Nick Dorn’s first start fuels IU basketball’s return to win column against Rutgers
- Quinn Richards
- 41m ago
Coming off a four-game losing streak, IU basketball decided a change was necessary ahead of its East Coast matchup with Rutgers.
The Hoosiers took the floor in their all-black alternate uniforms for the first time this season. With Tayton Conerway limited due to an injury he suffered last Saturday against Iowa, Darian DeVries switched things up by giving Nick Dorn the first start of his Indiana career.
New uniforms, a new lineup and — when the final whistle blew — a new result. The Hoosiers cruised to an 82-59 victory against Rutgers to earn their first win since Jan. 7.
Indiana’s offense was led by the three-headed monster of Lamar Wilkerson, Dorn and Tucker DeVries, who each scored over 20 points. They combined for 72 of the Hoosiers’ 82 points. But not all good performances are equal.
Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries entered as Indiana’s leading scorers, but Dorn came into the matchup averaging just 7.5 points per game. He made the most of his first start, scoring a season-high 23 points in a season-high 36 minutes played.
Dorn’s production wasn’t just the most surprising, but also the most efficient. He made six of his 10 shots from beyond the arc. During a 10-minute stretch on either side of halftime, he knocked down five straight 3-pointers.
Early in the first half, Dorn showed another important aspect of his game — a willingness to attack the rim. He pump-faked a transition 3-pointer, put leather to hardwood and drew a foul that resulted in a pair of made free throws. Heading into the matchup, 72 of Dorn’s 81 shot attempts were from beyond the arc. The Scarlet Knights trusted the scouting report and he made them pay.
“I saw some of the early ones go down and it just kept giving me confidence,” Dorn said postgame. “Especially getting to the free throw line, seeing some go down.”
Offensively, Dorn’s entry to the lineup was beneficial to Indiana’s success. Defensively, however, he struggled.
In isolation, Dorn struggled to match Rutgers’ speed on the perimeter. He was often unable to keep quicker guards in front of him, which forced teammates to pick up the slack in help defense. Fortunately for Dorn, they did.
Indiana’s defense was the catalyst for its productive offensive display. The Hoosiers stifled the Scarlet Knights all night long, holding them to 36 percent from the field and a mere 26 percent from deep. On the perimeter, quick feet and heads-up help defense forced contested shots. In the paint, Sam Alexis provided a season-high six blocked shots for Indiana’s rim protection efforts.
“I thought the guys came out really focused,” Darian DeVries said. “Defensively, I loved the energy that we came out with.”
Even with some of Dorn’s defensive struggles, the Hoosiers were able to succeed on that end of the floor. Granted, guarding a 10-loss Rutgers team is a much simpler task than Indiana’s next opponent — No. 4 Purdue. Regardless, Dorn’s season-best outing against the Scarlet Knights poses questions for the Hoosiers as conference play pushes on.
He’s an interesting piece of Indiana’s roster. Dorn’s shooting undoubtedly raises the Hoosiers’ offensive ceiling. And having him on the floor with DeVries and Wilkerson creates better floor spacing.
Indiana is now 10-0 when scoring 80 or more points this season. The Hoosiers are 3-7 when failing to reach that mark. Unsurprisingly, when Indiana scores, it’s at its best.
“I feel like the ceiling is as high as anybody’s,” Dorn said. “I feel like we are a really good basketball team.”
Whether Dorn will remain a fixture in the starting lineup is an answer only Darian DeVries knows, but as the Hoosiers continue their push through Big Ten play, it’s a question that could shape Indiana’s identity moving forward.
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)