By the time the second half began winding down, IU’s season-opener against Mississippi Valley State was already out of hand.
Max Hoetzel, a 6-foot-8 freshman forward, was running point guard for the first time since he could remember.
Freshman center Jeremiah April was connecting step-back jumpers.
And “Tim Priller” became a national trend on Twitter.
“It’s pretty cool I guess,” Priller, a freshman forward, said. “Honestly, I don't know why. I just go in there and try to do my role and help us win.”
IU (1-0) defeated MVSU (0-1) 116-65 to open the regular season shooting 66.1 percent from the floor and holding the Delta Devils to just 34 percent shooting.
IU’s 116 point performance is the second-highest scoring output in the IU Coach Tom Crean-era and the most points scored in a game since 1993.
But in a blowout win, it was Priller that kept the Assembly Hall crowd interested.
Each time Priller touched the ball, the crowd rose to its feet. When he scored on a tip-in to put IU up 41 points midway through the second half, the crowd erupted with cheers.
Hoetzel couldn't help but laugh as Priller explained that he didn't completely understand the infatuation the home crowd has with him when he checks into games.
A man of many nicknames, Hoetzel said Priller is “Uncle Tim” to his teammates. Other times, he’s “Big Priller.”
When he lets his beard grow out, Priller reminds Crean of a particular cartoon character he grew up watching as a kid.
“If the crowd likes him, I think that’s nice,” Crean said. “I see him sometimes and I reminisce of being a child watching Scooby Doo and seeing Shaggy.”
Priller finished with two points, two rebounds and a block, but most of his playing time came well after IU had already established a lead thanks to a hot shooting night.
The Hoosiers went 13 minutes and 41 seconds between the first and second halves where the team combined to miss just three shot attempts while making 19.
With 12:41 remaining in the game, IU was already up 86-41.
“We shot it well tonight,” Crean said. “We got open looks.”
The Hoosiers shot 39-of-59 from the field and 11-of-23 from beyond the arc.
Freshman guard James Blackmon Jr. led the way with 25 points in just 28 minutes His 25 points is the second highest scoring output from an IU freshman in his first game, trailing only Eric Gordon Jr.’s 33 points in his 2007 debut.
“It was big for me to have a big game,” Blackmon Jr. said. “I feel like everybody did, looking at these stats here.”
Blackmon was right.
All 11 Hoosiers that checked into the game scored. Each of IU’s starters finished with double-digit scoring except for junior forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea who finished with nine points and 12 rebounds.
Though the offense played well, IU struggled with turnovers, finishing with 19 compared to 20 assists.
The problem got better as the game went along, however. IU committed just two turnovers in the first 15 minutes of the second half, making Crean happy with the way the team made in-game adjustments.
“The challenge at halftime was to get better in the game," Crean said. "If we’re going to build and be a good team, then we can’t take steps back in the game.”
Crean said that although the team's offensive performance was impressive, it’s still too early to make assertions about the team that will look and play like once three suspended players return and more of his offensive system is put into place.
For now, the Hoosiers will take 51-point wins like Friday night.
"It's way too early to start," Crean said. "I'm more into what our spacing's like. The offensive efficiency will come.
"We've got a ways to go to get there.”
