What has gone right – and what hasn’t – through IU basketball’s first 11 games

Indiana is 8-3 with two non-conference games left before Big Ten play resumes against Rutgers on January 2.

After beginning the season ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press top 25 poll, the Hoosiers have suffered three losses by an average of more than 20 points, knocking them from the rankings.

Through 11 games, here’s what has gone right – and what hasn’t – for the 2024-25 Indiana Hoosiers.

Indiana’s offense is better than a season ago

After finishing last season – Mike Woodson’s third in Bloomington – with the nation’s 105th-best offense, Indiana is back inside the top 50 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency.

The Hoosiers currently have the 46th-best offense in the country.

Indiana currently ranks 60th in effective field goal percentage (54.7), 104th in offensive rebounding percentage (33) and 100th in free throw rate (FTA/FGA) at 36.7 percent with just over a third of the regular season completed.

The Hoosiers also rank 44th in 2-point field goal percentage (56.7) and 89th in free-throw percentage (74.8).

Indiana averages 79.3 points per game, up from 72.3 points per game last season.

Indiana needs to take better care of the ball

Turnovers are a notable statistic that stands out as an issue for Indiana’s offense.

The Hoosiers are turning it over on 19.1 percent of their possessions, which ranks 266th in the country.

Point guard Myles Rice has a higher turnover percentage (24.6) than assist rate (20.5). Trey Galloway, who also spends a lot of time as the team’s primary playmaker, has a higher turnover percentage (29.6) than assist rate (25).

According to KenPom.com, only Malik Reneau has a better assist rate than turnover percentage among the regulars in IU’s rotation.

Defensive rebounding has shown improvement

In IU’s first seven games, it allowed its opponents to rebound more than 32 percent of its missed shots six times.

That included allowing Louisville to grab 37.9 percent of its misses and Gonzaga to corral 39.4 percent of its misses in a pair of losses in the Bahamas.

Since those losses, the Hoosiers have been better on the defensive boards.

Over its last four games, Indiana hasn’t allowed an offensive rebounding percentage of more than 24.5.

The Hoosiers currently rank a respectable 146th nationally in defensive rebounding percentage. This is a number Indiana needs to keep moving closer to the top 100.

IU’s defense doesn’t offer enough resistance

The best defensive teams in college basketball dictate how a game will be played to their opponents.

The Hoosiers have repeatedly been beaten at the point of the attack and the breakdowns often lead to easy buckets for the opposition.

As Zach Osterman of The Indianapolis Star pointed out recently, the percentage of assisted buckets for Indiana opponents has increased since Woodson’s first season.

Rather than forcing opponents into tough shots or one-on-one situations — which was often the case in Woodson’s first two seasons — Indiana’s countless breakdowns on defense generate easy buckets at the rim or kick outs for clean 3-point looks.

Until Indiana shores up its defense on the perimeter, these breakdowns will continue, limiting the upside for a team that is too talented to lose three games by an average of 20 points.

3-point volume is well below the national average

Indiana attempted a season-high 35 3-point attempts in its most recent game, an 85-68 loss at Nebraska.

The Hoosiers made just eight of those shots. Woodson said postgame that he was happy with most of the looks, which was the most the program has taken in a game under the fourth-year coach. With Nebraska set on taking away Indiana’s post-play, the Hoosiers were forced into perimeter looks and didn’t make enough of them.

Through 11 games, Indiana is shooting a respectable 33.7 percent on 3s, which ranks 156th in the country.

The Hoosiers rank 336th in percentage of points scored off of 3-pointers at 23.7 and 329th in percentage of field goals attempted from behind the 3-point line at 32.2.

The national average for percentage of points from 3s is 31.6. In terms of percentage of field goals attempted from 3, the national average is 39.5.

Category: Commentary

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