3 Instant Takeaways from Indiana Basketball's 113-72 Win vs Penn State

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — On one end of the floor, Indiana men's basketball guard Tayton Conerway hung on the rim, savoring, if only briefly, his breakaway dunk.

On the other, senior forward Sam Alexis and senior guard Lamar Wilkerson rose to their feet, smile wide as Conerway breezed back to play defense.

Indiana held a 55-23 lead, and there were still just under two minutes remaining in the first half. The Hoosiers led by 32 points three separate times in the first 20 minutes en route to a commanding 56-24 lead at the break.

The Hoosiers (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten) never looked back, cruising to a 113-72 win over Penn State (8-2, 0-1 Big Ten) on Tuesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

Here are three quick takeaways from Indiana's dominant victory.

Wilkerson has career night in much-needed bounce-back

After one of the least efficient three-game stretches — during which he went 5-of-23 shooting from distance — in his four-year Division I career, Wilkerson lived up to his offseason billing as one of college basketball's best shooters and scorers.

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound Wilkerson scored 20 of Indiana's first 32 points en route to a career-high 44-point performance. He finished 10-for-15 shooting from beyond the arc, setting a career and program-high in 3-point makes, and 16 of 22 from the floor overall.

Wilkerson did more than just knock down triples. He had a few successful downhill drives, proved crafty around the rim and contributed four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Tuesday was Wilkerson's night. After his ninth triple, he jogged down the floor, took his spot defensively and made eye contact with Penn State coach Mike Rhoades. Then, Wilkerson smiled. The Nittany Lions had no answers, no ideas, as to how to slow him down.

Indiana makes change to starting lineup

For the first time this season, Indiana coach Darian DeVries adjusted his starting five, as the Hoosiers opted for Alexis over senior forward Reed Bailey in the front court.

Bailey started Indiana's five exhibition games and each of the first nine regular season contests. But he struggled in the Hoosiers' losses to Minnesota on Dec. 3 and Louisville on Dec. 6, totaling 14 points and nine rebounds on 4-for-10 shooting from the field.

Alexis entered Tuesday averaging 10 points and 5.8 rebounds per game to Bailey's 10.3 points and 4.2 rebounds, respectively, while splitting playing time. Alexis had been more consistent than Bailey, however, and ultimately earned the nod Tuesday.

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Alexis had a quiet night in his first start for the Hoosiers. Alexis not only failed to find the scoring column, but he didn't attempt a shot in 16 minutes of action. He added three assists and two rebounds, but committed three fouls and two turnovers. Bailey, meanwhile, scored 18 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the field.

Whether DeVries rolls with Alexis in the starting lineup remains to be seen, but Bailey made a convincing case Tuesday to regain his spot.

Hoosiers get feel-good win entering Kentucky showdown

Through the first four weeks of DeVries' regular season tenure as Indiana's coach, there were few complaints. The Hoosiers were 7-0, ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and rated inside the top 50 in both points scored and allowed.

But Indiana endured a difficult fifth week, losing to Minnesota in its Big Ten opener as 10.5-point favorites before falling behind 16-0 in an 87-78 loss to No. 6 Louisville.

The Hoosiers needed to rediscover themselves. They needed to find the same energy, shot-making and collective offensive firepower that drove their hot start and pushed them into the national rankings.

Indiana found the right ingredients Tuesday night. It went 17-for-31 shooting from long range, made 68.9% of its shots overall and had five players — Wilkerson, Bailey, Conerway (17), junior guard Nick Dorn (13) and senior forward Tucker DeVries (12) — score in double figures.

The Hoosiers enjoyed a proverbial get-right game Tuesday, a particularly important occurrence entering their final high-major non-conference test at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.