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Indiana is finishing up its preseason schedule on Thursday night as St. Francis comes to Bloomington for the final tuneup before the Hoosiers tip off the regular season on Monday.
With already one exhibition under their belt, a win over Marian, the Hoosiers look to improve on the performance and make any tweaks needed before ushering in the start of the 2022-23 season.
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson was impressed with his team's all-around effort last weekend, but now it's about building on that and making sure there are no backward steps before the games 'really' matter.
"Well, you can always get better," Woodson said following IU's 78-42 win over Marian. "Defending and rebounding the ball, that's got to stay consistent every time you step out on the floor. Because I know -- I mean, I know it works. Man, if you defend and rebound the ball, you will be in every ballgame. Every game."
While exhibitions against NAIA schools don't pose too much of a test, there are still measurables taken into account. How do players fit in? What does the overall system look like? Who stands out?
It's also a time to make sure everyone gets on the court.
"It's important for everybody to play because from a coaching standpoint, I'm still learning and trying to figure out who can do what," Woodson said. "Even though we've been together five months, you know, practice is different than the game, actually. I've always believed that if you practice well, you play well."
Indiana was down two key pieces in its first exhibition -- All-American forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (non-shooting thumb) and key reserve Tamar Bates (hip). While both were held out as a precaution, it allowed some of the other younger guys to get more minutes, something they all took advantage of.
Freshman forward Malik Reneau shined, leading the team with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore forward Logan Duncomb had 11 points and 11 rebounds as well. Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino -- who started -- had 11 points, three rebounds and four assists.
"No, it is impressive," Woodson said of the younger players. "But a lot of it is the fact that they are so in tune in what we are doing, and that's valuable, man, in terms of building a winning team. Everybody has to be on board, and it can't be just about Jalen or about Malik. You know, this is a team, man, and I'm trying to push these guys, along with my staff, to do all the necessary things on and off the court to help us win basketball games."
St. Francis comes into Thursday's matchup after a 24-9 season in 2021 and a second-round loss in the NAIA Tournament. The Cougars were a terrific shooting team last year, shooting over 37 percent from three as a team. That will be a key for Indiana's defense on Thursday and something Mike Woodson wants to see continue to improve from last week.
"Our defense, in terms of how we communicated," Woodson said of what he was impressed with against Marian. "You know, it's tough when you add your young guys to your team, and they have to be a big part of it this season and I'm on them constantly. You guys have to be a sponge. You have to absorb everything that we are trying to get done on both ends of the floor. I thought tonight (Saturday) they did a hell of a job in terms of our switching. We got beat a few times but for the most part, they were competitive, and that's all I can ask."
Overall, Woodson is ready for one more outing before the season begins and is excited to see the next steps this unit takes.
"Now, if you're making shots and you're making free throws, then it really enhances what you do from a team standpoint," Woodson added. "So yeah, we've still got a lot of work to do, man. I've still got to get Trayce back and I've got to get Tamar in the mix. We've got some work still left to be done, a lot of work.
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