Five takeaways from IU basketball’s win against Chicago State

• Alex Bozich

• 1h ago

 

IU basketball improved to 9-3 with a 78-58 win against Chicago State on Saturday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Here are five takeaways from the win against the Cougars:

A tale of two halves for IU’s perimeter shooting

For a half, it looked like IU was on its way to setting a program record for made 3-pointers in a half.

The Hoosiers were a scorching 14-for-26 from distance in the opening 20 minutes, good for 53.8 percent.

The final 20 minutes, however, were a different story.

Indiana missed its first 16 tries from the perimeter and shot a dismal 1-for-20 from on 3-pointers in the second half. Most of the looks were wide open.

“The shots we got in the second half were the same ones in the first half,” Darian DeVries said postgame. “We were getting really good, clean looks by some of our best shooters so it was one of those halves where you go 1 for 20.”

Through its first 12 games, Indiana is highly reliant on making 3-pointers to win games.

According to KenPom.com, the Hoosiers are scoring 37.9 percent of their points on 3s, which ranks 42nd nationally. In terms of 3-point volume, over 50 percent of Indiana’s shots (50.7) come from the perimeter, ranking 15th nationally.

When shots fall – like in the first half – Indiana makes it look easy offensively. And when they don’t – today’s second half was a prime example – it becomes a struggle.

DeVries not pleased with IU’s defensive rebounding – and he shouldn’t be

Darian DeVries has consistently stated that defensive rebounding must be a priority for Indiana.

The Hoosiers are undersized in the frontcourt and giving up second-chance points has been an Achilles Heel at times through the first 12 games.

On Saturday, Indiana allowed Chicago State to rebound 11 of its missed shots. The Cougars, the worst team the Hoosiers will face this season, only turned those 11 offensive rebounds into six second-chance points.

Against better competition, however, Indiana’s inability to clean up the defensive glass will be an issue.

“Yeah, for us, it’s not there,” DeVries explained postgame. “We’re not there yet and that’s something, as we get ready for our last non-conference game and come home from Christmas break and then get ready for the last stretch run of Big Ten games, is that has to become a priority for all of us.

“That hasn’t quite registered yet with our group of ‘how do we become a good defensive rebounding team?’ Because we can. You have to do it a certain way for us to be successful. It’s not going to be a run-and-jump contest for us. It’s got to be a physicality, toughness contest. A want to. That’s where we got to get to.”

Overall, Indiana ranks 64th nationally in defensive rebounding percentage, a solid mark. But this group will be vulnerable against opponents with superior size in the frontcourt if they don’t become more physical and block out more consistently.

Tucker DeVries is in a shooting slump

After struggling to a 1-for-9 performance on 3-pointers in Indiana’s loss at Kentucky on Dec. 13, Tucker DeVries had another tough afternoon against Chicago State.

The senior forward was just 2-for-11 from distance, bringing his 3-point shooting percentage for the season to 35.8 percent, which isn’t too far from his career average.

Over Indiana’s last five games, which include three losses, DeVries is 12-for-47 on 3s, good for just 25.5 percent.

What’s the remedy for the slump? Just keep shooting.

Many of his looks on Saturday were open and in rhythm and DeVries is too good a shooter for the current slump to last much longer.

Nick Dorn continues to make the case for more minutes

As the non-conference season continues to wind down and the start of Big Ten play in earnest is 15 days away, Nick Dorn continues to make his case for a more prominent role.

The 6-foot-7 wing made five 3-pointers in Saturday’s win in 19 minutes off the bench.

For the season, he’s 18-for-41 on 3s, which is 43.9 percent.

“He’s giving us something additional, especially from a shooting standpoint,” Darian DeVries said postgame of Dorn. “He’s one of those guys who can get two, three, four in a row in a hurry.”

Although Dorn didn’t contribute much elsewhere on the stat sheet – he had two rebounds – DeVries said Dorn has continued to make progress with his defense and on the glass.

“What I’ve been most impressed with as he continues to get his game legs under him is his defense and the rebounding,” DeVries said. “Those are the areas that we’re looking for from everybody.

“We talk to guys all the time right now about, ‘if you want your role to extend or you want to gain a role, those are a couple of areas where you can really help us,’ because that’s something we really need and prioritize that on top of whatever else that you’re good at.”

Reed Bailey continues to draw fouls at an elite rate

At times, Reed Bailey has looked overmatched in the paint and on the glass.

It’s hard to read much into Bailey’s stat line (17 points and eight rebounds) on Saturday against an interior opponent, but through 12 games, he continues to get to the free-throw line at a high clip.

After ranking in the top 40 nationally last season in fouls drawn per 40 minutes, Bailey is 22nd in the country so far this season.

The 6-foot-10 transfer from Davidson is drawing 7.5 fouls per 40 minutes. Bailey has attempted more free throws – 64 – than he has attempted field goals – 63.

And when he gets to the line, he’s converting. Bailey is shooting 79.7 percent from the line this season. He was 5-for-6 in Saturday’s win.

See More: Five Takeaways, Chicago State Cougars