By Matt St. Charles
Heading into a 12-day break after the win over Siena on December 22, Darian DeVries was very open about how the Hoosiers would use that time to correct some of the habits that had ailed them.
Turnovers and defensive rebounding. Those were the two areas he said his team needed to improve on going into the bulk of Big Ten play after the New Year. While Washington isn’t a turnover-forcing machine, its size, length, and physicality across the board were set to cause some issues for the Hoosiers.
“I thought we came really prepared in practice every day,” Conor Enright said. ”We had some time where we could clean stuff up and we weren’t focusing on preparing for necessarily a team right away. Then we got some days to prepare for Washington. I think we’ve been having a great approach. If we keep that, it will help us throughout.”
It seems DeVries made the most of that break.
“We spent a lot of time on it during this break in our practices of increasing our physicality and doing a better job there,” he said. “Just more of getting that mindset. They’re big. They play around the rim a lot with their fours and fives or their guards. Sometimes it’s easier when someone takes a three to go hit a guy because he’s out in space. When it’s just all under there, it’s a lot of bodies and stuff; somebody’s got to come out with the ball. I thought our guys did a good job of staying with it, pursuing the ball.”
In the 90-80 win, IU wasn’t just better on the defensive glass, but in all facets of rebounding. The Hoosiers allowed just eight offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points, but grabbed 11 of their own misses. They won the overall rebounding battle 33-29, despite Washington’s Hannes Steinbach and Franck Kepnang having a noticeable size advantage.
Indiana was up to the challenge, not just physically, but mentally, too. Averaging 10.4 turnovers coming into the night, the Hoosiers gave the ball away just four times, leading to just four points off turnovers.
Washington made a concerted effort to take Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson out of the game early, and instead of forcing it to them, others took advantage of their gravity and made open looks.
Tayton Conerway scored 18 first-half points, going 4/4 from 3, and driving to the rim when Steinbach was switched onto him. Conor Enright had 11 before the break, nailing two 3s in the first five minutes to help bring the Huskies out of the zone defense.
In response to a 10-2 Washington run to start the second half, IU responded with a 13-7 run of its own. During that spell, freshman Trent Sisley scored 10 straight points to regain momentum for the Hoosiers.
“I thought tonight he gave us a huge lift,” Darian DeVries said. “We rode him for as long as we could there, until I think he got a little gassed. We had to give him a little rest. That’s great for him. I think that says a lot about him, too. He’s continued to stay confident throughout it. He’s put in the work, too. During the break and stuff, he spent extra time in the gym.”
Once those other guys had done their job, Wilkerson was freed up to score, netting 18 second-half points compared to his four before the break. After the lead grew to 15, Washington tried to make its run, putting pressure on the rim and getting fouled to get back within six.
Indiana stayed solid, not turning the ball over in the last six minutes and valuing possessions that put it over the edge.
Although there are no more 12-day breaks, this one was good for the Hoosiers before a gauntlet of Big Ten play. Through one game, they look refreshed. Now, they shift their attention to Maryland on Wednesday.
“Every night’s going to be a different game, a different night, different opportunity,” DeVries said. “You just focus on that next one. Now our focus is on Maryland. Get some rest tonight. Get a good two days of practice together, get ready to go on the road.”