Due to preseason injuries, Indiana men’s basketball lacked depth through its two exhibition contests and, as a result, heavily relied on its starting five lineup.
However, as the season progresses, Indiana will need a player to step up off the bench and produce for the Hoosiers.
Through the Hoosiers’ opening contests, Sam Alexis has proven he can be that player.
The senior forward tallied a 13-point double-double performance against Marian University on Oct. 17 and provided all nine of the Hoosiers bench points in their 76-74 victory over Baylor University on Oct. 26.
Alexis showed glimpses of what he is capable of in the preseason. And he continued his impact on all facets of the court in the Hoosiers’ 98-51 season opening victory over Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University on Wednesday at Simon Skodjt Assembly Hall.
In the victory, Alexis was credited with 17 of the Hoosiers’ 26 total bench points, eight rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes of action. The University of Florida transfer was perfect from the free throw line in his four attempts, 6 for 7 from the field and 1 for 2 from the three-point line. In fact, Alexis did not miss a shot until eight minutes remained in the second half.
“Sam is an awesome player, and he can change the game just with the way he can play under the rim, play strong and attack the basket, as well as space the floor,” senior forward Reed Bailey said postgame. “You see him knock down that three, and he took another one in that corner that I thought was good, and we have full faith in him to be able to do that.”
While Alexis filled the stat sheet Wednesday, his contributions go beyond his point and rebound totals. Coming from Florida, Alexis brings a championship mentality and energy to the Hoosiers.
“He's one of the lives of the locker room,” Bailey said. “You come in, he's chatting, he's talking, and he really keeps us — keeps the good vibes up. Also, on the court during practice, he's always talking throughout those defensive drills, whatever it is, just keeping the energy high.”
As the long and physically demanding season progresses, the Hoosiers’ starting five will need to be able to rely on its bench to soften the workload.
So far, Alexis has shown what he can bring off the bench and is a good sign for Indiana moving forward in the season.
While Alexis was an important aspect of the Hoosiers’ opening night victory, Indiana displayed numerous positive sights from all facets of the game in front of an energized and rowdy home crowd.
Indiana fans had a lot to cheer about as the Hoosiers shot 62% from the floor, 41% from three and 100% from the free throw line. Indiana displayed its ability to share the ball and its defensive energy. The Hoosiers finished the night with 23 assists on 36 field goals and held Alabama A&M to just 51 total points on the night.
After the game, first-year head coach Darian DeVries expressed his gratitude for being able to come away from his season opening game in such fashion.
“It's just one of these special places that there's not much like it in college basketball,” he said. “It's certainly a privilege for us to be out there and our team and our coaches to be out there and performing. So thankful we got that opportunity.”
While the night could not have gone much better for Indiana and provided good looks at Alexis, it is just the beginning, as the Hoosiers next take on Marquette University on Nov. 9 at the United Center in Chicago.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
