IU basketball passed its second exhibition test on Sunday evening, beating North Carolina 76-58 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Here are five takeaways from the comfortable win against the Tar Heels:
Indiana built on its strong defensive effort in the second half of the Butler exhibition
After an underwhelming first half in the exhibition opener against Butler, the Hoosiers buckled down defensively in the final 20 minutes against the Bulldogs.
That defensive effort helped propel the Hoosiers to an easy 96-68 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
On Sunday against North Carolina, Indiana didn’t wait until the second half to guard with intensity. It did so from the opening tip.
That defensive effort was a primary reason Indiana built a 41-29 halftime lead against the Tar Heels, despite shooting just 37.8 percent in the first half.
Aside from a few lulls that are bound to happen in a 40-minute game, IU sustained its defense throughout Sunday’s win, leading to a dominant 76-58 victory.
Indiana limited North Carolina to 34.9 percent shooting and allowed only seven second-chance points. The Tar Heels, who beat USC 88-70 in an exhibition in Greensboro earlier this month, finished with only .78 points per possession.
Indiana again won the rebounding battle
Two games into exhibition play, Indiana looks formidable on the glass.
The Hoosiers dominated Butler on the boards in their first exhibition and did the same to North Carolina on Sunday.
Indiana rebounded 49 percent of its missed shots against the Tar Heels and scored 17 second-chance points.
After being on the wrong side of the second-chance points battle for most of the 2025-26 season, the Hoosiers appear to have a group that can crash the offensive boards and excel on the defensive glass.
Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu were quiet offensively, combining for just nine points on 3-for-11 shooting.
But the duo made their presence felt by combining for 21 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end.
While Sherrell and Yigitoglu were the rebounding headliners on the stat sheet, it was a team effort. Jaeden Mustaf had five rebounds, Sam Alexis had four, Markus Burton had four and two other IU players had two each.
“Just to be manhandled, to be outworked on the glass was disappointing,” North Carolina coach Mike Malone said postgame.
Bryce Lindsay shines in sixth man role
Burton, as was the case in the Butler game, got into foul trouble early on Sunday against North Carolina.
The Hoosiers, however, have a capable backup in waiting. Bryce Lindsay came in and made an immediate impact against the Tar Heels.
Lindsay scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, setting the tone offensively.
The 6-foot-3 guard plays with a ton of confidence. He shot 8-for-14 from the field in the win, including a 4-for-9 mark on 3-pointers and a perfect 6-for-6 mark from the free-throw line.
“I thought Bryce did a great job,” Darian DeVries said postgame. “He had to play a lot of point, had the ball in his hands a lot. I thought he made some really good plays, some of the threes and things that we see that a lot.
“But I thought he also did a good job getting downhill, getting to the free throw line, making them have to respect his ability to get in the paint. So I thought he did some really good things there on the offensive end.”
Lindsay logged 28 minutes, the third-highest mark on the roster. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Lindsay looks like an integral part of IU’s backcourt in season two of the DeVries era.
Indiana also won the free-throw battle
Beyond the rebounding edge, the other number that stands out most on the stat sheet from IU’s win is free throws.
The Hoosiers got to the line for 22 attempts compared to 13 for North Carolina.
Indiana finished 17-for-22 from the line, 77.3 percent, compared to 7-for-13, 53.8 percent, for the Tar Heels.
While Indiana’s free-throw rate (FTA/FGA) on Sunday was just 32 percent, below the Division I average last season, the Hoosiers have a roster that should find its way to the line more than it did a season ago.
Seven different Hoosiers got to the line against North Carolina. With a roster expected to rely less on the 3-point shot than last season, Indiana’s free-throw rate is a stat worth monitoring this season.
Sherrell made things ifficult for North Carolina’s Jarin Stevenson
North Carolina senior forward Jarin Stevenson is expected to be a major contributor on the Tar Heel front line this season.
The 6-foot-10 Stevenson averaged 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds last season in 25.8 minutes per game. In North Carolina’s exhibition win against USC, he exploded for 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Against Indiana, however, Stevenson struggled to get anything going. And Sherrell’s defense was a big reason why.
“Game one, he was unbelievable,” Malone said. “And then, obviously, tonight, give them credit. Aiden Sherrell was one of the leading shot blockers in the SEC last year and he had an impact.”
Sherrell’s length and athleticism helped limit Stevenson to just three points on 1-for-7 shooting in 27 minutes.
