Indiana continues its undefeated run to start the season after defeating South Dakota State. Trayce Jackson-Davs paced the team with 19 points and kept offensive possessions alive with his rebounding. He recorded his second straight double-double and his fourth of the season.
Three point shooting and ball movement
Indiana started the game shooting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Part of that was due to quick, efficient ball movement that allowed for some open shots. Devonte Green was the early facilitator of the team's deep scoring as he entered the game and nailed two threes in his first two minutes of game time. He's still coming off the bench but is looking like the guard that the Hoosiers are used to seeing in the starting lineup.
All game, it looked like South Dakota State was trying not to get beat by the likes of Indiana's big men inside. Joey Brunk and De'Ron Davis were held to three combined points, but Trayce Jackson-Davis came away 19 of his own and nine offensive rebounds to jumpstart the team's opportunities in the paint.
The Hoosiers' scorers capitalized on the compressed defense but began to fall short after the early stages of the game. With 30 points in the paint, Indiana looked to the perimeter for points as well but was still shaky and inconsistent. The team finished with 7-of-20 threes as Devonte Green led the way three converted attempts.
Trayce Jackson-Davis is becoming a consistent force
As of late, the freshman is no longer just showing flashes of potential, he's becoming one of the team's most consistent players inside as he gains more and more experience. He's now posted back to back double-doubles, including four in the team's first seven games.
Jackson-Davis scored 19 points and tallied 14 rebounds, but his effort on the defensive end of the court was the bright spot in an often poor defense. He was occasionally stretched to playing perimeter defense against the Jackrabbits but responded quite well due to his athleticism. Jackson-Davis finished with four blocks on the defensive end of the court.
It's that athleticism that changes how the Hoosiers look both offensively and defensively. Jackson-Davis' fluid movement sets him apart from Brunk and Davis. The freshman's length, quickness and basketball intelligence has carried the team through the first month of college hoops.
He will only continue to improve as the strength of opponents begin to climb heading into Big Ten play.
Bad showing at the free throw line
Indiana came into the game leading the country in free throw attempts and makes per game. Not only did the Hoosiers fail to consistently get to the foul line in the first half, their percentage was an abysmal 50% after shooting 9-of-18 by the end of the game.
The Hoosiers' forwards had a particularly poor shooting night from the free throw line as the guards failed to reach the charity stripe. The free throw attempts were magnified by Justin Smith. Despite leading the team in scoring at halftime, smith airballed a three but was 5-of-7 from the line.
Guards were not attacking the basket, and it was the Jackrabbit's poor shooting effort that kept the box score from looking uglier than it should have been.
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