It is that time of year again, and the temperatures are quickly dropping. Even though this chilly temperature seems to be a bummer, this season brings with it many positive aspects. The jolly spirits of the holidays and a much-needed break are both wonderful events that come along with this time of year. However, here in Indiana, this season is admired for a different reason. To the Hoosiers of Indiana, this season brings with it the great sport of college basketball.
Indiana is home to one of the most historic college basketball programs in the country. The Hoosiers of Indiana University have achieved five National Championships and rank among the top prestigious basketball universities in the nation. Because of this success and the pure love for the game that many Hoosiers possess, Indiana University is home to, arguably, one of the greatest fan bases in the sport of collegiate basketball, Hoosier Nation. However, these avid fans have not had a whole bunch to be excited about in recent seasons. In the past twenty years, the Hoosiers have been through six head coaches and have not found huge success. This season, Indiana finds itself under the command of yet another new head coach, Darian Devries. Not only do the Hoosiers have a new head coach, but they are also home to an entirely new team with zero returning players from last season. This poses many questions about how this basketball season will pan out, but the hopes for the Hoosiers are high.
Heading into this season, many fans (including myself) are curious as to what Indiana basketball has in store. Fortunately, these fans got a glimpse into the play of the new Hoosier team during the squad’s two exhibition games. Indiana faced off against Marian University on October 17 and the Baylor Bears a few days later on the 26. In both games, the Hoosiers came up victorious. Indiana also competed in their first regular-season game against Alabama A&M (Agriculture and Mechanical) University this past Wednesday. The Hoosiers did not disappoint and came out on top by a score of 98-51.
In the first round of competition, the Hoosiers crushed Marian by a final score of 107-46. Obviously, Indiana is a much larger program than the small opponent of Marian University, so this large victory was no surprise. Regardless, the Hoosiers looked fantastic. It was evident to anyone watching that the squad works nicely together, even though their time together has been rather short. Coach Devries was very pleased with the performance that his team put together. According to Seth Tow of TheDailyHoosier, Coach Devries stated, “These guys really understand how to play. We talk about playing off of two feet, making sure that you can still be aggressive, but let’s make the right plays at the end of the night. I like how these guys have really adapted to the way we want them to play offense.”
One of the major stars that helped run this offense is Coach Devries’s own son, Tucker Devries. Tucker proved to be a leader right off the bat against Marian by ending the night with a team high of 23 points. He shared this feat with the Hoosier’s four-star freshman, Trent Sisley. Tucker is the most experienced player on the squad, as he previously competed at both Drake and West Virginia Universities. TheDailyHoosier’s Seth Tow mentioned, Indiana forward Sam Alexis said, “It’s great to have a guy like Tucker. He’s been playing in this offense for a long time. He’s the guy. He’s a great leader on and off the court.”
The following exhibition game proved to be a tougher competition as Indiana only won by two points. A few other Hoosiers stepped up to help contribute to this victory. Lamar Wilkerson led the team with 26 points, and Tayton Connerway added 17 of his own. Indiana’s defense, however, proved to be the real star in this matchup. Pete DiPrimio from IUHoosiers.com stated, “IU’s attacking, swarming defense negated Baylor’s advantage in rebounding (44-25) and second-chance points (18-3), as well as the Hoosiers’ 3-point shooting inconsistency (6-for-24). Indiana had a decisive edge in points off turnovers (22-11) while holding the Bears to just 29.0% second-half shooting. Baylor finished with 16 turnovers. Indiana had nine.” As the Hoosiers found themselves down thirteen points at one point in this competition, this comeback victory was a good one for Indiana.
More positives were witnessed in Indiana’s most recent victory over Alabama A&M. In this competition, Hoosier Nation was able to see the skills of transfer forward, Reed Bailey, shine. Bailey had an impressive showing by posting a game high of 21 points and finishing strong at the rim countless times. According to InsidetheHall’s Alez Bozich, “There will be nights when Bailey struggles against more physical players in the post, and rim protection is a legitimate question mark for the Hoosiers. But Bailey’s size, mobility, and high IQ will make him a tough cover for plenty of opposing frontcourts.” Another high point for the Hoosiers was the play of guard Tayton Connerway. Connerway played with an enthusiasm and intensity that reflected well in his stats for the night. Connerway finished with 14 points, five assists, and two steals (InsidetheHall). Bailey and Connerway, among many others, are going to be very exciting to watch this season.
So far, this new and improved Indiana basketball team has yet to disappoint. With an entire team of new faces, this squad has proven itself to be a tough ball team. We’ll see if this remains true as the Hoosiers face tougher competition as the season progresses. Indiana finds their next opponent in the Golden Eagles of Marquette University, this Sunday at 1:00 pm. There is a lot of season left, and these Hoosiers are just getting started!
From the sidelines to the headlines, this is Lauren, signing out.
