Indiana Gets Impressive Win Over Serbian Club Team BC Mega
Once Mike Woodson could finally get on the floor with his Indiana players a few months ago, the first words out of his mouth preached defense. And his message was clear. If the defense shows up every day, the Hoosiers would have a much better chance of winning games.
It took all of one game for Woodson's words to shine through. Archie Millers pack-line defense is long gone, and in Indiana's impressive 79-66 victory over Serbian pro team BC Mega, it was the Hoosiers' defense that carried the night.
The Hoosiers forced 27 turnovers , which led to 33 points. It helped the Hoosiers jump out to an early lead and the Hoosiers never looked back, leading by double digits through most of the second half of the exhibition game played in the Imperial Ballroom at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas on Friday night.
The two teams will play at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
"I have always believed this, and I learned this a long time ago from Coach (Bob) Knight that defense wins games,'' Woodson said. "If we can put ourselves in position to defend every night, I know that we will be in every game. That gives us hope and a chance to win.
"I thought that we had some breakdowns defensively tonight, but that was a good team we played. I thought that our energy and our effort was amazing in terms of how we defended.''
Junior forward led the Hoosiers with 21 points and eight rebounds. Northwestern transfer Miller Kopp added 14, as did freshman Tamar Bates, who fit right in during his first game at the college level.
"Coach Woodson is big on defense,'' said Jackson-Davis, the first Hoosiers All-American to return to school since Calbert Cheaney in 1993. "We work hard on defense and then the offense is the fun part. That's what he always tells us.''
Indiana was at a huge size disadvantage with 7-foot center Michael Durr and 6-9 center Logan Duncomb both out with minor injuries, but the Hoosiers outrebounded them anyway. Jordan Geronimo came off the bench to grab a team-high 10 boards, five on the offensive end.
"Jordan Geronimo was huge on the glass tonight. He was really doing his thing,'' Jackson-Davis said. Me, Miller and the guards all blocked out really well. I thought they got a few second-chance points in the first half, but then we muddied it up a little bit and did a lot better. The adjustments at halftime were really good.''
Jackson-Davis and holdover Race Thompson started up front, but three newcomers – Kopp, point guard Xavier Johnson and shooting guard Parker Stewart filled out the starting lineup.
Woodson's defensive approach is to put a lot of pressure on the ball and clog up passing lanes. Stewart was a menace all night, with a team-high five steals.
Kopp, who was always a good perimeter shooter during his three years at Northwestern, made three of his four three-point attempts and he had a team-high plus-minus rating of 17.
"I think shooting comes in two parts – it's mental and it's repetition,'' Kopp said. "The biggest thing for everyone is to be confident in their shot and in their abilities. The biggest thing the coaches talk about is giving us the confidence to shoot, and I think that is something that is only going to grow throughout the season.
"I work my butt off to make shots. Sometimes they aren't going to go in, but even when I miss and the ball hits off the back of the rim, I think that it went in. At the end of the day, some are going to go in and some are not. I will still do the same thing.''
The biggest gap in Indiana's game the past few years is an inability to make perimeter shots from its forwards. Kopp fixes that issue immediately.
Indiana freshman Tamar Bates drives to the basket during Friday night's 79-66 victory over BC Mega. Bates had 14 points in his first game with the Hoosiers. (Photos courtesy of IU Athletics)
Indiana also hasn't had anyone who can attack the basket like Bates, and he proved that in his first game. Woodson loves his confidence. He's got a long way to go, but Friday night was a great start.
"He's a freshman who is what we thought he would be when we recruited him,'' Woodson said. "He is not scared of the moment.
"He has a lot of room for growth. He is long and rangy. He has picked up probably about 10-12 pounds since we have had him. He has to get a little bit stronger, and figure out the college game. That is what it is all about.''
Indiana's defense was able to hold 2022 NBA Draft prospect Nikola Jovic to one point on 0-of-1 shooting from the floor in nearly 25 minutes of playing time. He also committed five turnovers for BC Mega.
It was good to have that first game under their belts.
"When you've been at it for two months with your ball club, I was so anxious, and I know the staff was, too, just to see how much they had retained over the two months that we have been out there working,'' Woodson said. "That's where my drive was today. I was trying to push them to see if they were doing the things that were asked of them these last two months on both ends of the floor. I thought they responded really well.''
It was clear that the players were enjoying a fresh start, too. There were plenty of smiles all night long, something that's been lacking around the Indiana basketball program the past few years.
"I don't think we played our best basketball tonight, nowhere near it. It was the first game and we were knocking the rust off a little bit,'' Jackson-Davis said. "The excitement, the joy of playing basketball was at a whole different level.
"I know it was the first game, so we were a little amped up, but we had a lot of fun out there tonight.''
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