By Matt St. Charles
The Indiana Hoosiers can shoot the basketball–really shoot it.
That was very evident in their 101-70 win over Horizon League preseason favorite Milwaukee, as IU went 14-28 from beyond the arc, good for 50%. It’s a stark contrast from years past, and with 10 or more 3s in each game this season, it has Darian DeVries’ team out to a 3-0 start.
“[We’re] just getting the right type of shots,” DeVries said. “I think guys do a great job understanding how to get shooters open. They have a really good understanding of when to deliver it. Their timing has been good.”
The past inability to shoot from outside was an issue that predated Mike Woodson, as no Indiana team has shot above 40% from 3 since 2016, per KenPom. Granted, that’s an impressive percentage for a whole team to shoot, but it’s consistently where some of the best teams in the country hover.
DeVries has unlocked that for the Hoosiers with a combination of recruiting and scheming. There are constantly at least four threats on the floor, and those threats don’t stop moving, leading to wide open looks.
“The reason why is probably just how unselfish we are moving the ball,” Tayton Connerway said. “Like, giving up a good shot for a great shot. Sometimes, even though that layup is open…if we kick it up, wide open 3-pointer.”
“All the guys here are here to win,” Reed Bailey added. “And we know that, from the coaching staff…that the way we’re going to do that is keep the ball moving and make sure that we touch the ball. If we’re moving the ball and cutting and screening and the ball is moving, we’re hard to guard.”
Lamar Wilkerson, who had 21 points while making five of his six 3s on the night, has been a revelation. Tucker DeVries, who had just 12 points but was the fixation of Milwaukee’s defensive gameplan, is the centerpiece of the offense. Connerway (21 points) Bailey (14), Conor Enright (five) and plenty of others, while maybe not volume shooters from outside, at least require the defense’s respect which provides more spacing.
With DeVries conducting the offense and Wilkerson lurking as a 3-point assassin, things open up for slips to the basket for Bailey or Sam Alexis, or open driving lanes that Connerway took advantage of tonight.
“Because we’re getting enough movement outside of all the different areas of the floor, we’re able to create some things and put defenses in tough spots,” DeVries said. “Whether it’s in pick and roll or back cuts, you know, if the help comes from somewhere, our guys do a really good job reading it. If it’s not there, it means somebody else is probably open, and that’s where a lot of those 3s come from.”
It’s also a group that’s somewhat influenced by analytics. Tonight, 42% of Indiana’s points came from deep, 36% of its points came on dunks and layups, and 19% came on free throws. That leaves three percent that came from other two-point baskets, like a mid-range jumper.
Mike Woodson’s teams never saw more than 34% of their shots come from behind the arc. Through three games, that number sits at 45% from DeVries’ squad.
Outside of all the numbers, there’s a grit and swagger this team has that hasn’t been there in recent years.
At halftime, Milwaukee was out-rebounding Indiana 20-14 and had eight second-chance points to the Hoosiers’ zero. Whatever was said in that locker room resulted in a 21-11 rebounding advantage for IU in the second half and a 13-3 edge in second-chance points.
That new vibe about the team was so apparent when Connerway went diving into his own bench chasing a loose ball while Indiana was up by more than 20 with less than six minutes left. As he slid across the floor, he was picked up and enthusiastically cheered by all his teammates–a sign of the hustle and pursuit of success regardless of the score.
“There are going to be nights where you don’t go 14-28 [from 3] and you have those same shots,” DeVries said. “That’s just basketball, and that’s coming. So on those nights, that’s our challenge. How do we win those games? [The Baylor exhibition] was similar. We didn’t shoot it very well and that was an early test of like, hey, we didn’t shoot it well and we still found a way to win the game.
“That’s why everything we talk about the offense, we almost let them just kind of go,” he added. “You guys keep doing what you do best. Our whole focus is on the defense and the rebounding piece.”
For an offense where the coach just “lets them go,” the Hoosiers are on fire to start the season.