Nearly four minutes into the first half of Indiana men’s basketball’s contest with Wisconsin, Sam Alexis jumps up to slam down the basketball. The Hoosier faithful inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall are brought to their feet after the emphatic dunk from the senior forward brings the Cream and Crimson out to an early 7-0 advantage.
While the bucket from Alexis got the crowd going early, it would be just the first of many plays from the University of Florida transfer that would fill Assembly Hall with applause in the Hoosiers’ 78-77 overtime victory over Wisconsin on Saturday.
Alexis had a “big night” as he tallied 19 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the field in his 34 minutes on the floor. His presence was felt on both ends of the floor as he picked up five blocks and seven rebounds — four offensive and three defensive.
“I thought the guys did a good job, ran a few things to try to get it to him, but they got it to him, and Sam did the rest from there,” head coach Darian DeVries said postgame.
While Alexis’ performance looked good on the stat sheet, his impact on the game went far beyond the final box score. Alexis provided buckets, defensive stops and rebounds. Most of all, he brought energy for his teammates and all of the Hoosiers fans inside Assembly Hall.
Against Wisconsin, Indiana controlled much of the game. The Hoosiers led by as much as 14 points and only trailed for 4 minutes and 50 seconds of the 45-minute contest.
However, midway through the second half, the Badgers began to make a push and the Hoosiers’ lead dwindled. With just over eight minutes remaining in regulation, Wisconsin cut the Indiana lead to five points.
Yet, on the ensuing possession, Alexis posted up the defender and scored a turn-around jumper just seconds before getting a block on the other end of the floor. It was a bucket and a defensive stop the Hoosiers needed.
Now up seven points, Indiana continued to feed Alexis, and he continued to deliver. In the final eight minutes of the half, Alexis was credited with nine points and two blocks.
“He was cooking,” redshirt senior guard Conor Enright said postgame. “So we kept giving it to him.”
His energy and production on both ends of the floor were evident and crucial in the Hoosiers’ rally to overtime. And in the extended period, Alexis continued to fight and come up with big plays for the Cream and Crimson.
With the Hoosiers down two points with 2:44 left in overtime, Alexis came up with a big block and important defensive stop for Indiana. The senior forward came down the court hobbling but continued to fight through leg cramps and battled for a monumental offensive rebound that turned into two penalty shots for fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson.
And while Alexis didn’t make the game-winning free throws or lead all scorers, he made an impact at critical points of the game and created opportunities for his teammates.
“He’s been awesome,” Enright said. “I think Sam came out and set the tone right away, offensive rebounds, defense, and he picked it up in the second half too. His energy spreads to other people. He's been doing that every day in practice, in the weight room. It's contagious. Him just being around has been awesome for us.”
The victory for Indiana was a big one, and multiple Hoosiers pitched in and came up with big plays down the stretch. Wilkerson led with 25 points and was an important 8 for 8 from the free throw line. Enright came up with a monumental play as he drew an offensive foul in the final 20 seconds of the contest.
After losing four straight, Indiana has now won four of its last five contests — two of which came in overtime. The Hoosiers have shown growth as a team and displayed their ability to win tight games down the stretch.
As of late, the Hoosiers have had different players step up and provide critical plays to earn victories. Against Wisconsin, Alexis was one of those players.
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.
