Indiana men’s basketball continued its dominance at the FISU America Games with a 120-63 victory over the U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday. The Virgin Islands brought intensity to start the contest, leaving the Hoosiers only up by 10 points at the end of the first quarter.
However, Indiana exploded in the second frame for 39 points to get out to an insurmountable lead. Like during the opening contest against Peru, the Hoosiers never looked back after taking a large lead.
Unlike Tuesday’s game, Indiana fans were able to watch the entirety of the contest on the YouTube livestream. With many rotation players still in the game during the third quarter, Indiana outworked the Virgin Islands throughout the frame.
By the fourth quarter, Indiana head coach Darian DeVries turned to his freshmen and walk-ons to see out the rest of the game. The Hoosiers scored 22 points in the final frame to be victorious by 57 points and finish first in Group B.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Vaughn Karvala shoots the lights out but can provide more
32 points. Seven 3-pointers. One player.
In just under 22 minutes on the court in Lima, Peru, Karvala was the main source of offense for the Hoosiers. The 6-foot-7 freshman forward has looked more experienced than expected in the three exhibition contests the Hoosiers have participated in this summer.
However, Thursday was Karvala’s best performance to date.
The Oregon, Wisconsin, native controlled the tempo for Indiana’s offense at multiple points throughout the contest. Karvala unofficially went 11-for-14 from field goal range, knocking down seven 3-pointers in the process.
In high school, Karvala attempted most of his shots from behind the arc, and it seems like DeVries should allow him to continue that play style in his freshman campaign. Yet, Karvala will still need to bring an extra aspect of his game if he wants to get more playing time in the regular season.
He showed his ability to move up and down the floor, making good defensive plays against a physical, quick Virgin Islands squad. After freshman guard Prince-Alexander Moody knocked down a 3-pointer in the third quarter, Karvala’s quick thinking led to him stealing the inbounds pass and making an easy layup.
When the ball lands in Karvala’s hands, the shot is most likely going up. However, he also produced a nice hockey assist on a fast break in the second quarter.
Karvala will most likely come off the bench for the Hoosiers this season, but he will be able to provide fans with highlight-worthy plays when on the court. Even though the Virgin Islands is easier competition than Big Ten squads, a red-hot shooting performance like Thursday can be replicated in future games.
“I think Vaughn’s done a great job,” DeVries said after the Peru win. “He’s really bought into doing the things we ask. He’s got great size, athleticism. He can really run. He’s skilled.”
Lindsay kickstarts offense until injury in fourth quarter
The worst-case scenario for Indiana throughout these exhibition contests is injuries. One such case happened to redshirt-junior guard Bryce Lindsay in the fourth quarter. The 6-foot-3 guard appeared to injure his leg away from the play, leading to him being checked out for the rest of the game.
However, in about 19 minutes of play, Lindsay was a key contributor for the Hoosiers in the win. The former Texas A&M University, James Madison University and Villanova University player produced nine points.
All of Lindsay’s field goal attempts came from behind the 3-point line, and every make came during the first frame. Yet, his biggest contribution was a team-high nine assists.
Even though redshirt-junior guard Markus Burton will be the primary ballhandler for the Hoosiers, Lindsay can still move the ball at a good mark. He produced three assists that led to alley-oops during the contest.
Lindsay is an experienced player — starting 31 of 33 games for the Wildcats last season — and is a capable player on both ends of the floor. He will primarily be a spot-up shooter, but can handle point guard minutes when Burton goes to the bench. His effort also showed up in his five rebounds and steal during Thursday’s game.
Sam Alexis returns to play under DeVries
It confused many Cream and Crimson faithful when the former Indiana player’s name was added to the FISU America Games’ roster, but Alexis finally received playing time on Thursday.
Alexis unofficially played around 17 minutes, producing 15 points, six rebounds and three assists. He went 7-for-8 on his field attempts, an aspect of Alexis’ game that he excels in. The efficient scorer produced a program record 68.7% field goal percentage last season.
Indiana is without 7-foot-2 junior center Samet Yigitoglu due to his Turkish roots, making him ineligible to play for Team USA. 7-foot freshman center Clemens Sokolov is also ineligible due to his German roots.
“Adding Sam just gives us some more versatility without two of our other bigs, just to be able to sub a little bit more, also potentially slide Aiden into the four,” DeVries said after the win over Peru. “So just so we have enough bodies to be able to do that.
Alexis could join the Hoosiers next season if he wins potential legal action. At the moment, the NCAA’s new “5 for 5” rule does not apply to Alexis. However, an Ohio judge granted a preliminary injunction for 24 men’s and women’s college basketball players earlier this month in a similar situation to Alexis, allowing them to potentially play this season.
Alexis’ return is a long shot, but he provides an experienced body that new additions to DeVries’ system can learn from.
By going 2-0 in the group stage, Indiana advances to Sunday’s semifinals. The Hoosiers will play at 2 p.m. EST on Sunday, with a chance to advance to the final game at 3 p.m. EST on Monday.
