When Lamar Wilkerson headed to Indiana men’s basketball’s bench for the final time Tuesday night, the Hoosier faithful rose to shower the fifth-year senior guard with a standing ovation.
And there was plenty for the fans to recognize.
Wilkerson scored a career-high 44 points, breaking former Hoosier forward Trayce Jackson-Davis' previous single-game scoring record of 43 inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in November 2021. Wilkerson also buried 10 3-pointers — a new program record.
Wilkerson achieved such a historic night in just 23:45 on the floor, as Indiana defeated Penn State 113-72 at home. The victory marked the Hoosiers’ first in a week and a half after suffering back-to-back losses against Minnesota and the then-No. 6 University of Louisville.
“All credit to my team and the coaches,” Wilkerson said postgame. “Coach (Darian DeVries) told me today was going to be the day that I got hot because I've been having a rough couple games. He fed me the ball. I seen one, two, three go in, then after that they just like find the hot hand.”
Although Penn State notched the first points of the night, it didn’t take long for Wilkerson to get on the scoreboard. The Ashdown, Arkansas, native drained his first three attempts from beyond the arc, as the crowd grew louder after each bucket.
Wilkerson made another longball with nine minutes left in the first half, following it with a layup. He subsequently committed a foul on the Nittany Lions’ ensuing possession. That’s when Wilkerson tugged at his jersey, notifying Indiana head coach Darian DeVries he wanted a rest.
As Wilkerson headed toward the bench, he received his first standing ovation of the night. He returned to the game a minute and a half later but returned to the sideline just 39 seconds later. Wilkerson finished the first half with 20 points and four 3-pointers.
Out of halftime, Wilkerson made his first 3-pointer even quicker than he did to start the game. Just a minute and three seconds into the second half, Wilkerson had already connected from beyond the arc.
“They kept feeding me,” Wilkerson said. “The shots kept going in.”
Over the next three and a half minutes, Wilkerson buried four more 3-pointers, tying the program record for most longballs in a single game with nine.
Wilkerson missed his next three attempts from range, but he finally drained the record-breaking 3-pointer with five and a half minutes left in the game. Wilkerson nor DeVries realized the 10th 3-pointer set a program record, but the latter knew the former was “close to something” based on the fans’ reactions.
“I was just shooting, man,” Wilkerson said, smiling.
Wilkerson made a pair of free throws 30 seconds later before receiving his second standing ovation.
He entered Tuesday’s game in a shooting slump. Over the Hoosiers’ previous three games, he had made just five of his 23 shots from beyond the arc. He was admittedly in his head about his struggles over the past few days.
So, Indiana’s coaching staff and Wilkerson’s teammates reminded him of his capabilities. They told Wilkerson to continue shooting the ball.
Throughout Indiana’s previous nine games, DeVries stressed his confidence in Wilkerson even during his off nights. DeVries said Tuesday he never had any worries about him. The first-year Hoosiers head coach just wanted arguably his best shooter to keep shooting.
“That just installs confidence in me,” Wilkerson said. “Every day coach sees how hard I work. He's always trying to get me open, trying to find ways to get me open shots. We have discussions about it.”
Although Wilkerson recalled DeVries telling him Tuesday that he’d get hot against the Nittany Lions, DeVries said he thinks he tells Wilkerson that he’ll get hot “all the time.”
And Wilkerson certainly did Tuesday. The historic performance led Indiana out of a difficult two-game stretch and back into the win column ahead of a trip to Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday to face the University of Kentucky.
When Wilkerson is on, the Hoosiers’ offense is, too. In Indiana’s eight wins this season, Wilkerson has made 31 3-pointers compared to just four in its two losses.
“Yeah, I think it's great for him,” DeVries said. “I think even for really good shooters, sometimes if you overthink it, you can start to pressure a little bit in your own mind. When he gets one or two down, you can just see it was a relief for him tonight. Then after that it was just fun.”
When public address announcer Jeremy Gray listed Wilkerson’s achievements during a late-game timeout, Hoosier fans once again expressed their affection toward Wilkerson.
Wilkerson stood with a white Gatorade towel draped around his neck, looking up toward the videoboard with his right hand raised. It was a career night for a player who came to Indiana from Sam Houston State University with a clear reputation as a sharpshooter.
“Hole looked big as the ocean today, man,” Wilkerson said. “So, I was just throwing it up there. It just happened to go in.”
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.
