Indiana senior guard Devonte Green posted a career-high 30 points to guide th eHoosiers toward an 80-64 win against No. 17 Florida State on Tuesday night, but it was how his shooting influenced the rest of the team that put Indiana's potential on display.
With little more than five minutes remaining in the first half, Indiana was beginning to pull away from No. 17 Florida State inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Leading by 25-20, Indiana had already bounced back from an 11-point start by Florida State and appeared to be in a lock with the Seminoles that might last until halftime.
Then Devonte Green connected on his first three-point shot. Then his second. Then his third.
The senior guard hit threes on three consecutive Indiana offensive possessions, and in a matter of 42 seconds, the Hoosiers had the cushion – with a 34-22 lead – that would guide them toward the most impressive win of their young season, 80-64, behind a career-high 30 points from Green.
“He was the best player on the floor tonight without question,” Indiana head coach Archi eMiller said. “He dominated the game in a lot of different ways.”
The primary way he dominated the game was his shooting – obviously. Green has been referred to by Miller as the team’s “most dynamic offensive player” since Miller first addressed the media to introduce this team to the public in September. That expectation paired with his three previous years of volatile play in Bloomington had the biggest 2019 crowd in Assembly Hall holding its breath with every three-point shot Green took.
After checking into the game during the first media timeout, Green took his first three-point attempt on the first offensive possession and was fouled. He hit all three free throws, but he missed his next two threes. Then came the barrage.
“Devonte's always been a guy that's wired to score. He values it,” Miller said. “It's been something that we have struggled with him at times, that early in games, he doesn't make a few shots or things go bad, don't get down on himself. He knows this year he doesn't have a fear of things going bad because he's got to be out there.”
The reasons Green needs to be on the floor for Indiana are layered. The most obvious reason is that there just aren’t enough guards to get him off the floor, especially with sophomore point guard Rob Phinisee missing as much time as he has this season. Phinisee missed Tuesday night’s game because of an ankle injury suffered in practice Monday, and he has missed four of Indiana’s eight games to date.
The trio of Al Durham, Armaan Franklin and Green have carried the load since Green returned from his hamstring injury.
Another reason Green needs to be on the floor is because when he isn’t, the offense doesn’t run well. Even with him, the offense sometimes stalls. On Tuesday, Indiana saw its offense stall because of a lack of movement. Midway through the second half, the Hoosiers had no assists and seven turnovers, and Green was on his way toward a four-turnover night.
“There are just those times when he's got to let go of the ball,” Miller said. “It's just the first open pass at times, especially against the pressure teams. When you start over-dribbling, then it gets crazy, and he had a couple there in the second half. He's got to be able to trust that he can get rid of it and get it back at times. But it's a feast or famine type of thing. To me, he's got to feast.”
When Green is hitting shots, freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis just thinks to himself, ‘Green light,” and junior forward Justin Smith said he tells his teammate to keep taking shots but take good shots.
“Every shot’s a good shot,” Green joked.
But there is truth behind his joke. Green threw up a turn-around three-pointer that went in, and when Florida State had cut the Indiana lead down to three in the second half and Florida State head coach LEonard Hamilton received a technical foul after a five-second violation, Green hit a driving layup high off the glass that turned the tide Indiana’s way when it needed it most.
Shots were falling for Green. He finished 10-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-7 from three. And when shots were falling for the senior, everything else followed, including good defense from sophomore forward Damezi Anderson, who also hit a three to seal the win, and mature play from freshman guard Armaan Franklin and space inside for Jackson-Davis to work on Florida State for 15 points, eight rebounds and 14 free throw attempts.
When Green hit his shots, only Indiana stood in its way on the offensive side of the floor, and that’s dangerous considering Florida State was coming off wins against Florida, Tennessee and Purdue.
With his career night, Green clarified the lens through which the heights of this 2019-20 Indiana team can be seen.
“Devonte Green was special tonight,” Miller said. “There wasn't a whole lot of coaching that went into anything he did, as usual. When he's good, he's good on his own.”
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