Indiana basketball showed its potential Sunday in a 76-58 win. Indiana dominated the rebounding battle from start to finish. Bryce Lindsay had a great game with 26 points on 8-for-14 shooting and made four threes. Their ability to crash the glass and create second-chance points could become a significant strength.
Indiana Basketball Shows Its Rebounding Strength
The Hoosiers won the rebounding battle against North Carolina 53-31. 20 if Indiana’s rebounds were on the offensive end. They were able to get 17 second-chance points due to their offensive rebounds. The Hoosiers looked like the more physical team from start to finish.
The number of rebounds they were able to get off of their own misses puts a lot of pressure on defenses. It can allow the opposing defense to get tired and winded because they have to be on the defensive end even longer. This could be a huge style of play for the Hoosiers come regular season. This is just one game, an exhibition game at that, but the physicality they played with can win them a lot of games.
Bryce Lindsay Provides a Major Scoring Boost
Lindsay was able to come in the game and be a spark plug off the bench. He scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half. His scoring can provide Indiana with the scoring they need from their bench unit. Lindsay is someone who can come into the game, give starters a rest, and create his own shot.
Every team needs a sixth man that can get in the game and score. Lindsay has a chance to be that for the Hoosiers this season. This is just one game, but he looked comfortable out there. This was an exhibition game against a good opponent. Indiana will need Lindsay to be a consistent piece off the bench and provide scoring.
Indiana Must Improve It’s Shooting Efficiency
Neither team shot the ball well; even in a blowout win, Indiana struggled to make shots. The Hoosiers shot just 36.23% from the field and 33.33% from three. These misses were one of the reasons they were able to get so many offensive rebounds. They can’t always rely on offensive rebounds, though, especially against really good rebounding teams.
If they run into a team that is just as good or better at rebounding, those misses will haunt them. Their efficiency will need to improve as the regular season gets started soon. They will need to show that they are better at half-court execution in the next game. They need to raise both their overall shooting percentage and their three-point percentage.
Indiana displayed their toughness and resiliency in this win over North Carolina. They gave themselves enough extra opportunities with offensive rebounds to be able to pull away. The Hoosiers also showed that they have someone in Lindsay who can come off the bench and get his own. Better shooting efficiency and half-court execution will be very important moving forward. Their rebounding is an encouraging sign, but the regular season will tell if they can consistently grab boards like that.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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