IU basketball improved to 3-0 with a narrow 83-80 win against Syracuse on Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Here are five takeaways from the win against the Orange:
Rebounding remains a strength on both ends
For the third straight game to open the season, Indiana won the rebounding battle.
The Hoosiers grabbed 40 percent of their missed shots – 14 offensive rebounds – in Monday’s win and only allowed Syracuse to grab 23.3 percent of their misses.
Indiana narrowly won the second-chance points battle, 12-9. Through three games, the Hoosiers hold a 48-18 edge over their opponents in second-chance points.
As of Tuesday morning, Indiana ranks 27th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (42.9), per KenPom.com.
Strong offensive rebounding, coupled with limiting second-chance opportunities for opponents, has allowed IU to average 8.3 more shot attempts than its opponents over three games.
A balanced offensive performance
Only six players scored, but the production in Monday’s win was balanced.
Four Hoosiers finished in double figures, including 20-point efforts from Markus Burton and Darren Harris. Jaeden Mustaf added 18 points, and Bryce Lindsay, who had an off shooting night, added 11 points.
Indiana overcame a below-average shooting night on 2s (45.9 percent) with timely 3-point makes and strong free-throw shooting.
The Hoosiers shot 9-for-25 on 3s (36 percent) and 22-for-26 from the line (84.6 percent).
Through three games, IU is shooting 36.1 percent on 3s and 77.1 percent from the line. The Hoosiers currently rank inside the top 30 nationally in offensive efficiency, per KenPom.com.
Indiana has a lot of room for growth defensively
Indiana’s ceiling will depend on how well it defends, particularly once conference play begins.
The Hoosiers fell off significantly on defense in Big Ten games in the first season of the Darian DeVries era. The early trends for this IU team defensively are not encouraging through three games.
Indiana allowed 1.14 points per possession in Monday’s win. Syracuse’s Ryan Moesch came off the bench for the Orange and scored 19 points after totaling just six in his first two games against New Haven and Central Connecticut.
Rim protection, expected to be a strength for the Hoosiers, has been non-existent. The Orange shot 55.6 percent on 2s, the third straight opponent to shoot better than 55 percent on 2s against Indiana to start the season. Indiana currently ranks 271st nationally in 2-point field goal percentage defense, per KenPom.com.
Indiana’s guards are also getting beat repeatedly off the dribble from the perimeter and are allowing opposing guards to get to their spots far too easily.
The offensive production through three games has been encouraging. But if the defense doesn’t improve rapidly, it will severely limit IU’s upside this season.
Indiana needs to involve Aiden Sherrell more offensively
Aiden Sherrell attempted just two shots in Monday’s win, a pair of 3-pointers that he made.
The Hoosiers have to find a way, however, to get Sherrell more involved in the offense. Through the first three games, Sherrell has the eighth-highest usage rate on the roster.
So far, Sherrell has primarily operated on the perimeter. He’s a capable 3-point shooter and that part of his game should be utilized.
He’s also a skilled finisher at the rim with size and a physical advantage over most of his opponents. Indiana needs to find ways to get Sherrell free for easy looks at the rim rather than parking him on the perimeter.
Involving him more on the offense could also get him going on the offensive glass. Sherrell had just one rebound on Monday and it came on the defensive end.
Jaeden Mustaf showed his value on both ends
Mustaf wasn’t Indiana’s leading scorer in Monday’s win, but he was the most valuable Hoosier on the floor.
Not known as a perimeter threat, Mustaf stepped up and made two 3-pointers in the win, including a key make with 4:48 left to cut the Syracuse lead to one.
If Mustaf can make 3s at a solid rate when left open, he can keep thriving by attacking the rim, the primary strength of his offense. The Georgia Tech transfer was 5-for-8 on 2s, 2-for-3 on 3s and 2-for-3 from the line against Syracuse for 18 points.
More importantly, however, is what Mustaf brings on the boards and defensively.
He had three offensive rebounds and took Syracuse’s Gavin Doty out of the game offensively. Doty shot 2-for-7 from the field and finished with five points.
With his size and eagerness to dig in defensively, Mustaf has quickly become an integral part of Indiana’s lineup this season.
