We saw a damn mess in the first half at Assembly Hall, and I’m not talking about senior guard Nick Zeisloft’s dislocated pinkie finger.
I’m talking about senior forward Max Bielfeldt attempting a two-handed, full-court heave on a fast break to sophomore guard James Blackmon Jr. that was intercepted by two Austin Peay defenders. I’m talking about the Governors consistently driving inside with ease and earning good shots at the basket.
Sure, IU won 102-76 Monday night — as it should have — but there’s a lot of work to do.
That’s what these early season warm up games are for, of course. They are a chance for IU to experiment and get rid of the kinks.
The Hoosiers were never really at risk, always with a relatively comfortable lead. There were still exciting plays and a shooting parade that consisted of 16 3-pointers and 15 consecutively-made field goals in the second half.
But IU was already a team that knew its shooting would be dominant. Nobody was entering the season with concerns about the IU offense. Turnovers, on the other hand, were a concern.
So the 20 total Hoosier turnovers were worrisome against a team like Austin Peay.
“Loose and reckless is bad,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “We got that a little in the first half.”
Even more so, the style of the turnovers was alarming. At one point, junior forward Troy Williams threw a pass meant for Blackmon several yards to Blackmon’s left and past the Austin Peay bench.
Crean spoke after the game about walking a fine line between being loose and reckless and loose and efficient. He knows the strength of the team is its playmaking abilities. It comes down to making the right reads and the right risks.
I don’t mean to overstate the struggles of tonight. The Hoosiers won by 26. It’s the second game of the year, and things were pretty good in the end. Except against a better opponent, maybe even this week against Creighton, those early mistakes may be taken advantage of.
The perimeter defense could be a real problem as well. Penetration was rarely an issue for Austin Peay. One screen and a ball handler could often be found in the paint moments later.
If not for solid interior defense by guys like freshman center Thomas Bryant, the damage could have been worse.
Yet it’s the second game of the season, and IU still pulled away convincingly. The Hoosiers are a very good basketball team and will be just fine. I’m just saying there’s a ways to go.
brodmill@indiana.edu
