Indiana’s 96-68 exhibition win over Butler on Sunday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse offered only so much in the way of hard answers, but it did show a few things clearly about this Hoosiers team.
Darian DeVries made sure Indiana wasn’t game-planning for Butler in advance, wanting his group to react to what was in front of it. With that in mind, the result still gave a useful look at where this roster can make its mark.
The most obvious takeaway was on the glass. Rebounding had been a clear emphasis for Indiana this offseason after DeVries’ first team was undone by its struggles there in Big Ten play, and the Hoosiers backed that up against Butler.
Aiden Sherrell led the way with nine rebounds, while Jaeden Mustaf and Trevor Manhertz added eight apiece. Manhertz’s work stood out in particular, with the freshman grabbing those eight boards in 20 minutes off the bench.
Samet Yigitoglu didn’t pile up the same number on the boards, finishing with five rebounds, but he made his presence felt by powering through Butler’s bigs for 13 points on 6/8 shooting.
Even with that size, though, Indiana still found itself dealing with foul trouble. The foul issues that hurt DeVries’ first roster seemed tied to a lack of physicality inside, and while this group looks better equipped in the frontcourt, the whistles still mounted.
Markus Burton and Mustaf each finished with four fouls, with Burton also picking up a technical. Bryce Lindsay and Sherrell added three fouls apiece.
It may have just been a strange night, but it’s something worth keeping an eye on.
Indiana also flashed real shooting from deep. The Hoosiers finished 13/33 from 3-point range, a 39.4% clip that stands out no matter the setting. Darren Harris and Burton led the way with three made threes each, with Harris doing his damage on eight attempts and Burton hitting all three of his.
That part matters, because DeVries made it clear at Big Ten Media Days that Harris will be expected to make shots this season. Lindsay added two pull-up makes off the bounce, Manhertz knocked down two as well, and Sherrell went 1/3 from long range.
The bigger picture is simple enough: Indiana’s shooting will be a collective job. Harris looks like the primary option, but the Hoosiers will give multiple players the green light from 1-4.
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