3 observations from Indiana men’s basketball’s 76-58 exhibition win over UNC

Indiana men’s basketball picked up its second win of the preseason exhibition slate, beating North Carolina 76-58 on Sunday evening at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

There was plenty to like from the game, from the final score to the play on the court. The Hoosiers looked just as physical and imposing against the Tar Heels as they did against the Bulldogs last week, lending credence to Darian DeVries’ size-focused offseason reload project.

Here’s three observations from the win:

Winning on the glass, again

Indiana outrebounded UNC 53-31 in the win with a 20-10 margin on the offensive boards. The Hoosiers turned those 20 offensive rebounds into 17 points, just under the margin of victory.

And Indiana needed just about every one of them. The Hoosiers didn’t convert all that well on offense, shooting 36.2% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range. All those rebounds gave them so many extra possesions that it just didn’t really matter.

Samet Yigitoglu led the way with 11 rebounds and Aiden Sherrell was just behind him with 10, so Indiana’s new-look frontcourt was playing as advertised. It wasn’t just the bigs though, with Indiana’s backcourt seeming to emphasize going after the ball if it was in their area code. Jaeden Mustaf finished with 5 rebounds as well with Markus Burton chipping in 4.

UNC head coach Michael Malone said the Tar Heels were getting “manhandled” and it showed in the box score. It’s something Darian DeVries said he’s emphasized as the team’s identity throughout the offseason.

Bryce Lindsay’s spark

Bryce Lindsay, take a bow. The fourth-year guard, who joined Indiana after spending one season at Villanova last year, finished with 26 points off the bench, shooting 4/9 from 3-point range while dishing out a pair of assists.

It’s obvious he’ll be the Hoosiers sixth man this year with Darian DeVries considering him to be another starter, as he said after the exhibition win over Butler. There’s a lot he can do to give defenses problems between creating for himself and others or simply being open beyond the arc.

He’s fluid and in control with the ball in his hands and gives Indiana something of a change of pace from Burton, who’s a bit more aggressive as a scorer and attacking rather than surveying.

More to come

Indiana seems to be emphasizing its physicality and rebounding above all else in this exhibition slate, living with whatever works on offense on a given night. Tonight that was Lindsay, against Butler it was… well, a few things.

The Hoosiers finished with just 13 assists to 15 turnovers and, as mentioned previously, didn’t shoot the ball particularly well from anywhere on the floor. The offense should look a lot more organized and designed once these games start to count which, combined with Indiana’s rebounding, should give the Hoosiers a solid chance against just about anyone if they’re efficient on the that end.