Indiana’s 98-64 exhibition win over Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf on Wednesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall offered a first real look at how this IU basketball group is starting to take shape ahead of the FISU America Games. And even in a tune-up against a Canadian opponent, a few things jumped off the floor right away.
The most encouraging sign may have been the way Prince-Alexander Moody came off the bench and changed the game. The 6-foot-4 freshman, who had already looked like the most college-ready of IU’s three freshmen during the program’s open practices this summer, backed that up with a strong first game at Assembly Hall.
Moody finished with 13 points, five steals, three assists and three rebounds in 17 minutes, shooting 5-for-11 overall and 3-for-7 from 3-point range. Darian DeVries made it clear afterward that Moody is earning trust fast.
“It was great to see him out there,” Darian DeVries said of Moody postgame. “And I thought he gave us a great spark off the bench.
I thought the last couple of weeks, his play has really improved as well. He’s getting more confident in what he’s doing and understanding it.
“What I loved about him, he just plays hard. And that’s number one.
And that’s what gets you production. That’s what gets you on the floor, and he certainly showed that tonight.”
Aiden Sherrell also gave IU exactly what you’d want from a modern big. The 6-foot-11 forward led the Hoosiers with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting, hit two of his five 3-point attempts, and added six rebounds, three blocks and a steal in 25 minutes.
He was active inside, comfortable stepping out, and even handled the ball at times. That mix is what made him such a coveted portal addition in the spring, and it was on display Wednesday.
“Our thing with Aiden is we want him to be that guy that just does everything and getting him to be in that position where he’s got the ball a lot on the perimeter, he’s got the ball inside, he can take advantage of mismatches,” DeVries said. “I think you saw a little bit of it tonight.
He had a little fader in the paint. He had a couple of 3s.
He had a couple of blocks. So there’s really not a lot he can’t do.”
That versatility matters, but so does the rim protection. IU gave up too many baskets in the paint last season, and Sherrell’s presence should help address that.
The one area that still needs real attention is rebounding. Indiana grabbed 20 offensive boards and turned them into 23 second-chance points, but it also allowed 10 offensive rebounds and eight second-chance points to a team that didn’t have much size or athleticism. DeVries didn’t hide from it.
“I thought our rebounding wasn’t as good as we wanted it to be,” DeVries said. “We’ve talked to our team all summer long - we want to be an elite offensive rebounding team. I didn’t think we were quite there tonight.
“And then defensive rebounding as well. We’ve got to secure the defensive glass.
And we have enough bodies and size and athleticism that we should be a great defensive and offensive rebounding team. We’re going to get it there.”
Trent Sisley was another bright spot. The sophomore forward has added noticeable upper-body strength, and that showed in a 14-minute outing that included nine points, four rebounds, three steals, an assist and no turnovers.
He shot 3-for-4 from the field and made all three of his free throws. IU is planning to use him as its first frontcourt option off the bench, backing up the four, and his role should only grow when Samet Yigitoglu sits and Sisley slides in alongside Sherrell.
Then there was the backcourt, where IU’s starting trio each brought a different edge. Markus Burton filled the box score with 11 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block in 22 minutes.
Bryce Lindsay, the Villanova transfer, matched him with 11 points and added six assists and three steals, while also showing he can score when a possession breaks down. Darren Harris, the Duke transfer, knocked down three 3-pointers and also showed some juice attacking the rim off the dribble.
Harris looks like the kind of shooter who can flip a stretch of a game in a hurry. Burton brings control.
Lindsay brings balance. Together, they give IU a different look, and with Moody in the mix and Jaeden Mustaf sidelined Wednesday with a lower-body injury, the Hoosiers’ backcourt and wing talent looks deeper and more dangerous than it did a season ago.
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What makes the group so notable is how quickly it changed Indianas profile and how many of those moves turned into real football value, not just offseason buzz. Some of those players have already moved on to the NFL, and the larger question now is how Cignetti keeps that pipeline going after using the portal to help build a team that reached the sports highest stage. [Read more 🡒]