Indiana men’s basketball’s season could have gone down a disappointing route.
The Hoosiers lost four consecutive games ahead of their trip to Rutgers — where they hadn’t won in eight years — a week ago. But first-year head coach Darian DeVries’ squad dominated the Scarlet Knights by 23 points, then returned home Tuesday and earned a signature victory over No. 12 Purdue.
Indiana (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten) now makes its lone regular-season trip to the West Coast to face off against UCLA and USC.
The Hoosiers will first take on the Bruins (15-6, 7-3 Big Ten) at 5 p.m. Saturday inside Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. The Cream and Crimson hold a 6-7 overall mark against the Bruins, with their last matchup coming a season ago in Bloomington — a four-point loss to UCLA.
Behind the Bruins
UCLA enters Saturday on a three-game winning streak that started with a two-point triumph over Purdue on Jan. 20. The Bruins have since notched a home win over Northwestern and a road victory over Oregon.
Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.2 points per game and hauling in 5.4 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Donovan Dent and sophomore guard Trent Perry average 13.1 and 11.6 points per game, respectively.
Since senior guard Skyy Clark suffered a hamstring injury against Iowa on Jan. 3, Perry has stepped up as a viable third option for seventh-year head coach Mick Cronin. Perry has scored 15.6 points per game across the Bruins’ 5-2 stretch since their loss to the Hawkeyes.
Junior forward Xavier Booker, an Indianapolis native who spent his first two collegiate seasons at Michigan State, adds 6.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Cronin on a “vastly improved” and “well-coached” Indiana
After Indiana began its season with seven consecutive wins, it then dropped three of four games, including losses to the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky.
The Hoosiers then rattled off four consecutive wins, four consecutive losses and now back-to-back wins. Cronin sees a squad composed of nearly all transfers that has just needed time to grow together.
“So, it's taken his (DeVries) team a while to become who he wants them to become, and he's done a great job,” Cronin said in a press conference Friday. “They're a vastly improved team from the beginning of the season.”
Since sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway sprained his ankle in a loss to Iowa on Jan. 17, Nick Dorn has significantly elevated his play. The junior guard is scoring 18.3 points per game across Indiana’s last three contests, shooting 50% from beyond the arc.
Dorn’s emergence, including his deadliness from 3-point range, gives opponents another element they must try to contain alongside redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries and fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson.
The Hoosiers’ trio, who Cronin said are three of the best shooters in the nation, has combined to knock down 38.5% of their 3-point attempts this season, as Dorn leads the three with his 45.1% mark from long range.
Beyond Indiana’s capable long-range shooters, Cronin views the Hoosiers as a “smart” team that puts its players in position to succeed.
“They pass the ball and put you in a lot of tough situations to defend their shooters,” Cronin said, “meaning they’re extremely well-coached.”
While Indiana is tied for fourth in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting at 35.9%, UCLA is second at 37.6%. The Bruins are also holding teams to 29.6% shooting from beyond the arc this season — a matchup that will likely play a significant role in which team emerges victorious Saturday.
Indiana has some “tough kids”
Not only did Darian DeVries’ squad defeat Purdue in its first attempt in a victory that bolsters the Hoosiers’ NCAA Tournament resume come Selection Sunday, but it also accomplished something unfamiliar to Cronin.
“I haven't seen Purdue get out-hustled maybe ever,” Cronin said. “But I saw it the other night when I watched the film. They got some tough, hard-nosed kids.”
Senior guard Conor Enright, who arguably embodies that description best, played all 40 minutes against the Boilermakers. He served as the primary defender on Purdue senior guard Braden Smith, who was Big Ten Player of the Year last season, and held him to just 14 points.
Enright also hit a 3-pointer with just over a minute left in the contest, which helped seal the Hoosiers’ victory.
“They battle,” Cronin said. “They don't beat themselves.”
Tipoff
The contest between the Hoosiers and Bruins is slated to begin at 5 p.m. Saturday and will stream on Peacock, with play-by-play announcer Guy Huberman and analyst Matt Muehleback on the call.
The matchup gives the Hoosiers a chance to notch their third consecutive win. Ultimately, Darian DeVries previously said the only aspect of their tournament resume his team can control is seizing every opportunity in front of them. Saturday serves as the next.
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.
