Indiana returned to action after over a week off to finish their non conference slate as the Hoosiers took on Winthrop from the Big South. Indiana would come away with the 77-68 improving their record to 10-3 on the season.
For back-to-back games, the Hoosiers would take down a nonconference opponent at home by single digits after beating Chattanooga 74-67 on Dec. 21.
Before tip-off, it was already an unconventional game for the Hoosiers as center Oumar Ballo would miss his first game of the season. The missing 12.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game that Ballo provides was felt at Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon.
While Indiana did come away with its 10th victory of the season, the win over the 188th team according to KenPom was not convincing.
In the Mike Woodson era of Indiana basketball, 3-point shooting has been a struggle and a consistent talking point of improving. The Hoosiers’ game against the Eagles was further proof that there are glaring issues beyond the arc.
The Hoosiers made one, yes one, 3-ball on the afternoon on 20 total attempts. It is the fewest made 3-pointers by Indiana since its 70-62 loss at Illinois on Jan. 27, 2024, where the Hoosiers went 0-for-9 in that contest.
This did not come from bad looks either. Whether it was Luke Goode (1-for-9) or Mackenzie Mgbako (0-for-5), the pair was finding their spots on open shots, yet simply could not find the bottom of the bucket.
Coming into the game Indiana ranked 220th in the nation in 3-point percentage (32.9%), and the 5% performance Sunday was no different. This was the sixth time this season that Indiana had shot under 30% from downtown.
Along with the 3-point shooting came the overall field-goal percentage. Ballo’s absence was noticed in this regard as the big shoots 70% from the field. In Sunday’s matinee, Indiana was a bleak 45.5% from the field (30-for-66) as the deep ball struggles were certainly a testament to that.
Now, a win is still a win, but the inability to pull away from these non conference opponents, at home especially, continues to raise some eyebrows.
Not a single time did Indiana lead by double digits. With 3:16 left in the game, Nick Johnson of the Eagles bagged a 3-ball to bring the score to 69-68 in favor of Indiana.
A positive that can be taken from a moment like that is how the Hoosiers responded with an 8-0 scoring run down the final stretch to secure the win. However, it’s having moments in crunch time where it is a one-score game with a Big South opponent that shows there is work to be done within the team.
Now with Ballo’s absence, Langdon Hatton had to fill a larger role, where he put up some solid production in his season-high 26 minutes played. The Bellarmine transfer scored seven, went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe, and grabbed 11 boards, six of them coming on the offensive end.
Outside of Hatton, starters Malik Reneau and Myles Rice had strong home showings on the offensive ends. Reneau put together an efficient 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting, but the four personal fouls were the seventh time this season that the junior has had four.
For Rice, the guard was able to get downhill for his 18 points in the afternoon. This was the seventh time that Rice has scored in double figures this season, and the sixth time it has come at home.
The win did not come easy for Indiana, or at least did not appear to come easy, but being able to win through the struggles is at least something.
Now Indiana has 18 Big Ten games remaining in its season, all of which come in the new year. The Hoosiers return back to action at home against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Jan. 2.
