'For Real?' Lamar Wilkerson Scores 16 Straight, Leads Indiana Basketball by Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — While music blares and managers yell, Lamar Wilkerson hears nothing but the splash of his 3-pointers swishing through the white nylon within the Xfinity Center's east basket.

One, after another, after another. Indiana men's basketball's sixth-year senior guard finally stops and moves on after 10 consecutive triples drop through the net.

Less than one hour before Indiana and Maryland tipped off Wednesday night in College Park, Wilkerson seemingly entered the rarified air privy only to the nation's most elite shooters.

Then, he found it again two hours later.

Wilkerson scored 16 consecutive points in the second half for Indiana (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten), extending a 3-point edge to a 15-point stronghold en route to the Hoosiers' 84-66 victory over Maryland (7-8, 0-4 Big Ten) on Wednesday inside the Xfinity Center.

"Man, it's just another day in the gym," Wilkerson said postgame. "All the shots I take, man, I work on them. I'm trusting the preparation. So, it's just second nature, man."

Wilkerson entered halftime with 6 points on five shots. Maryland's defenders were hugging tightly to him on the perimeter, trying to limit his touches. So, the Hoosiers adjusted.

Indiana coach Darian DeVries wanted Wilkerson to give himself up. Wilkerson, who has a self-proclaimed high basketball IQ, understood the assignment and didn't hesitate. DeVries instructed Wilkerson to back-cut more often, which led to looks at the rim for him, created easier passing lanes for his teammates and generated better ball movement.

The Hoosiers' offense benefitted, and they carried a 36-31 lead into halftime. In the locker room, Wilkerson said a switch flipped.

Three minutes into the second half, Indiana led 43-40. Less than five minutes later, it led 59-44. Wilkerson hit a transition layup, then an and-one 3-pointer from the left wing. The Ashdown, Ark., native hit the free throw, and he buried another triple on the next possession.

Maryland senior guard David Coit snapped Wilkerson's 9-0 run with a layup, and Wilkerson responded with a midrange jumper on the other end. Coit hit a jump shot for the Terrapins, and Wilkerson needed only nine seconds to knock down a deep 3-pointer from the right wing.

Wilkerson added another layup just over one minute later to cap a 16-point explosion that pushed the Hoosiers' lead to double digits, and the margin never grew closer than 13 points the remainder of the game.

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound Wilkerson finished with a game-high 24 points 9-for-17 shooting, including 3 of 7 from beyond the arc, to go along with six rebounds, one assist and no turnovers in 39 minutes of action.

"I thought once he made one, we were very intentional to make sure he kept getting opportunities," DeVries said. "We called a few plays, some quick hitters for him to try to get a touch. Like he does a lot of times when he's in the zone a little bit, he took advantage of it."

Wilkerson, who's now eclipsed 20 points in four consecutive games, didn't realize the heights his personal run had reached. When he was informed he scored 16 consecutive points, he expressed surprise.

"For real?" Wilkerson said. "I didn't even know I scored 16 straight, honestly."

For most, unthinkable. For Wilkerson, entirely believable.

After his Assembly Hall-record 44-point performance vs. Penn State on Dec. 9, Wilkerson said the basket looked as "big as the ocean." He was geographically closer to the water Wednesday night, but the location matters not.

There's no lighting, no backdrop, no shooter's eye, that lends itself to Wilkerson's scorched-earth episodes. He's capable of doing it anywhere so long as the essentials are in place.

"You give me a ball and a hoop," Wilkerson said. "I love it, man."

Wilkerson sacrificed for his teammates' well-being in the first half. They returned the favor in the second. Indiana hunted Wilkerson both in transition and during half-court sets, and he delivered with a game-changing burst.

"My teammates just found me, man," Wilkerson said. "We were just playing together, playing the way we practice, and everything was just clicking. All credit to the coaches and my teammates finding me, getting me open and stuff like that, man."

DeVries said it underscores a greater principle of Indiana's collective selflessness and basketball intelligence.

"The guys do such a great job," DeVries said, "of understanding when a guy's got it going a little bit, to look for him, to screen for him, to get him open."

Over half an hour after Indiana's first road win of the season, Wilkerson stood just inside the 3-point line on the Xfinity Center's east side, clad in a gray sweatshirt with headphones perched above his ears.

There, in College Park, he was in foreign territory — but he looked, and played, as if he'd been there his whole life.

Perhaps that's a glimpse at the holy water resting within "the zone." Or perhaps it's the reality for one of college basketball's best shooters, who only needs a ball and a basket to feel right at home.