Yes, it's only an exhibition game. But IU was able to cruise past UIndy for a 90-72 win on Saturday night at Assembly Hall. Here are a few observations from tonight's game.
-The offense is better than advertised
IU coach Tom Crean talked about how his team simply hadn't spent significant time on offensive sets in practice. You couldn't tell. IU looked stagnant at first but showed that they could put up points in the half court game and in transition. Only seven turnovers allowed IU to establish an offensive flow and get many guys involved. Obviously, UIndy isn't Wisconsin, but the Hoosiers looked more fluid than they have in past exhibition games. We'll see if that carries over into non-conference play.
-That Zeller guy is good
Freshman Cody Zeller looked shaky early on and was very quiet in the first ten minutes. But he was able to let the game come to him and look like the Zeller that they recruited. A very solid 16 points and eight boards from Zeller proved that his points can come at ease. He had some powerful dunks that brought the Assembly Hall crowd to it's feet, including an and-one alley oop from Daniel Moore. Defensively, he looked lost at times but was still able to make his presence felt on the inside. Overall, not a bad showing from the 6-11 beanstalk from Washington, Ind.
-Will Sheehey is earning a spot in the IU starting lineup
The sophomore guard led all IU scorers with 18 points. Sheehey got the start tonight but that might've been because Tom Pritchard and Christian Watford were both out of the starting lineup after coming back from ankle injuries. However, if Sheehey plays like that, Crean won't be keeping Sheehey out of the starting lineup when Pritchard is healthy. He drove to the bucket with ease and consistently knocked down pull-up, mid-range jumpers, a dimension we didn't see from him last season. Sheehey showed IU fans what he could do at Assembly Hall, and that only continued tonight.
Watford is not 100 percent
As previously mentioned, Watford is not 100 percent. Crean said that Watford's conditioning was still lacking after missing time. Watford had a quiet eight points and didn't have the outside stroke that he usually does. Having said that, Watford was able to make his presence felt defensively by shutting down UIndy's Adrian Moss. By no stretch should IU fans be alarmed by Watford's lack of offensive involvement, just understanding that he might not look like the Watford they're used to seeing for a few more games.
