Coming off the first loss of the Darian DeVries era, Indiana men’s basketball’s attempt to get back into the win column was over before it began.
Against then-No. 6 University of Louisville on Dec. 6, it was the Cardinals that came out strong, racing out to a 16-0 lead to start the game. Much like the Hoosiers’ loss to Minnesota, they couldn’t rebound. After jumping out in front, Louisville never surrendered the lead as it handed Indiana its second consecutive nine-point loss.
Unlike the early part of the season, offense plagued the Cream and Crimson. Throughout the game, Louisville’s defensive intensity and physicality gave the Hoosiers fits, and turnovers began to pile up.
Despite the disappointing loss, redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries carved out a solid individual outing. DeVries finished the game with 26 points and five rebounds, knocking down four 3-pointers and shooting 12-for-13 from the free throw line.
Junior guard Nick Dorn, who missed Indiana’s first two games of the season recovering from a foot injury, poured in five second half 3-pointers, but by then the game was largely out of reach.
Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson shot 5-for-15, bringing him to 10-for-29 in the Hoosiers’ last two games. Wilkerson tied redshirt senior guard Conor Enright for the team lead with four assists, but Indiana’s 13 combined assists tied for the second lowest of the season.
While the offense has gone cold, the Cream and Crimson’s defense has continued to be a bright spot in the early part of the season. Four Hoosiers average at least one steal per game, and Indiana holds its opponents to an average 38.42% shooting from the field.
Under Darian DeVries, the Hoosiers are 6-0 inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, where they’re set to take on Penn State in their second Big Ten matchup of the season.
Meet the Nittany Lions
After head coach Micah Shrewsberry departed for Notre Dame University on the heels of an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023, Penn State tapped Virginia Commonwealth University’s Mike Rhoades to take over the program. In both seasons under Rhoades, the Nittany Lions have won 16 games and missed the NCAA tournament.
Penn State enters the matchup with Indiana on a 3-game winning streak, sitting at 8-1 on the season. But the Nittany Lions’ loss was their lone game against a power conference opponent — a 12-point loss to Providence University on Nov. 22.
Entering the matchup with Indiana, Penn State boasts five players averaging over 10 points per game. Freshman guard Kayden Mingo leads the group, scoring 15 points per contest. The Farmingdale, New York, native was a four-star recruit, ranked 34th nationally coming out of high school. Mingo also leads the Nittany Lions with 4.2 assists and adds four rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.
Joining Mingo in the double-digit scoring is redshirt junior guard Freddie Dilione V with 13.2, freshman guard Melih Tunca with 12.8, and freshman forward Ivan Jurić and senior forward Josh Reed with 10.6 points per game.
While the group registers most of Penn State's offensive production, its scoring from beyond the arc tends to come from elsewhere. Sophomore guard Dominick Stewart and redshirt sophomore guard Eli Rice have knocked down the most 3-pointers on the team, each shooting 46% from beyond the arc.
The game
Despite posting more wins than Indiana so far, Penn State will come to Bloomington still seeking its first victory over a power conference opponent. Meanwhile, Indiana will look to snap a 2-game losing skid and earn its first Big Ten victory against the Nittany Lions at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Coverage of the game will be available on FS1.
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.
