For the first time since 2016, Indiana men’s basketball has made 10 or more 3-pointers in three straight games. As a result, Indiana is 3-0 with a pair of 100-point performances and the no. 12 offense
in the nation, per Kenpom.
Milwaukee came out with athleticism and a defensive game plan that kept Indiana on its heels for much of the first half, but on possession after possession, Lamar Wilkerson came through with backbreaking threes late in the shot clock to bail the Hoosiers out.
As time wore on, Indiana’s conditioning and motion offense wore down Milwaukee’s energetic defense, allowing the Hoosiers to outscore the Panthers 50-31 in the second half for a comfortable victory.
Here are three things we learned from the game:
Tayton Conerway
In the first two games, Tayton Conerway looked like a true point guard – on the floor to find teammates on offense and give the opposing point guard hell on defense. Tonight, he showed that he was capable of being a primary scoring option, finishing with 21 points with another six assists in 34 minutes of action.
Milwaukee found defensive success early pressing out on the perimeter and clogging up passing lanes, forcing Indiana’s high-speed offense to slow down more than it had this season. In response, Conerway started getting to the rim for himself.
We knew coming into the season that Conerway had the athletic burst to give him the first step on the drive that allowed him to set up teammates, but tonight he demonstrated an elite finishing ability. He went 8-11 from the field, with all three of his misses coming from deep, though he did make one three tonight.
This will not be the only team that tries to deploy this defensive strategy against Indiana, so it’s good to know that the Hoosiers have a point guard who can burn teams that try to take away his other options.
Offensive Movement
Once Indiana caught on to Milwaukee’s defense, it was death by a million off-ball cuts for the Panthers. From Reed Bailey through Conerway, all five Hoosiers on the floor started capitalizing on Milwaukee’s aggression, crashing to the hoop on backdoor cuts that usually resulted in high-quality looks at the rim.
The attention has been on the shooting so far this year, and understandably so, but the ball movement and cutting off-ball have been just as key to Indiana’s offensive transformation this year. The Hoosiers have had over 20 assists in each of their three opening games, with the season-high of 27 assists coming against Marquette.
Besides the stats, the most impressive thing to watch has been how capable of passing seemingly every player in Darian DeVries’ rotation is. All five starters had two or more assists, led by Conerway’s six, but followed by five (5!) from starting center Reed Bailey.
Not only does Indiana now have shooters up and down the lineup, but it has the guys who can get them the ball.
Nick Dorn
For the first time in three games, forward Nick Dorn was available for DeVries as an option off the bench. He only saw seven minutes, so he’s likely not fully healthy or conditioned, but it was good to see what he’s capable of nonetheless.
Dorn led all bench scorers with eight points, hitting a late 3-pointer to finally see one go down after two misses from deep. His first basket actually looked like a made three, but was ruled a long two. He had three rebounds and an assist in his brief stints on the court today.
Having a player of Dorn’s caliber off the bench would be a huge boost for Indiana, a team that already looks dangerous up and down the lineup. If he and Trent Sisley are as ahead of schedule as they appear to be, this team suddenly looks better and deeper than anyone could have expected.
