3 Instant Takeaways from Indiana Basketball's 92-74 Win vs Oregon

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Lamar Wilkerson looked toward Indiana basketball's student section and smiled. Oregon coach Dana Altman looked at his star player, senior center Nate Bittle, and yelled with an additional level of anger reserved for moments such as leaving too much space for one of the nation's best shooters.

Wilkerson buried a 3-pointer from the left wing, giving the Hoosiers a 24-22 lead over the Ducks with just over five minutes remaining in the first half Monday night inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Oregon never led again.

For Wilkerson, the basket marked the culmination of a personal 10-point scoring burst, one that awoke him after a slow start and ultimately served as the engine behind the Hoosiers' fifth win in their past six games.

Indiana (17-8, 8-6 Big Ten) rolled to a 92-74 win over Oregon (8-16, 1-12 Big Ten) on Monday night in Bloomington.

Here are three instant takeaways from the Hoosiers' commanding victory.

Wilkerson, again, steals the show

Fresh off winning Big Ten Player of the Week after scoring 33 and 25 points, respectively, against USC and Wisconsin, Wilkerson delivered another vintage performance.

The sixth-year senior guard started 0-for-5 shooting from the field and didn't score for the game's first 13 minutes. Then, he hit a 3-pointer — and never slowed down.

Wilkerson finished 13-for-20 shooting from the floor and 6 of 12 from beyond the arc en route to 41 points, his second-most this season, just beyond a 44-point effort Dec. 9 against Penn State. He added five rebounds and three assists to go along with two turnovers.

The Big Ten's second-leading scorer both overall and in conference play, Wilkerson is firmly on pace to be a first-team All-Big Ten selection. He's one of the country's best shooters and scorers, and he's become a beloved Bloomington figure who routinely draws the loudest ovation during pre-game introductions.

And, naturally, when Wilkerson checked out of the game with just under two minutes remaining, he did so to a standing ovation.

IU's offense rolls past Ducks

Wilkerson's brilliant night aside, Indiana's offense enjoyed one of its best performances in Big Ten play.

The Hoosiers shot 60% from the floor and were 11-for-27 shooting from 3-point range. They were also an efficient 21 of 27 at the foul stripe. Perhaps most to Indiana coach Darian DeVries' delight, the Hoosiers dished 22 assists on 30 made field goals.

Indiana didn't get much from its bench — senior forward Reed Bailey, who notched 3 points, is the only non-starter who scored — but several players delivered standout efforts.

Senior forward Sam Alexis, who scored a season-high 19 points in Saturday's win over Wisconsin, kept his momentum rolling with 16 points on 8-for-8 shooting to go along with five rebounds, two assists and one block.

Fellow senior forward Tucker DeVries added 14 points while making 5 of 10 shots, and he added seven rebounds. Senior guard Conor Enright had a well-rounded stat-line, logging 5 points, eight assists and six rebounds to only one turnover.

Junior forward Nick Dorn provided a resurgent second half, scoring all of his 11 points in the final frame while making five free throws and a pair of triples.

Indiana averaged a staggering 1.46 points per possession in an explosive offensive performance.

Indiana keeps proving its truly put mid-January blues behind

After losing four straight games in the middle of January and pushing its season to the brink of spiraling, Indiana has now won five of its last games. The Hoosiers have beaten Rutgers, Purdue, UCLA, Wisconsin and Oregon during their surge.

Indiana entered Monday night as 10.5-point favorites over Oregon, which ranks No. 111 in the NET and is tied with Penn State as one of two Big Ten teams with only one win in conference play.

The Hoosiers were expected to take care of business, and they did — in convincing fashion at that.

Indiana is a different team than it was after its losing streak grew to four Jan. 20 against Michigan. The Hoosiers feel they're closer together, better suited to handle adversity and understand how to play with one another.

A team full of college experience but, for much of the year, low on experience playing together, Indiana is rounding into form with the home stretch near — and few teams are hotter than the Hoosiers as the calendar nears mid-February.