Rapid Reaction to IU’s victory over Bryant
Let’s take a quick look at the Indiana men’s basketball team victory over the Bryant Bulldogs.
What happened:
In the season opener, the IU men’s basketball team beat the Bryant Bulldogs 97-54 in front of 17,472 people at Assembly Hall.
How it happened:
After the Hoosiers jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, the Bulldogs battled back to take the lead 15-14. It was short lived as IU went on a 34-14 run to create some breathing room entering the half.
In the second half, the Hoosiers never looked back, even with a number of subs coming in-and-out of the game. In the half, the Hoosiers’ bench posted 26 of the team’s 40 total bench points.
A pair of Hoosiers, sophomore center Cody Zeller and senior forward Christian Watford, recorded double-doubles in points and rebounds.
Watford finished the night with a career-high 15 rebounds – the most he has had in a game since grabbing 14 boards last season on Feb. 28 against Michigan State. Although Watford struggled from the field at times (3-of-9), the senior finished with 15 points, while contributing to IU’s success on the glass and on defense.
As for the nation’s preseason player of the year, Zeller dominated the Bulldogs’ big men from the outset and finished with 18 points and 10 boards to collect his sixth career double-double. Zeller’s influence down-low was obvious as two of the Bulldogs’ players, Vlad Kondratyev and Andrew Scocca, fouled out trying to guard the 7-footer.
While Zeller excited the fans with a number of big dunks, the sophomore received his biggest ovation of night after blocking Bryant’s Alex Francis as Francis attempted to posterize Zeller with a high-flying dunk.
Along with Zeller and Watford, freshman Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell (10), junior Will Sheehey (10), sophomore Remy Abell (12) and freshman Jeremy Hollowell (12) all scored in double figures for IU.
What it means:
IU started the season off on the right foot with a victory over a lesser opponent. Obviously, the No. 1 team in the nation should beat a Bulldogs team that went 2-28 last season, but nevertheless, Coach Crean has a lot of positives to take away.
The first would be the electrifying play of Yogi Ferrell.
On multiple occasions, Ferrell broke down the defense and then found a teammate for an easy dunk. Ferrell will certainly see more difficult competition throughout the season, but game number one was a success for Yogi.
Along with Ferrell’s strong showing, Watford cleaned the glass all night, Zeller was efficient from the field (8-of-10) and the Hoosiers depth blew the Bulldogs away.
These three things are good signs for the Hoosiers, but Crean and his staff will look to improve things like perimeter defense and free throws as the season moves along. (Bryant only shot 4-of-29 from downtown, but missed a number of open looks.)
All in all, the season opener was a success for the Hoosiers, but this victory will be put in the rear view mirror as IU prepares for Monday night’s contest against North Dakota State.
What’s next for the Hoosiers:
On Monday, IU will welcome North Dakota State to Assembly Hall. Last season, the Bison finished 17-14 overall and 9-9 in the Summit League.
Stat of the Night:
By the first media timeout of the first half, IU was only 4-of-10 from the field. After that timeout, the Hoosiers went on a 34-14 run and finished the half 15-of-27 from the field, which means they only missed three shots in the last 14 minutes of the half.
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