Indiana got back in the win column with a blowout victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions, 113-72. It was Indiana’s first time breaking 100 points in a Big Ten win since 2017.
The real story of the night
was Lamar Wilkerson, who set an Assembly Hall record with 44-points and program record with 10 made 3-pointers. Penn State had no answer for him in either half, so the fact that four other Hoosiers also reached double-digits in scoring put the game out of reach early.
It may not be a quality win by the end of the season, but it was just the kind of performance that Coach Darian DeVries needed to get his group playing with confidence ahead of another road game at Kentucky this Saturday.
Here are 3 Takeaways from the win:
3-point shooting
Again, Wilkerson was the main story of the night, but he led the way for an outstanding team 3-point performance tonight, with Indiana hitting 17-31 from deep. It’s the most that DeVries’ team has made in a single game so far this season and almost three times Indiana’s per-game average last year, 6.3.
As a team, Indiana is shooting 38.2% from deep this year, a mark that it’s failed to reach in either of its losses. While the team also likes to get out and run in transition, it’s starting to look like this is going to be a group that relies on the three ball for its offensive momentum.
There was a brief period in the first half when Penn State was able to get Indiana into a half-court game and slow down the Hoosier scoring. Indiana’s ability to survive that stretch was due in large part to the lead it built by Wilkerson’s shooting on either end of the drought.
It makes for a good watch, especially after last year, but at some point, this team will probably need to figure out how to score when it can’t generate good looks from three so easily. Tonight was not that night.
Reed Bailey
Reed Bailey came off the bench tonight for the first time this season, which led to one of his best performances of the year. He finished second on Indiana (behind Wilkerson) with 18 points on a perfect shooting night from the field and free throw line.
Bailey had really struggled on the offensive end in the last two games, so it wasn’t a surprise to see DeVries opt with the more experience Sam Alexis in the starting role tonight. Bailey responded as well as he could have, coming off the bench early and giving Indiana its first points in the paint all night.
All the confidence and versatility that Bailey had shown in his better games at Indiana came back to him tonight, culminating in a performance that should inspire faith not just in Bailey’s ability as a player, but in his coach’s ability to push the right buttons with this team.
The Vibe
It’s fun to watch Indiana put up 110+ points on a Big Ten team, and it’s even more fun to do it against a team that’s given the Hoosiers fits over the last few seasons.
With all the attention on the football team, DeVries group gave the Assembly Hall crowd something to cheer for tonight and looked more like the team that was ranked alongside Cignetti’s team a week ago. Fans who showed up were treated to program history, seeing a performance from Wilkerson that harkened back to the peak Crean days.
There are going to continue to be bumps along the road this season, and Penn State didn’t exactly challenge Indiana physically or athletically in the way Minnesota and Louisville were able to. But with a roster that can turn in shooting performances like this, these Hoosiers are going to have the potential to turn in a fun season when it’s all said and done.
