Without senior captain Xavier Johnson, Indiana entered its first Big Ten game of the season understaffed. Head coach Mike Woodson has emphasized the next man up mentality since the beginning of the year and that was on full display Friday night against Maryland, as the Hoosiers defeated the Terrapins 65-53 at Assembly Hall.
Freshman Gabe Cupps started in place of Johnson, and the Hoosiers brought the intensity right from the jump. Indiana’s frontcourt trio of Kel’el Ware, Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako scored the first 16 points for the Hoosiers and finished with 42 of the team’s 65. Trey Galloway added 12 himself and Woodson was satisfied with what he saw from his lone captain.
“[Trey] knows we’re a little shorthanded with his running mate [Johnson] out,” Woodson said. “I was pleased with his play from the beginning to the end. We’ve just got to execute better offensively, and I’ve got to help the team do that.”
Part of the offensive struggles was highlighted by the 3-point shooting. Indiana shot 3-for-9 from beyond the arc and is now 19-for-79 on the season (24.1%), which is second-worst in the Big Ten. Maryland is last — shooting 38-for-160 (23.8%). The Terrapins were 2-for-16 on the night. With Ware and Reneau consistently drawing double-teams on the low post, Indiana’s shooters can not lose their faith from range.
“We know we’ve got to be ready to knock it down when it comes out of the post and just shoot it with confidence,” Galloway said. “I think it’s going to keep happening and they are going to keep coming, so we’ve got to be ready to shoot it.”
The Hoosiers out-rebounded the Terrapins 46-30, an area Indiana has struggled to succeed in to start the year. Woodson believes winning this battle should not be overlooked.
“It makes a big difference,” Woodson said. “That’s something that we talked about in pregame that our wings and perimeter guys had to get in and mix it up a little bit and get rebounds, and I thought we did a great job in that regard.”
With Maryland behind them, the Hoosiers’ focus is on their next game and Big Ten opponent, the 4-3 Michigan Wolverines. The Hoosiers are not used to Big Ten play this early in the year, a schedule change that was made during the offseason.
“It’s a little different, but I think it’s good just to get a feel of what Big Ten play is like,” Galloway said. “It’s physical every night. You’ve got to be ready to go out there and compete.”
Indiana is now 6-1 and will look to continue playing its best basketball of the year when it tips off against Michigan on Dec. 5 in Ann Arbor.
