Data Points: Insights To Be Gained from Puerto Rico Trip

This article will begin with a very necessary disclaimer: the three games IU’s men’s basketball team are playing in Puerto Rico are exhibitions and no definitive conclusions should be made about anything related to the team from what occurs this week. Do you remember the preseason trip IU took the Bahamas during the Mike Woodson era? Optimism was sky-high after reports from that trip about how good the team looked and how refreshing it was after watching Archie Miller’s teams. Needless to say, that optimism wore off quickly once the reality of the regular season set in. This is an entirely new roster and head coach Darian DeVries is going to be experimenting with different combinations while still getting to know his personnel. The extra practices gained from taking this trip are more valuable than these games and if, for instance, IU struggles from three on Wednesday, alarm bells should not be set off. Can we agree to take these games for what they are? With that disclaimer, these games are occurring and they can at least serve as data points that can help paint a picture heading into the season.

Where is IU Shooting the Ball From?

During the 2024-2025 season, the Indiana Hoosiers shot 19.8 three-pointers per game. That was only 305^th in the country. The only power-conference teams to attempt fewer three-pointers per game were USC (19.6), Wake Forest (19.6), Michigan State (19.5), Syracuse (19.5), Florida State (19.3), Boston College (19.3) and Seton Hall (16.8). For context, North Florida led the country with 35.8 attempts per game and Illinois was tops in power-conferences with 30.1. 126 teams nationally shot 24 or more three-pointers per game. Darian DeVries has clearly assembled this roster to be a team that focuses on perimeter shooting and getting good looks from three. I am looking forward to getting a first glimpse at just how many three-point attempts the new-look Hoosiers take in these three games.

Assist to Turnover Ratio

Another thing that has been mentioned repeatedly, including at the most recent press availability session, is an emphasis on taking care of the ball. A lot of the players that were brought to Bloomington are considered strong passers. They had good assist rates and were generally considered “plus” offensive players at their previous stops. Darian DeVries said that his coaching staff had worked with the players a lot thus far on sharing the ball to set teammates up for good looks while also limiting turnovers. DeVries felt they had come a long way on that front with an 18 to 2 assist to turnover ratio in a recent scrimmage. If IU can consistently put forth good assist numbers while limiting turnovers, they’ll set themselves up to have a very efficient offense.

Team Rebounding

IU knows they are going to be a smaller team than many of the opponents they will matchup with in the Big Ten. That was a common theme from the player’s availability sessions recently. The team has clearly been told that rebounding will be a team effort and an emphasis has been placed on fundamentals like ensuring that you get a body on every opponent (blocking out) on each shot. The Serbian professional team the Hoosiers will be playing in two of these three games are likely to be bigger and stronger than IU and the rebounding numbers could be interesting to monitor. This will probably be an issue that we monitor all season long so the first data points will at least be a telling baseline.

How Far Does the Defense Have to Go?

By all accounts from the recent practices, IU’s offense is well ahead of the defense. Darian DeVries believes the Hoosiers have the individual pieces to become a solid defensive team but he acknowledges that as of the beginning of August, IU is far from being where they need to be. That’s perfectly fine, expected even, for a new team with a new defensive system and months to go before the real games begin. It will be interesting to see how far the defense has to go as they take on live opposition. Are we talking about a potentially crippling anchor for the team or, are there enough positives and growth on defense that a path to a top 100 defense is visible?

Hoosier Huddle will have coverage of the three Puerto Rico games with the aid of the excellent Jeff Rabjohns of peegs.com.