Three Things To Watch For As Indiana Basketball Hosts Miami of Ohio

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After two big losses in the Bahamas, Indiana has bounced back with two straight16-point wins over Providence and and Sam Houston. The Hoosiers have another nonconferece game Friday at 7 p.m. ET against Miami of Ohio before jumping into Big Ten play, which is already underway around the country.

Indiana enters a matchup against the RedHawks with a 6-2 record and fell out of the AP Top 25 poll this week. The Hoosiers have yet to play a close game this year, with all of their wins coming by 11-plus points and falling by at least 16 points in both losses. That trend is expected to continue Friday as Indiana is favored over Miami of Ohio by 19 points.

Here are three things to watch for in Friday's game.

How much will Ballo and Reneau play together?

Woodson's use of a two-big lineup has been a staple throughout his tenure. It started with what he called a "buddy ball" combination of Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson. It continued last season with Malik Reneau and Kel'el Ware and now with Reneau and Oumar Ballo. At times, opponents don't have the size or strength to contend with a 7-foot center and a 6-foot-9 power forward, for example. That happened in the win over Providence, when Reneau scored 21 points on 8-for-9 shooting, and Ballo totaled eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. They played 19:22 together.

Other times, though, it puts Indiana at a disadvantage. Woodson had played Reneau and Ballo together for no more than 19:52 during Indiana's first four games of the season. But in the Hoosiers' 89-61 loss to Louisville, Ballo and Reneau played a season-high 26:46 together. There were plenty of reasons for the blowout, and one was that Louisville played a lineup with five players capable of shooting and running the floor. Indiana's defense couldn't keep up with two bigs on the floor. The offense struggled as a unit, too. Reneau scored 21 points and Ballo finished with 11, but Indiana had its lowest scoring game of the season as everyone else shot 9-for-43 from the field.

Malik Reneau Indiana Basketball — Indiana's Malik Reneau drives against Gonzaga during the Battle 4 Atlantis. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

In the Hoosiers' 97-71 win over Sam Houston Tuesday at Assembly Hall, Reneau and Ballo played a season-low 12:51 together. Like its loss to Louisville, the frequency of the two-big lineup was far from the only factor leading to the result. But Indiana's offense was more productive with just one of the two starting front court players on the floor at once. In the first 5:31 of play, Indiana and Sam Houston played to a 7-7 tie. Woodson subbed out Ballo for the next 5:05, and Indiana's lead grew to 20-11. Ballo replaced Reneau for the following 3:44, a stretch that saw the Hoosiers extend their lead to 34-12, powered by Luke Goode's 3-point shooting.

The offense was much better in the first half with just one big on the court, but its defense suffered with that strategy in the second half. Ballo and Reneau played just 3:10 together in the second half, a season-low number for any half this season. The Hoosiers gave up 46 points, 22 of which came in the paint, in part because the smaller lineup had inferior rim protection.

Reneau shared his thoughts on the lineup combinations postgame.

"We definitely gotta work on the two-big lineup for sure," Reneau said. "When there is one big out there, it flows better, more space out there for shooters and open up the floor. Yeah, me and Ballo definitely got to work on the two-big lineup so we can be a better presence with the two big lineup, too."

In past seasons, Woodson had no choice but to play two bigs together, because of Indiana's roster limitations. Reneau and Ware were Indiana's best players last season, and Woodson needed them on the floor as much as possible. But Woodson upgraded Indiana's guard and wing play this season, and he's shown increased willingness to play small-ball lineups with more shooters, space and pace, which leads to a higher offensive ceiling for Indiana.

Will Myles Rice stay on track?

Washington State transfer point guard Myles Rice was one of the main reasons Indiana was expected to be much improved from last season. That was on display in Rice's 23-point performance against South Carolina and his 20-point game against UNC Greensboro, just before the Hoosiers left for the Bahamas.

But Rice's play fell off significantly during the Battle 4 Atlantis. Across three games, Rice scored 11 total points and shot 4-for-25 from the field. Other players struggled in the tournament, too, but Indiana needed better play from its point guard. Woodson was confident he'd bounce back.

“I’m not concerned. Myles is a tough kid,” Woodson said. “We’ll get him back. We’ll go home and regroup, and we’ll get him back going because he’s a major, major piece to the puzzle. And everybody that wears this uniform is a major piece. I just gotta get guys on the same page in doing what’s asked of them when they’re out there on the floor playing.”

Myles Rice Indiana Basketball — Indiana guard Myles Rice brings the ball up the floor against Sam Houston. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Rice returned to Bloomington and put together a strong outing against Sam Houston. He scored 19 points on 9-for-12 shooting and was especially effective getting to the basket, with eight of his made field goals coming inside the arc. He also finished with three rebounds, three assists and three turnovers.

"Myles is still trying to figure out the surrounding pieces, you know what I mean," Woodson said postgame. "He's a good pick and roll guy that can get downhill as you saw today. He's capable of making shots. He struggled in the Bahamas. You know, to see him come back tonight and play the way he did, I'm proud as hell of him. We just got to keep him headed in the right direction."

Can Indiana sustain 40 minutes of solid defense?

Through eight games, Indiana's defense has been the weaker link. The Hoosiers rank 60th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency compared to their 31st-ranked adjusted offensive efficiency, according to analytics site Bart Torvik.

That was especially noticeable in the Bahamas, where Indiana allowed 89 points in two straight losses to Louisville and Gonzaga. Woodson said he felt good about his team's defense entering the Battle 4 Atlantis, but he thought it was disconnected in those losses.

Indiana put together a strong defensive performance in the first half against Sam Houston, allowing just 25 points on 25.8% shooting. But the Hoosiers took their foot off the gas in the second half and gave up 46 points overall, 22 points in the paint, 12 fast-break points and 4-for-7 3-point shooting.

Miami ranks 205th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, so it'd be a step in the right direction for the Hoosiers to play well defensively from start to finish.

How much will Ballo and Reneau play together?

Will Myles Rice stay on track?

Can Indiana sustain 40 minutes of solid defense?

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