Indiana basketball played their first exhibition game of the season last night, taking home a win over Butler 96-68. The game was closely contested in the first half, but IU outscored Butler 52-27 in the second half, including a 33-4 run, to make the final score a blowout.

The Good

Indiana looked very good on the glass, outrebounding Butler 53-33, including 17 offensive rebounds. For a team that struggled to rebound a season ago, the positional size they brought in in the offseason has cleaned up some of those mistakes. A lot of credit goes to SMU transfer Samet Yigitoglu, the 7’2 center, for being a dominant inside presence.

The offense looked great on the fast break. Markus Burton, Bryce Lindsay, and Jaeden Mustaf all looked comfortable bringing the ball up the court, and finding open guys on fast break opportunities. The ability to handle the ball from positions 1-3 on the court was a needed change from last year, and they all could play at the fast tempo Coach DeVries prefers. 

The Bad

Though his raw stats may not show it, Aiden Sherrell did not have his best game. He was great on the boards, but he was not the secondary offensive threat he will need to be against teams in the conference. He got sped up by the Butler defense a few times, and did not look decisive when catching the ball on pick and rolls. It was just an exhibition, but his performance was not where it will have to be for this team to have success. 

Trent Sisley also did not have a great game. After a rollercoaster of a freshman season, the hope was that he would step into a bigger role and contribute more to the team this season. He had a few turnovers on fast breaks, and did not look comfortable in defensive rotations or defending the pick and roll. He is adjusting to more of a power forward position this year vs. a small forward last year, which could explain some of the growing pains. Indiana needs him to step up and be a contributor off the bench for this team. 

The Questions

Indiana committed a lot of fouls in this one at 23 for the game. This was a problem for the team last year, but the reason it is a question instead of a bad thing is the officiating. The officials were not bad by any stretch, but the way a Big Ten basketball game is officiated compared to any other conference is night and day. If Coach DeVries is allowing his players to be physical in practice to match the wrestling matches that Big Ten basketball can turn into, there is no issue with fouls in exhibition games where the officiating is more strict. 

One of the best parts of Indiana’s offense was their ability to find shooters open in the corners. However, rarely was the open man a guy who knocked down the shot. Trevor Manhertz, Trent Sisley, Jaeden Mustaf, and even Aiden Sherrell all had open looks they could not knock down in the corner. One of these big wings must make perimeter shots in order for Indiana to keep the driving lanes open for other players. It was just one game, but already the scouting report from Butler was to allow these players to shoot from outside. Indiana must make teams who do this in the regular season pay.

Cover Photo Courtesy of Inside the Hall