles Rice shines in an efficient 23-point effort
After leading Indiana to a narrow win at Tennessee in a charity exhibition last month, Myles Rice showed how he can raise the ceiling of this talented Hoosier roster.
While Rice is this team’s point guard, he’s also a capable scorer who can make 3s and get to the rim. On Saturday against South Carolina, the redshirt sophomore had his full scoring arsenal on display.
The 6-foot-3 guard hit three of his four 3-point attempts. He was also 4-for-6 on 2s and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Rice was easily the best guard on Branch McCracken Court.
One thing Rice has shown through Indiana’s first three games is that he isn’t going to force anything. Rice always looks to get his teammates involved first, but on Saturday, he found himself wide open numerous times on the perimeter. With no hesitation, Rice confidently knocked down his opportunities.
“It’s just within a flow,” Rice said postgame. “Whether I have two points, ten assists or 20 points, two assists, I am always just going to try to make the right play.”
Oumar Ballo owned the paint
Saturday was easily Oumar Ballo’s best game yet in an IU uniform.
The 7-footer from Mali only scored seven points and had just one field goal, but his impact was felt in the paint all afternoon. Ballo pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds – three offensive – and blocked six shots. He also had an assist and a steal in 30 minutes.
While Ballo averaged a double-double last season at Arizona, scoring is not the most impactful part of his game. He’s not a consistent back-to-the-basket scoring threat in the post. Many of his scoring opportunities will come from putbacks on offensive rebounds or out of pick-and-roll situations.
But the Hoosiers don’t need Ballo to score a lot to win games. Five other Hoosiers reached double figures on Saturday. Ballo played his role perfectly by dominating the glass and protecting the rim.
Indiana had a strong 3-point and free-throw shooting performance
Indiana’s shooting is improved from last season three games into the season.
The Hoosiers have now scored 80 or more points in every game. And improved shooting is driving their more potent offense.
Indiana was 8-for-17 (47.1 percent) on 3s and 27-for-33 (81.1 percent) from the free throw line. Indiana is shooting 39.2 percent on 3s and 79 percent from the free-throw line this season.
The 3-point shooting volume isn’t up significantly, but the Hoosiers made the 3-ball count on Saturday afternoon because of how well they shot.
“Tonight was a step forward in making threes,” Mike Woodson said postgame. “You know, what did we shoot? 47 percent from 3. Anybody in college basketball would take that. So we just got to keep working at it and keep improving.”
The improved free-throw shooting is also notable. On Saturday, Indiana made its last 14 free throws, which allowed the Hoosiers to hold off a late charge from South Carolina. The Gamecocks never got closer than nine points because Indiana kept converting from the line late.
South Carolina star Collin Murray-Boyles never gets going
It was a nightmare afternoon for South Carolina star Collin Murray-Boyles, considered the best NBA prospect on the floor.
Murray-Boyles entered the game averaging a double-double and had been scoring more than 20 points. But early foul trouble never allowed him to get a rhythm and Indiana was able to foul him out in 19 minutes.
Because Murray-Boyles was in foul trouble, South Carolina had to settle for 3s for most of the first half. This strategy worked for a half, as the Gamecocks went 7-for-20 from distance over the first 20 minutes.
However, Indiana cleaned up its perimeter defense in the second half, as the Gamecocks went just 1-for-9 from distance. Keeping Murray-Boyles in check all afternoon was pivotal in the comfortable 16-point win.
“We refused to let him play,” Woodson said postgame. “Doubled him from the back side a little bit and showed him different looks, some from the top. He struggled a little bit tonight. We needed that because he’s been on fire coming into this ballgame.”
Indiana is still a major work in progress and that’s OK
As many good things as the Hoosiers did on Saturday, there’s still plenty to work on. And that’s expected three games into the season with so many new faces.
Woodson said postgame that he wasn’t happy with how Indiana played offensively despite the 87 points. The Hoosiers also couldn’t put South Carolina away completely until late. The 3-point defense was shaky in the first half, IU struggled to guard off the dribble at times and allowed 13 offensive rebounds.
The reality for this Indiana team is that it’s mid-November and this team should continue to make progress as it gets more games under its belt. Expecting the Hoosiers to look like a finished product three games into the season with three new starters is unrealistic.
Through three games, Indiana is 3-0, has won every game by at least 16 points and has moved up 10 spots in KenPom since the start of the season.
While there will be bumps in the road, this group’s upside is much higher than a season ago.
Filed to: Myles Rice, Oumar Ballo, South Carolina Gamecocks
