Indiana Turns One-Point Game Into Blowout in Exhibition Win Over Butler

Indiana got a little bit of everything in its exhibition opener Sunday night.

Markus Burton got the offense going early. Samet Yigitoglu gave the Hoosiers a reliable option inside. And when Butler stayed close, Indiana got enough from its rotation to pull away for a 96-68 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Hoosiers led 44-41 at halftime before outscoring Butler 52-27 in the second half. There were turnovers, missed free throws and plenty of fouls to clean up, but IU also showed how many different players could contribute.

Trevor Manhertz had a strong night. The freshman stayed involved on the glass and helped Indiana get extra possessions, even before his outside shots started falling. He knocked down two second-half threes as the Hoosiers began to build their lead.

Butler made things interesting early in the second half. Jalen Jackson hit a three to cut Indiana’s advantage to 54-53 with 14:54 left, getting the Bulldogs within one.

Bryce Lindsay answered with a three on the next possession. From there, Indiana outscored Butler 36-4 to take a 90-57 lead.

Manhertz hit both of his threes during that stretch, while Sam Alexis made his presence felt around the basket. Alexis followed a missed layup with a putback dunk and made the free throw to put Indiana ahead 70-56.

Jaeden Mustaf added a stepback three, and Darren Harris followed with a jumper to extend the lead to 19. Butler couldn’t keep up, and Indiana continued adding to its advantage as more reserves entered.

The first half was a different story.

Burton scored 11 of Indiana’s first 13 points, hitting his first three attempts from behind the arc. He had 13 points at halftime without missing a shot from the field.

Yigitoglu also gave Butler problems inside. He scored 10 first-half points, including a rebound and putback in the final minute that put IU ahead 44-37. When Indiana needed a basket, getting him the ball around the rim was a good place to start.

But the Hoosiers let Butler hang around. IU committed seven turnovers and 13 team fouls before halftime. Jordan Ellerbee scored 15 first-half points for the Bulldogs, who got the deficit back to three before the break.

The foul trouble didn’t immediately go away. Burton and Mustaf each picked up their third foul in the opening minute of the second half, and Sherrell picked up his third shortly afterward.

Indiana still had enough options to take control. That was one of the more encouraging parts of the night, the Hoosiers didn’t need one player to do everything.

It was only an exhibition, so there’s no reason to make too much of one result. But between Burton’s start, Yigitoglu’s work inside and Manhertz’s contributions off the bench, Indiana had plenty to feel good about heading into the season.