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Indiana's 2022-23 season started off on Monday with a 88-53 win over Morehead State and now they turn their attention to Bethune-Cookman who is coming into Bloomington off a 89-59 loss to Iowa.
The Wildcats also finished 9-21 and 10th in the Southwestern Athletic Conference a season ago under second-year head coach Reggie Theus. Theus and Indiana head coach Mike Woodson also played in 195 NBA games together with the Kansas City/Sacramento Kings.
The 13th ranked Hoosiers were able to start their season 1-0 as Indiana forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Malik Reneau led the team with 15 points each. The Hoosiers also shot 61 percent from the field on 36-of-59 made attempts.
Here is a preview of tonight's home matchup with Bethune-Cookman as Indiana looks to improve onto 2-0 this year.
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Last Time They Played
This is the first meeting ever in the history of these two programs.
Originally a Division II program, Bethune-Cookman joined the Division 1 in 1990 where they have won two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships in 2011 and 2018 but have yet to make an NCAA Tournament appearance at the D1 level.
In 2021, Bethune-Cookman joined the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Injury Updates
Mike Woodson confirmed on Wednesday that Trayce Jackson-Davis has a "severe sprain" in his right thumb, which is part of his non-shooting hand.
He mentioned that there has been a decent amount of pain, but at this point just seems to be pain tolerance for Jackson-Davis. Said he will continue to play with it wrapped.
Key Storylines to Watch
Free-throw shooting
Although there has just been one regular season game, it is looking like free-throw shooting is once again going to be an area of concern for Indiana this year. In their win over Morehead State, the Hoosiers only shot 12-of-21 at the line including starting 1-of-7 and finished at 4-of-10 at the end of the first half.
Even though Indiana shot an impressive 61 percent from the field versus Morehead State, the poor free-throw shooting is worrisome for Mike Woodson.
"You put up 88 points, I just don't like the fact that we're missing free throws," said Woodson. "That's really bothering me as a coach."
This will be something that Indiana really needs to correct before they get deep into the season. Poor shooting at the line could be the difference in close games for the Hoosiers, as it was last season.
Rebounding struggles?
At the final buzzer, Indiana outrebounded Morehead State 33-28, which is honestly too close. When the first half had ended, the Hoosiers were actually being outrebounded 16-15.
With as dominant as Indiana's frontcourt is, Indiana should be a team that is never struggles on the glass, especially when playing an opponent like Morehead State. The frontcourt unit of Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson, Malik Reneau, and Jordan Geronimo should consistently be a force on the glass on both ends.
This is game one however and it should not be expected that this trend of rebounding struggles continues, but it could be something to monitor if the Hoosiers don't clean up a few things.
Indiana's second unit is the real deal
The depth of this Indiana team is one of the brightest spots for the Hoosiers. In the game versus Morehead State, it was the second unit that seemed to provide that much needed spark when Indiana's starters were flat.
Out of the 88 points scored, 45 of those points came from the bench with Malik Reneau being tied with Jackson-Davis as the leading scorer with 15 points. Jordan Geronimo (10 points) and Tamar Bates (9 points) were also bright spots for Indiana as well.
Throw in proven bench player Trey Galloway and either Xavier Johnson or Jalen Hood-Schifino from the starting group running the show, the second unit for Indiana can be a dangerous weapon moving forward. Fans should rest easy knowing that Indiana is team full of depth and reliable backups.
Quick Hitters
Who?: Bethune-Cookman (0-1, 0-0 in SWAC) at #13 Indiana (1-0, 0-0 in B1G)
When?: Thursday, November 10th, 8:30 PM ET
Where?: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
TV: BTN (Brandon Gaudin, Robbie Hummel)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Radio Stream: Learfield Varsity app
Team Rankings: Indiana AP #13, KenPom #9 overall (#7 adj. defense, #23 adj. offense) Bethune-Cookman is #309 overall (#304 adj. defense, #303 adj, offense)
Spread: Indiana -31.5
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