While it’s still early in the season, Indiana basketball looks downright unstoppable. The Hoosiers will face plenty of challenges as the year goes on, but right now, it’s hard to remember the last time they looked this sharp.
On Wednesday night, the Hoosiers steamrolled Milwaukee, 101–70, continuing a dominant start under first-year head coach Darian DeVries. The win marked Indiana’s third straight game hitting double-digit three-pointers and their second consecutive 100-point performance — feats not seen since 2016.
DeVries has quickly proven his ability to identify and develop talent, both from the transfer portal and within the locker room. One player who exemplified that growth tonight was senior guard Tayton Conerway — a steady floor general who finally got the spotlight and didn’t waste it.
“Tayton just has that ability to get by people,” Coach DeVries said postgame. “He’s got a little shake to his game, and you haven’t seen it a lot [because] he hasn’t needed to, but I thought tonight he did a really good job. I thought he did a good job of attacking tonight. He got to the rim a lot. He got into the paint and sprayed. That’s something we’re going to need throughout the year.”
Conerway was electric — controlling the tempo, attacking the basket, and igniting Indiana’s offense with poise and precision. Coming into the night, he had averaged just nine points through the first two games, focusing more on orchestrating than scoring. But tonight, he balanced both masterfully, dropping 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, along with six assists and two steals, finishing just behind Lamar Wilkerson’s 24 points.
“Coming into the game my team just had a lot of confidence in me,” Conerway said after the win. “On the film, a part that we felt like we could attack was the one-on-one defense, and there ain’t too many people that can stay in front of our guys. So definitely just exploiting that and having our teammates kind of like believing in me, and Coach DeVries at the end of the day just telling me, man, they can’t stay in front of you, so go get the job done, and that’s what happened.”
Conerway did everything to get the job done whether that was driving to the rim, knocking down shots, or setting up teammates with precision. He was everywhere. The senior guard showcased the full arsenal, embodying exactly what this Indiana team strives to be: dynamic, unselfish, and determined to win.
“Just how unselfish we are [when] moving the ball, like giving up a good shot for a great shot,” Conerway said. “Sometimes even though a layup is open, they’re seven footers now. So, if we kick it out, that wide open three pointer — Lamar and Tucker ain’t going to miss too many of them.”
That unselfishness has become Indiana’s identity. Their chemistry jumps off the court. A team that plays for each other, not themselves. Against Milwaukee, the Hoosiers tallied 23 assists, just shy of the 27 they racked up in their win over Marquette. Their ball movement has been surgical, their spacing deliberate, and Conerway is right at the heart of that orchestration.
Now sitting at 3–0, Indiana looks every bit the part of a possible contender. The Hoosiers will be back in action on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 5:30 p.m. (EST), when they host Incarnate Word inside Assembly Hall. For those who can’t make it, the game will air on Big Ten Network.
Hoosier basketball feels alive again, and if tonight was any indication, this season in Bloomington could be something special.