Hoosiers Complete Sweep of Serbian Club With Another Impressive Defensive Performance
It's not an overstatement to say that Indiana basketball is starting over. Mike Woodson is the head coach now, he's basically got a whole new coaching staff, and there are a half-dozen new players on the Hoosiers' roster.
So when it was announced that Indiana would play two exhibition games in August against Serbian club team BC Mega – a collection of young professionals – it was the perfect opportunity to jump-start Indiana's makeover.
A lot of individual work and 10 official practices leading up to the event crescendoed into something unexpected this week, with the new-look Hoosiers surprising many by actually winning both games. Thanks to a fast start and another brilliant defensive effort, the Hoosiers won again on Sunday, taking down the Serbian club 64-53.
That's 2-0 for the weekend, with a whole lot learned about this team at the same time. It's been a very successful August, and it will go a long way in having them better prepared for the regular season come November.
"It was two months of hard work with these young men, and I was proud of them,'' Woodson said afterward. "To win a game the other night and then bounce back and start the game way they started was nice to see. They were all pumped and ready to play, and that was nice as we move forward.''
The Hoosiers, who forced 27 turnovers on Friday night and had a lot of easy run-out baskets off of turnovers, had to grind through a game on Sunday. But they did just that, overcoming a few of their own offensive issues with stifling defense. Mega shot just 32 percent from the field and 27 percent from the three-point line. Indiana opened the game on a 14-2 run and never looked back. Mega got within one late in the first half, but the Hoosiers cracked down and pulled away.
"I thought we defended really well. They had 30 points and halftime, and then at the 15-minute mark, they only scored four points. Our defense was solid,'' Woodson said. "They had a chance to prepare for us after watching the first game, but our guys never wavered in terms of our defense.
"I've said this too, that our defense has always been a little bit ahead of our offense. But when you play defense and rebound the ball, you're going to put yourself in a position to win. We did that.''
The Hoosiers were led by point guard Xavier Johnson, the transfer from Pitt. He had 13 points and a team-high seven assists, and he had a 23 plus/minus rating. And up front, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson both had double-doubles against a much bigger opponent. Jackson-Davis had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Thompson had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
"I thought we had a lot of good looks and we missed some shots, but they had something to do with that,'' Woodson said. "I'm trying to get them to think out of the box on offense and not play like robots.''
"I was pleased with our offense the other night, and I thought we did some good things today.''
Indiana played without 7-foot South Florida transfer Michael Durr, true freshman center Logan Duncomb and sophomore guard Anthony Leal for the second straight game, with all three dealing with nagging injuries. But just three minutes into the game, they also lost forward Miller Kopp, who rolled an ankle and didn't return. Woodson said it's not serious.
Indiana did miss his presence, though, especially on the offensive end where he really helps spread the floor. He had 14 points in Friday's win.
Freshman Tamar Bates saw a good bit of his playing time, and had nine points. Sophomore Jordan Geronimo also played well for the second straight game, scoring seven points and grabbing seven rebounds.
"Here's a young man that hasn't played a lot of basketball. That's obvious when you watch him, but I think the sky is the limit for him. I just need to put him into position to be successful. He was really good the last couple of games.''
The highlight of the day was seeing Johnson shine. He was handcuffed by foul trouble on Friday, but he was the best player on the floor in Sunday's win.
"We've just got to get Xavier to understand how to run a team. There's a lot that's expected of you as a point guard,'' Woodson said. "I'm leaning on him, because got to get the ball to where it has to go. He was good tonight, though. He bounced back nice from the other night, where he got in foul trouble early.''
Jackson-Davis was thrilled that the grueling two months of practice leading up to the trip all paid off. They not only had a great time in the Bahamas and bonded as a team, but they played well, too.
And that's just a start.
"We've been playing against each other for two months, so it was nice to take it out on someone else,'' Jackson-Davis said. "Overall, I think we grew together as a team. We're all brothers already. We had some adversity today, but we never folded and I think we did a great job of responding in the second half.
"Just listening to Coach Woodson, he told us to relax and that it starts with defense. We got a lot of big stops.''
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Related stories on Indiana basketball
- SUNDAY'S LIVE BLOG: Follow along blow-by-blow with what went on in the Hoosiers' win over BC Mega on Sunday. CLICK HERE
- FRIDAY GAME STORY: Indiana played well on Friday night, leading practically from start to finish in a 79-66 win over BC Mega in the Bahamas. Trayce Jackson-Davis led the Hoosiers with 21 points. CLICK HERE
- FRIDAY LIVE BLOG: Here's how it all played out in real time in our first live blog of the season. CLICK HERE
- TARGET SETS COMMITMENT DATE: Jalen Hood-Schifino, one of the top combo guards in the country from Montverde Academy in Florida, has announced an Aug. 24 commitment date. Indiana is one of his final five. CLICK HERE
