IU basketball wraps up non-conference slate with win against Siena, but questions remain
- Quinn Richards
- 3h ago
Indiana participated in the timeless tradition of welcoming a mid-major opponent to Assembly Hall for a non-conference beatdown for the final time this season, with an 81-60 win against Siena on Monday night.
After sprinting to a 26-point halftime lead, the Hoosiers coasted to their 10th win of the season in what Darian DeVries called “a choppy game.”
“I thought in the second half we just lost a little bit of our edge at both ends of the floor,” DeVries said postgame. “A lot of fouls, a lot of dead-ball situations and things, so we never really had any flow in that second half.”
Fortunately for DeVries, a friendly holiday schedule will give his team plenty of time to regroup. Indiana won’t return to the hardwood until Jan. 4, when it begins the bulk of Big Ten play against Washington. With a nearly two-week gap between games, the IU head coach has a chance to reflect on his team’s play through the first two months of his inaugural campaign in Bloomington.
“I think as a coaching staff and as a team, we’ve learned a lot,” DeVries said. “There were a couple of good learning lessons in there. We just have to make sure that we learn from them.”
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know what learning lessons he’s referring to. All it takes is a look at Indiana’s loss column.
The first slip-up this season came in their conference opener on the road against Minnesota. A glance at the box score and one statistic is sure to stand out — rebounding. The Golden Gophers had a 40-25 advantage on the glass.
Indiana’s most recent defeat was to Kentucky. Once again, an equally eye-catching disparity can be found — turnovers. The Hoosiers coughed up a season-high 18 turnovers while the Wildcats had just four.
Those two shortcomings aren’t exclusive to these matchups. Rather, they’ve become worrisome trends throughout Indiana’s non-conference slate. The Hoosiers have allowed double-digit offensive rebounds in more than half of their games this season. With 13 turnovers against the Saints, they’ve now had double-digit turnovers in five straight outings.
When it’s Siena, those mistakes can be afforded. But DeVries knows that when the competition gets steeper, ball security and defensive rebounding are non-negotiable. Look no further than Minnesota, Louisville and Kentucky, where an inability to execute in those two areas led to losses.
“We’ve talked about the several key areas, the turnovers and the defensive rebounding, that’s always going to be something we’re going to prioritize,” DeVries said. “I believe that you have to win those two battles every night if you’re going to give yourself a chance.”
The good news for Indiana is that the first part of solving a problem is recognizing it. In those departments and others — shot selection, inside scoring and foul trouble, to name a few — DeVries has acknowledged the Hoosiers’ early-season woes.
Now comes the hard part — fixing them.
“To have a few days off here, it’s a nice, clean break, not only physically, but mentally,” DeVries said. “Just take a couple days and clear your head and then come back and really be locked in to get ready for a long stretch run.”
It’s been a hectic year for Indiana basketball. In February, the program announced its decision to part ways with Mike Woodson. One month later, DeVries was hired and tasked with fielding an entirely new roster. Fast forward to December and the Hoosiers sit at 10-3 and know what weaknesses need to be addressed moving forward.
Non-conference play gave Indiana clarity. Whether that clarity is enough to survive a gauntlet of Big Ten competition remains unclear.
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