Even though we are in the heart of football season, Indiana basketball opens exhibition play this Sunday at 6:30 against the Butler Bulldogs in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. This is a great opportunity to showcase the team in Indianapolis, against a power conference opponent. Here are a few things I am watching for this Sunday.

Backup Point Guard 

After IU’s exhibitions over the summer in Peru, backup point guard is now more up for grabs than was expected. Between Bryce Lindsay, who handled the ball at Maryland a season ago, and Prince Alexander-Moody, a freshman who starred over the summer, Indiana has two options to man the backup spot when Markus Burton is not in the game. He is not foul prone, but with his extensive injury history, the backup could turn into the starter in a moment’s notice. How head coach Darian DeVries manages this rotation during the exhibition against Butler could provide a clue into what that would look like during the regular season. 

Big Men

Another rotational question is the deployment of the three big men. Adian Sherrell profiles as a four, alongside Samet Yigitoglu. However, if Yitgitoglu gets into foul trouble, which has been a problem in his career, will Sherrell shift to the five, or will the newly added Sam Alexis slot in next to Sherell? There are 80 minutes to allocate between the four and five spots, and Indiana has three or four guys to utilize, the other being Trent Sisley. The proportion of minutes in this game will be a key indicator of what DeVries’ plan is with regard to the rotation. Alexis is best suited in a 10-15 minute role, but Yigitoglu is not someone that can play 25-30 minutes at center effectively. Will DeVries go small with Sherrell at the five, or will he make Alexis play closer to a 50/50 split at center with Yigitoglu?  

Tempo

In exhibition and non-conference play a season ago, the Hoosiers were one of the faster tempo teams in the country. When they reached January, they slowed their place down for two reasons: talent and depth. They did not have the playable depth, nor the talent to get up and down with the best teams in the conference. Indiana has fixed both of those problems on paper this year, but seeing how it looks on the court is a different story. They should be able to play faster if they want this year, but the jury is still out on if that will be their preferred style of play this season. Additionally, adding a 7’2, 270 pound center in the starting lineup also has drawbacks when trying to play fast. Will the tempo increase when he is out of the game, or will they try to play fast even with the Turkish Tower on the court?

It is important to remember that this is an exhibition game. Two years ago, Indiana went to Tennessee on an exhibition trip and beat a Volunteer squad that lost in the Elite 8 that season and finished fifth in the final AP poll. Indiana did not make the tournament. Regardless of the result in this game, the team is not a finished product. College basketball being played Sunday is a joy in itself, and that should be the mentality when watching this one.