Five takeaways from IU basketball’s win against Milwaukee

Photos of IU basketball's 101-70 win against Milwaukee at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

IU basketball rolled to its third straight win on Wednesday night as it crushed Milwaukee 101-70 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Here are five takeaways from the win against the Panthers:

Lamar Wilkerson stays hot from distance

Through three games, Lamar Wilkerson is showing why he was one of the most coveted guards in the transfer portal last spring.

The Sam Houston transfer continued his strong perimeter shooting on Wednesday night against Milwaukee, sinking five of his six 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 24 points.

Wilkerson earned his second KenPom game MVP in three games with his efficient performance, which also included a 5-for-8 mark from the free-throw line.

The 6-foot-6 senior from Ashdown, Arkansas, is 15-for-26 from distance this season, good for 57.7 percent.

Wilkerson did most of his work from the perimeter in the first half when IU scored 51 points. He was 5-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-5 on 3s, in 14 minutes.

Through three games, Indiana has assists on 70.9 percent of its field goals

Indiana’s ball movement, floor spacing and unselfishness are difficult to guard.

There’s very little one-on-one play in the new-look Hoosier offense and it has led to high assist numbers through three games.

Indiana recorded 23 assists on 34 made field goals in Wednesday’s win against Milwaukee, marking its third consecutive game with 23 or more assists.

The Hoosiers have 73 assists on 103 made field goals in wins against Alabama A&M, Marquette and Milwaukee.

IU is recording an assist on nearly 71 percent of its made field goals, which currently ranks in the top ten nationally, according to KenPom.com.

“All the guys here are here to win,” Reed Bailey said postgame. “And we know from the coaching staff that the way we’re going to do that is keep the ball moving and make sure that we touch the ball. If we’re moving the ball and cutting and screening and the ball is moving, we’re hard to guard.”

Tayton Conerway took what the defense gave him

According to postgame comments from Conerway and Darian DeVries, there was a pregame emphasis for Conerway to attack the rim on Wednesday night.

DeVries had a feeling Conerway could have a big night attacking the paint and his intuition was correct.

Paint touches were a staple of Conerway’s game at Troy last season and when he doesn’t have the option to finish, the senior guard has no issue finding a teammate for a look. Through three games, Conerway has 19 assists and he dished out six on Wednesday.

But it wasn’t the passing that was the most impressive part of his performance against Milwaukee.

Conerway continuously got downhill in IU’s 31-point win and shot 7-for-7 on 2s. He is now 13-for-15 from inside the 3-point arc this season.

Reed Bailey shows off shooting and passing ability

Reed Bailey’s 6-foot-10 frame, coupled with his ball-handling and shooting ability, makes him a difficult cover for opposing front courts.

Bailey stuffed the stat sheet against Milwaukee, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, five assists, a blocked shot and no turnovers in 26 minutes.

He attempted his first 3-pointer of the season – a make from the right wing in the first half – and went to the free-throw line six times.

Through IU’s first three games, Bailey is 15-for-17 from the line. Getting to the line was a major strength of his game over the last two seasons at Davidson and it has been a significant part of his offensive game with the Hoosiers so far.

Playmaking for others was also a staple of Bailey’s game at Davidson, and against Milwaukee, his five assists were one behind Conerway for the team high.

Nick Dorn makes his season debut

After ramping up his activity in recent weeks, Elon transfer Nick Dorn saw his first minutes in a Hoosier uniform in Wednesday’s win.

Dorn, who underwent surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his foot in the offseason, played only eight minutes but was productive.

The North Carolina native shot 3-for-6 from the field, including a 1-for-3 mark on 3-pointers, to go along with three rebounds and an assist.

There’s clearly rust for Dorn to shake off, but with games against Incarnate Word and Lindenwood up next, it should be a good opportunity for the 6-foot-7 guard to play regular minutes ahead of the Kansas State game on November 25.

“He gives us another guy that can go out there and make four or five in a night,” DeVries said postgame of Dorn. “Like he shoots it at a high, high level and is a big, strong guy, too.

“So it just gives us a lot of versatility from our bench right now. That’s certainly something that, as a coach, is a great luxury. Even in the Marquette game where we had all the foul trouble, it would’ve been great to have another guy that we could have put in there.”

See More: Five Takeaways, Lamar Wilkerson, Milwaukee Panthers, Nick Dorn, Reed Bailey, Tayton Conerway