Indiana Basketball Finding Identity in Resiliency, Erases 13-Point Deficit vs Baylor

INDIANAPOLIS — Darian DeVries entered Sunday afternoon's exhibition game against Baylor steadfast in his belief that any situation Indiana encountered would be a positive. The result didn't count in the win-loss column, and every scenario offered a learning opportunity.

There was, however, a position DeVries specifically wanted to avoid — and with the Hoosiers trailing by 13 points with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half, Indiana's first-year coach saw his team teetering on the brink of disaster.

"The game can go a lot of different ways right before halftime," DeVries said postgame. "I challenged the guys in the timeout of, 'Don't let this get to 20 (points). This can't be what we just do all the time.'"

DeVries sensed Deja vu. The Hoosiers trailed by 20-plus points in the first half in each of their two August exhibition games over Serbian professional team Mega Superbet in Puerto Rico before rallying to secure victories.

History partially repeated itself. Indiana responded to DeVries' challenge, as its deficit never ballooned beyond 13, and the Hoosiers once more overcome a double-digit margin to emerge with an exhibition win, topping Baylor 76-74 in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana, DeVries said, had a sense of calmness. The Hoosiers, with several seniors and Puerto Rico tests offering a wealth of experience, had conquered larger battles before. They added another to the tally Sunday afternoon.

"We've had several games here in an exhibition type setting where we've had our guys challenged and have to respond to some type of adversity," DeVries said. "And that's always a good quality, to find ways to come out on top."

Indiana's early deficit stemmed from an inability to defend Baylor's speed, athleticism and playmaking, DeVries said. Due to injury-related depth shortages, the Hoosiers haven't been able to simulate such traits in practice.

Subsequently, Baylor attacked the rim, found success on dribble-drives and enjoyed an 11-for-13 shooting stretch across nine minutes en route to their 31-18 advantage.

But Indiana regrouped and readjusted. DeVries and his coaching staff challenged the team's physicality and toughness in the locker room at halftime, and the Hoosiers were the tougher team in the second half, Baylor coach Scott Drew said postgame.

On his way to the press room, Drew asked redshirt sophomore guard Cameron Carr for his perspective of what happened after halftime.

"They just came out a lot more aggressive than us," Carr told Drew. "And (Indiana) did a great job putting us on our heels, getting that lead."

Indiana started the second half with a 7-2 run to tie the game, and the Hoosiers carried their momentum to a 64-55 edge with eight minutes remaining. The Bears were 2-for-13 shooting to begin the half and made only four of their first 20 attempts through the first 13-and-a-half minutes of the second half.

The Hoosiers were the smaller, less athletic team Sunday, but their effort, intensity and intelligence cultivate a strong defensive foundation

"I think there's an identity we have defensively (that) has really come a long ways," DeVries said. "And I think you saw it in the second half. I think defensively we have a chance to be really good on first shot opportunities. We got some guys that are really committed to it. They understand, they communicate well."

However, Indiana has natural shortcomings on the glass. DeVries acknowledged the Hoosiers are undersized and need to be technically sound with box outs, because they won't win many jumping contests.

Baylor grabbed 44 rebounds to Indiana's 25, and the Bears had 16 offensive rebounds to the Hoosiers' four. Baylor totaled 18 second chance points, while Indiana mustered three. DeVries said Baylor shot only 29% on its first shot of the possession, but due to offensive rebounds and additional opportunities, the Bears made 40% of their field goals.

"If we had just rebounded better, it could have been a really good second half defensively," DeVries said.

Indiana's offense endured a day marked by uncharacteristic inefficiency from beyond the arc. The Hoosiers, who made 15 of 30 triples vs. Marian, went just 6-for-24 shooting 3-pointers against Baylor. Only four of Indiana's eight players attempted a shot from distance, and sixth-year seniors Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries were a combined 5 of 17 from deep.

The Hoosiers also scored just four fastbreak points and largely played a half-court game. The pace DeVries-led teams often deploy didn't make the trip to Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

But Indiana fought its way to a 76-point outing, one where it averaged 1.12 points per possession and shot 43.9% from the floor. The Hoosiers made 11 of 20 shots at the rim and added five dunks. They committed just nine turnovers and were 20-for-21 shooting at the foul stripe.

Indiana didn't use an expansive playbook Sunday, and during the game's closing minutes, DeVries opted against calling plays. He wanted his team to figure it out and play off one another.

The Hoosiers responded. After their nine-point lead evaporated, they trailed 70-68 with two minutes remaining. Wilkerson, who led all scorers with 28 points, drew fouls on back-to-back possessions and made all four free throws, giving Indiana the lead at 72-70.

Baylor answered with a 3-pointer to regain the edge, but Tucker DeVries, who had 18 points, knocked down a midrange jumper on the other end to put the Hoosiers ahead, 74-73. The Bears drew even at 74 with a free throw before Indiana sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway scored a game-winning and-one layup with eight seconds remaining to clinch the Hoosiers' victory.

From an identity perspective, Indiana didn't look much like the brand DeVries has become synonymous with, but the Hoosiers still found a way to win.

"I thought our guys, it took a while for them to kind of get into it a little bit again, because we're being pretty vanilla in what we're running on offense," DeVries said. "So, they had to learn how, against people taking some of our stuff away, 'How do we score?' And I thought they made some good adjustments as the game went on with that too."

Indiana now has a week-and-a-half before starting regular season play at 8 p.m. Nov. 5 against Alabama A&M at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The extended wait allows DeVries and his assistants time to dig into Sunday's film and grow from what DeVries dubbed a "great learning opportunity."

And the Hoosiers learned plenty about themselves Sunday. They found ways to score outside of transition or from the 3-point line. Defensively, they adapted methods to counteract lanky, more explosive offenses.

Perhaps most importantly, Indiana saw its resiliency shine through in another moment of adversity — and the Hoosiers, no matter if it's in front of a sparsely-populated crowd in Puerto Rico or inside an NBA arena in Indianapolis, simply refuse to stop swinging.

"I think it's a great quality," DeVries said, "and hopefully it continues when it goes in the win-loss column."