Five takeaways from Indiana’s win against Chattanooga

Indiana improved to 9-3 with a 74-65 win against Chattanooga on Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Here are five takeaways from the win against the Mocs:

After a full week off, Indiana’s defensive issues persist in the first half

Mike Woodson said Indiana prepared all week for Chattanooga and the Hoosiers had a whole week since losing 85-68 to Nebraska last Friday in Lincoln.

The work did not translate to Saturday’s performance on Branch McCracken Court.

Indiana was again flat defensively to start the game as the Mocs shot 6-for-13 on 3s and scored 1.16 points per possession in the first half. It wasn’t until Woodson went to the bench that the Hoosiers began to get some control against Chattanooga.

Poor starts have been a recurring theme for Woodson’s fourth Indiana team. And it doesn’t sound like the veteran coach has a solution to fix the issue. Woodson offered little explanation when asked what he could do about Indiana’s inability to guard back door cuts and its urgency defensively from the weak side.

“Well, we just got to keep working at it. Man, that is something — we prepared all week for this team,” Woodson said. “Worked on a lot of things. I didn’t see a lot of good things from my work that we put in this week. That’s kind of discouraging.

“The bottom line is we got to keep working through it and keep pushing guys and get them better. That’s my job to do that.”

Myles Rice continues his inconsistent play

Washington State transfer Myles Rice was supposed to be the answer for the Hoosiers at point guard.

Through 12 games, there are more questions than answers about what the program can expect from him moving forward. Rice has shown flashes of stellar play, but Saturday was not a step in a positive direction.

Rice logged 24 minutes, shot 2-for-8 from the field and turned it over twice. One of his passes in the second half was so far off the mark that it hit the backboard.

Chattanooga’s backcourt thoroughly outplayed Rice, who has six games with six or fewer points and five games with 17 or more points.

Rice’s inconsistency makes it difficult to project what the Hoosiers can expect from him when Big Ten play begins in earnest in less than two weeks. That’s a problem, particularly given how poorly Kanaan Carlyle is shooting the ball and Trey Galloway’s up-and-down performances. Galloway is shooting just 41.7 percent on 2s.

If the Hoosiers can’t produce more efficient and consistent play from its revamped backcourt, they will fall well short of expectations for a second straight season.

Indiana’s bench delivers a strong performance

It was clear Woodson wasn’t happy with his starters following Saturday’s win. The play he got from the bench, however, was more encouraging.

Four of IU’s five reserves scored in the win, with Bryson Tucker leading the way with nine points. The freshman was 3-for-5 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line.

Carlyle also had a solid day, finishing with eight points in 24 minutes. The Stanford transfer continues to provide solid defensive minutes for the Hoosiers.

Luke Goode went 2-for-5 from the field, including one made 3-pointer and Anthony Leal added three points in 12 minutes.

“Our bench was pretty good tonight for us,” Woodson said. “They came in and played solid, I thought. Probably should have played them the whole game and sat the starting unit down.”

Oumar Ballo continues to impact games in the paint

Ballo took just three shots in 25 minutes on Saturday but was still among the most impactful players in the victory.

The Arizona transfer finished with nine points — he made five of his seven free-throw attempts — but his presence in the paint was a deterrent.

The Mocs took nearly half of their field goal attempts from beyond the 3-point line. When Chattanooga tried to score at the rim, the Mocs shot just 45.2 percent (14-for-31).

Ballo also tied for a team-high in rebounds (eight) and assists (four). He didn’t commit a turnover.

Through 12 games, Ballo has shot 70.1 percent from the field and an improved 58.6 percent from the free-throw line.

Hoosiers struggle from the perimeter for third straight game

Indiana shot less than 30 percent from 3-point range for the third straight game.

After a 4-for-14 mark (28.6 percent) against Minnesota and an 8-for-35 performance (22.9 percent) against Nebraska, the Hoosiers were 5-for-20 (25 percent) in Saturday’s win.

Through 12 games, Indiana is shooting 32.9 percent on 3s, just below the national average of 33.4 percent.

The struggles of three Hoosiers have been a drag on the team’s overall 3-point shooting percentage.

Malik Reneau (3-for-17), Bryson Tucker (1-for-12) and Kanaan Carlyle (9-for-38) are a combined 13-for-67 from distance this season. That’s just 19.4 percent. Reneau, who attempted two 3-pointers on Saturday, hasn’t made a 3-pointer since the Louisville game.

Category: Five Takeaways

Filed to: Chattanooga Mocs, Myles Rice, Oumar Ballo