Instant Observations As Indiana Defeats Butler in Exhibition Clash

Indiana basketball opened its preseason exhibition schedule Sunday night with a showdown against Butler in Indianapolis.

Markus Burton supplied some early scoring, the frontcourt made its size felt and a freshman showed he might be in line for meaningful minutes.

Here are four observations from Indiana's 96-68 exhibition win over Butler.

Burton wasted little time showing what Indiana has in its new point guard.

He made his first three 3-pointers and scored 11 of Indiana's first 13 points, also getting downhill in transition to finish through contact for an and-one. Burton finished with 13 points despite foul trouble limiting him to 15 minutes.

Indiana won't need that kind of opening burst every night. But having a guard capable of supplying one gives the Hoosiers someone to turn to when the offense needs a lift.

One of the biggest rotation questions entering Sunday was how Indiana would deploy Darren Harris, Jaeden Mustaf and Bryce Lindsay.

Harris and Mustaf started alongside Burton, Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu. Lindsay came off the bench, where he took responsibility for running the offense.

That arrangement makes sense if Darian DeVries wants both Burton and Lindsay on the floor as much as possible. Starting Lindsay would put both together immediately; bringing him off the bench gives Indiana another option to organize the offense when Burton sits.

Burton's foul trouble provided an extended look at Lindsay in that role. He finished with six points, three assists, and just one turnover.

Mustaf also appeared comfortable handling some of the secondary creation duties. But Sunday suggested Lindsay has the early trust to lead a unit himself.

Coming off the bench could say more about how Indiana needs to use him than where he ranks among its guards.

Indiana matched last season's single-game high of 12 offensive rebounds before halftime Sunday.

Those rebounds produced 15 second-chance points, while the Hoosiers held a 30-15 advantage on the glass at the break. Four different Indiana players collected multiple offensive rebounds in the opening half.

That spread matters. Indiana's improvement on the glass doesn't have to depend on one big man having a productive night.

The Hoosiers finished with 25 second-chance points and a 52-33 rebounding advantage.

Adding Yigitoglu and Sherrell alongside returning forward Sam Alexis gives Indiana a noticeably bigger frontcourt compared to a year ago. Sunday showed just how impactful that added size can be.

Trevor Manhertz's first-half workload was one of the more revealing developments Sunday.

He played 12 minutes before the break and was the only freshman to see the floor until Prince-Alexander Moody entered for the final 18.5 seconds with Burton and Lindsay dealing with foul trouble.

Manhertz missed both of his first-half shots, but connected on a pair of triples in the second half. He also collected eight rebounds.

That activity on the glass, along with an engaged defensive effort, gave Indiana reasons to keep him on the floor while his shot wasn't falling early.

For a freshman billed as a shooter, that matters. His usefulness can't depend entirely on whether he makes his first couple attempts.

Manhertz has generated plenty of attention throughout the offseason. His place in Sunday's rotation suggested that progress has translated into an opportunity to contribute early.

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