Al Durham’s face wore a look of distress and relief during IU’s win at Michigan State last Saturday night.
The distress came during the second half, when Durham suffered an injury to his left hand that resulted in his screams echoing around the Breslin Student Events Center.
The relief came in overtime — after he had his middle and ring fingers on his left hand taped together — the sophomore guard made three free throws for the Hoosiers.
It was a growing-up moment for Durham, who finished the game with his second-highest point total of the season, 14, which included three 3-pointers.
Even before IU suddenly snapped its seven-game losing streak, Durham was an emerging presence, being one of the few Hoosiers to outwardly display energy and emotion in losses to Nebraska, Michigan and Rutgers.
“He’s smart, comes to work every single day,” IU Head Coach Archie Miller said before the Michigan State game. “He wants to do the right thing. So that attitude right there is going to lead him as a guy that we really trust.”
But Durham isn’t the only sophomore playing at a level beyond his years for IU. He and sophomore forward Justin Smith have become centerpieces in an IU roster that has looked barren of options beyond senior forward Juwan Morgan and freshman guard Romeo Langford this season.
Smith has attempted seven or more shots in each of IU’s last six games, helping Smith score 10 or more points in three of those contests. In addition to his growing offensive aggressiveness, Smith is also becoming a consistent rebounder for the Hoosiers, as he had 10 more rebounds in double-double performances against Northwestern and Michigan State.
“He’s a big key to our team, when he’s playing very active, especially defensively,” Miller said after the Michigan State win. “I trust him when he’s playing really hard.”
Smith’s three blocks during the Michigan State win tied his career-high for blocks in a game. It was his fingertip deflection of a layup attempted by MSU junior guard Cassius Winston in the final seconds of overtime, with IU leading by two points, which marked Smith’s signature moment as a Hoosier so far.
“I saw Cassius Winston get loose going to the basket,” Smith said. “I said, ‘Might as well just go try and get it.’”
IU’s forgettable January, during which the Hoosiers went 1-7, was marked by a lack of depth and production from bench players, two things that dramatically changed during the Michigan State game as IU had 28 bench points.
But the January period also forced underclassmen like Durham and Smith to take on larger in-game roles, putting IU in a position to benefit from their growing confidence and leadership.
