INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana marched past North Carolina in the most high-profile exhibition of its preseason Sunday, defeating the Tar Heels 76-58.
Bryce Lindsay scored 26 points off the bench, and Indiana bullied Carolina off the glass.
Here are three takeaways from an impressive afternoon for IU.
Bryce Lindsay packs a punch
Lindsay might stay on the bench this season, if for no reason other than to better balance ball-handling minutes between him and Markus Burton. If this is what he’s capable of from there, that gives coach Darian DeVries a lot to work with.
Lindsay, the Villanova transfer, finished with 26 points and two assists, making four 3-pointers.
He got extended run in the first half because Burton hit early foul trouble, and Lindsay took full advantage, marshaling Indiana’s offense deftly while mixing in his own offense as well.
Obviously the Hoosiers won’t expect this kind of output from Lindsay — or any single player — every night. Knowing they have this kind of punch from the bench, in another player with high-major experience, provides a significant boost nonetheless.
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IU basketball shows strong rebounding
More than once, first-year Carolina coach Michael Malone appeared visibly frustrated with his team’s effort on the glass. DeVries should be encouraged his team can prompt that kind of anger nowadays.
One of DeVries’ primary reasons for prioritizing a roster built on greater size and high-major experience was redressing the Hoosiers’ glaring weakness on the glass in his first season. DeVries’ team last winter was among the most pedestrian in the Big Ten on the glass, at both ends, and it cost Indiana dearly.
This team should not have that problem. With 7-footers Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu backstopped by the returned Sam Alexis, DeVries ought to have all the size, length and reach necessary to compete with the biggest teams on his schedule.
Sunday’s 53-31 rebounding disparity was not by accident. It should encourage DeVries to no end.
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Settled rotation?
Of course DeVries won’t have locked in his plans so early in the calendar. It still felt notable that, against far and away their toughest preseason competition, the Hoosiers stuck firm to a nine-man rotation Sunday against North Carolina.
Sherrell, Burton and Yigitoglu started alongside Jaeden Mustaf and Darren Harris, with Alexis, Lindsay, Trent Sisley and Trevor Manhertz off the bench.
Prince-Alexander Moody will give DeVries extra ball-handling depth when needed. And Indiana at least had Vaughn Karvala, who’s been dealing with an undefined lower-body issue in recent weeks, warming up and entering for three minutes.
Again, nothing meant to matter in February will be chiseled in stone in October. But it did not and could not go unnoticed the extent to which it felt like we were watching a relatively settled rotation (at least for now) onto and off of Indiana’s bench.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 3 things that stood out from Indiana basketball's win vs North Carolina in exhibition game
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