If I were to look at a box score to see that Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson combined to go 4-15 from 3-point range, as they did tonight, I would have assumed Indiana would have lost the game handily. The Hoosiers have had scoring balance at their best, but it’s usually involved at least one of those two shooting the ball well.
That Indiana was able to win tonight despite that AND without Tayton Conerway is nothing short of miraculous, based on what I thought I knew about this team a few weeks
ago. Especially a double overtime game, given how short the bench has been for Darian DeVries this year.
And yet, tonight’s game didn’t even really have to be as close as it was, with the Hoosiers leading by double digits with under two minutes to play. An inability to handle the pressure, inbound the ball, and finish free throws down the stretch made Saturday night’s game way nervier than it had to be.
Here are 3 Takeaways from the win:
Nick Dorn
With a season-high 26 points tonight, Nick Dorn is now averaging 22.3 points per game across the three he’s started. This is clearly a player that deserves to be in the starting lineup.
After his last two performances, Mick Cronin appeared ready for Dorn, limiting his space in the first half. He finished with 26, a season-high, but just five of those came in the first half. At one point in the second half, he had 11 straight points for Indiana.
Dorn being the shooter that he is, and a scoring threat in general, is the only reason Indiana won this game tonight. He can shoot over defenders in his face, punish overly aggressive close-outs on the perimeter, and added seven rebounds tonight in a game when every possession mattered.
Reed Bailey
The other reason Indiana was able to survive a tough night from its two leading scorers was the gutsy performance from Reed Bailey, who’s quietly put together a couple of nice games off the bench. His 24 points tonight were a season-high, eclipsing even the games when he was in the starting lineup.
Watching Bailey play, it looks like something finally clicked for him. He’s going up harder to the rim, dunking when he can, and finishing through contact with confidence. These were things that he struggled mightily with earlier in the season.
Bailey was also third on the team with five assists, which is what makes him so valuable at the center spot in DeVries’ offense. He helped Indiana to 22 assists on 28 made field goals, getting the Hoosiers back to the fast-paced offense that we saw earlier in the season.
Guts
It was ugly, but you have to give the team props for fighting that one out. Even the guys who weren’t shooting well, like Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries, contributed to winning in other ways, stepping up for each other in the way that winning teams do.
Wilkerson had just 14 points at the end of regulation, but once he had to take over as point guard, added 10 more points on drives and free throws across the two overtimes. Tucker never found his scoring touch today, but led Indiana with 10 rebounds and was tied for the team-high with seven assists.
This was not a group known for closing games out hard coming into this week, and ideally, it could find a way to win more comfortably. Seeing them pull this one out after the emotional high of the Purdue game is a real sign of progress from this group and closer to what you’d expect from a senior-heavy roster.
