Indiana closes its preseason with one more chance to sort through the details before the games start counting, and Sunday’s exhibition against Western Kentucky should offer a different kind of test than the first two.
The Hoosiers have already looked comfortable in their first two tune-ups, rolling Butler 96-68 at Hinkle Fieldhouse and then topping North Carolina 76-58 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. In both wins, Indiana owned the rebounding battle, with Samet Yigitoglu and Aiden Sherrell leading the way. Against a much smaller Western Kentucky team in Evansville’s Ford Center, that edge should show up again.
But the matchup goes beyond extra boards. Indiana’s size has been a major theme early in the preseason, and it creates choices for Darian DeVries.
Yigitoglu and Sherrell give the Hoosiers a long, imposing front line, but they are not the quickest defenders when the action stretches to the perimeter. That was evident against Butler, especially in the first half, when smaller players forced those matchups.
So the real question is how Indiana wants to handle it. Does IU keep leaning into its size and trust the front court to overwhelm Western Kentucky?
Or does it use smaller lineups to better deal with the perimeter? It’s only an exhibition, but Sunday should at least show how DeVries wants to approach those situations.
The rotation is another thing worth tracking. Indiana’s first two exhibitions followed nearly the same pattern, with Bryce Lindsay, Sam Alexis and Trevor Manhertz coming in first in both games.
That could change against Western Kentucky. Trent Sisley might get an earlier look and a longer stretch, especially with the game being close to his hometown.
It also feels like a logical spot to experiment a little more with combinations such as Markus Burton and Lindsay together, or a smaller look with Sherrell at the five. The freshmen - Manhertz, Prince-Alexander Moody, Vaughn Karvala and Clemens Sokolov - could also get more time to settle in.
Defense will remain a big point of attention. Indiana looked sharper and more connected against North Carolina than it did against Butler, showing better anticipation and more activity.
The result doesn’t matter in the standings, but the habits do. If the Hoosiers are going to meet or exceed expectations this season, defense has to carry a lot of that load.
That starts on the perimeter. Indiana does not need to be perfect beyond the arc, but it does need to defend cleanly, avoid silly fouls and force opponents into the paint, where Yigitoglu, Sherrell and Alexis can clean things up.
The last piece is shooting. Indiana hit 13 threes against Butler and added nine more against North Carolina.
The numbers themselves are not the point in October, but getting looks and building confidence is. Darren Harris, Bryce Lindsay and Markus Burton would all benefit from a game that lets them settle in and feel good going into November.
In Other News...
Indiana Has A Real Problem As Title Hopes Stay Alive
Indianas playoff hopes are very much alive, and the defense has been a big reason why. At 7-1, the Hoosiers have built a profile that belongs in the national top tier, staying in games against elite opposition and giving themselves a legitimate shot at a postseason run even as the schedule stiffens.
The concern is harder to ignore on offense, where this group has not matched the production Indiana enjoyed in previous seasons. The Hoosiers can survive with a dominant defense for now, but the margin shrinks against top-10-caliber teams, and how they handle those offensive issues from here will say a lot not just about this season, but about where the program is headed next. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces A Complicated Ranking Drop After Costly Upset
Miami stayed put at No. 1 in the AP college football rankings after handling Pittsburgh, and the top of the poll now gets a fresh shakeup behind it. BYU, which entered the weekend at No. 2, suffered a double-overtime loss to unranked UCF, a result that should send the Cougars sliding when the new rankings come out. Ohio State is widely projected to climb into the No. 2 spot, but the rest of the top tier is less settled.
For Indiana fans, the intrigue is in how much the committee of pollsters reshuffles the next few places around the Hoosiers. Notre Dame, Indiana and Georgia all sit in the mix for the top six, and their exact order is still uncertain after BYUs upset opened the door for movement. The Hoosiers are left waiting on the voters to decide just how dramatic the fallout becomes. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Fans Get One More Look Before DeVries Turns To What Counts
Indiana will wrap up exhibition play Sunday afternoon in Evansville, giving Hoosiers fans one more chance to see Darian DeVries team before the games start counting for real. The matchup with Western Kentucky at the Ford Center comes after a 2-0 preseason that included wins over Butler and North Carolina, a start that has at least offered an early glimpse of how this roster is taking shape.
Western Kentucky, coached by Hank Plona, brings its own test into the building, led by scorer Teagan Moore and guard Armelo Boone. For Indiana, the setting is less about the record than the last tune-up, the final opportunity to work through rotations and sharpen details before moving on to the part of the schedule that will define what this team is. [Read more 🡒]