Five takeaways from IU basketball’s exhibition win against Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf
- Alex Bozich
- 2h ago
In a tune-up contest for the upcoming FISU America Games, IU basketball, representing the United States, rolled to a 98-64 exhibition win on Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Here are five takeaways from the victory against Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf of Canada:
Prince-Alexander Moody provides a spark off the bench
Through the program’s three open practices this summer, Prince-Alexander Moody looked like the most college-ready of the three freshmen.
On Wednesday, Moody again stood out with a strong performance off the bench in his first game action at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The 6-foot-4 newcomer finished with 13 points, second to junior big man Aiden Sherrell and added five steals, three assists and three rebounds in 17 minutes. Moody shot 5-for-11 from the field, which included a 3-for-7 performance on 3-pointers.
While IU has a solid stable of guards with experience on the 2026-27 roster, Moody should be in the mix for rotation minutes.
“It was great to see him out there,” Darian DeVries said of Moody postgame. “And I thought he gave us a great spark off the bench. I thought the last couple of weeks, his play has really improved as well. He’s getting more confident in what he’s doing and understanding it.
“What I loved about him, he just plays hard. And that’s number one. And that’s what gets you production. That’s what gets you on the floor, and he certainly showed that tonight.”
Aiden Sherrell shows his value as a big man who can play inside and out
Aiden Sherrell’s versatility at his size made him one of the best available bigs in the transfer portal last spring.
On Wednesday, the 6-foot-11 forward showed off that versatility by knocking down perimeter shots, finishing plays at the rim and also handling the ball at times.
The 2024 McDonald’s All-American led IU in scoring with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field. Sherrell made two of his five 3-point attempts and added six rebounds, three blocked shots and a steal in 25 minutes.
The ability to be a threat rolling to the rim off of pick-and-rolls and also pop out to the perimeter for 3-pointers will make it difficult for opposing teams to guard him next season.
“Our thing with Aiden is we want him to be that guy that just does everything and getting him to be in that position where he’s got the ball a lot on the perimeter, he’s got the ball inside, he can take advantage of mismatches,” DeVries said. “I think you saw a little bit of it tonight. He had a little fader in the paint. He had a couple of 3s. He had a couple of blocks. So there’s really not a lot he can’t do.”
The rim protection that Sherrell provides will also be an asset to a program that gave up far too many baskets in the paint last season.
This group has work to do on the glass
It’s no secret that Indiana needed to improve with its rebounding on both ends after the first season of the DeVries era.
The Hoosiers didn’t create enough easy scoring opportunities on the offensive glass and they gave up second-chance opportunities too easily.
Against an opponent on Wednesday with very little size and far less athleticism, IU still allowed 10 offensive rebounds and eight second-chance points.
On the offensive glass, the Hoosiers corralled 20 offensive boards and scored 23 second-chance points but it wasn’t as dominant an effort as it should have been.
“I thought our rebounding wasn’t as good as we wanted it to be,” DeVries said. “We’ve talked to our team all summer long – we want to be an elite offensive rebounding team. I didn’t think we were quite there tonight.
“And then defensive rebounding as well. We’ve got to secure the defensive glass. And we have enough bodies and size and athleticism that we should be a great defensive and offensive rebounding team. We’re going to get it there.”
Trent Sisley looks more comfortable ahead of his sophomore season
Sophomore forward Trent Sisley has made noticeable improvements in his upper-body strength, and on Wednesday, he had one of the more impressive individual performances.
In just 14 minutes off the bench, Sisley had nine points, four rebounds, three steals, an assist and no turnovers.
He was 3-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line.
Sisley will be IU’s first frontcourt player off the bench this season, serving as a backup at the four. When Samet Yigitoglu goes to the bench, it’ll likely be Sisley at the four alongside Aiden Sherrell.
After a freshman season in which his playing time decreased significantly down the stretch, IU needs Sisley to develop into a consistent rotation piece in his second season.
IU’s backcourt trio each brings a little something different
The starting trio in the backcourt and on the wing each brought something different to the table.
Markus Burton stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with 11 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals and a blocked shot in 22 minutes.
Burton plays with poise and at his own pace.
Bryce Lindsay did a solid job of striking a balance between scoring and distributing. The Villanova transfer had 11 points and six assists to go along with three steals.
Lindsay is confident in his ability to get a basket when a possession breaks down and his on-the-ball defense was solid.
Darren Harris, a transfer from Duke, made three 3-pointers and also had a nice scoring play going to the rim off the dribble.
Harris looks like the type of player who can get hot from the perimeter and knock down several 3-pointers to spark a run.
These three pieces, along with Moody and Jaeden Mustaf, who missed the exhibition with a lower-body injury, appear to have raised the overall talent level in the backcourt and on the wing in Bloomington ahead of the 2026-27 season.
See More: Five Takeaways