The Indiana basketball team opened its Puerto Rico trip in style with a 98-47 win against Universidad de Bayamon.
Freshman Trent Sisley led the Hoosiers with 21 points while Sam Alexis (10 points and 12 rebounds) and Josh Harris (13 points and 10 rebounds) had double-doubles.
Today, IU faces off with Mega Superbet, a Serbian professional team, in the first of two games between the teams at Coliseo Roberto Clemente. Will the Hoosiers continue to dominate in Puerto Rico?
Follow along for live updates.
An impressive comeback for Darian DeVries’ team, which looked overwhelmed physically and tactically for 10 minutes before turning on an absolutely dominant last 25-28 minutes. Tucker DeVries, Lamar Wilkerson and Sam Alexis were all excellent. Special mention for Aleksa Ristic and Trent Sisley as well.
More to come soon on IndyStar Sports.
IU 78, Mega 63, 6:46 left 4Q: Another Mega timeout, as an IU run fires up this crowd (which is about half IU fans and half local fans turning out to watch basketball). They’ve been treated to quite the comeback from Indiana, which has just hit full throttle and never looked back.
Once IU figured out the physical necessities of this game, Mega faded hard. Hoosiers have made 6-of-11 3s in this half. Mega has 15 points in a little more than 13 second-half minutes.
IU 67, Mega 59, End of 3Q: Call it a 46-15 run for Indiana since the deficit hit its lowest point. The Hoosiers just won the third quarter 32-11, and a lot of the body language present on Indiana’s bench in the first quarter is now shifted over to Superbet to start the fourth.
Fouls might still be an issue, but IU hit four 3s in the third quarter. A repeat performance would provide a real platform for a win.
IU 64, Mega 59, X:XX: All the momentum is with the Hoosiers now, and the gym is enjoying the spectacle.
If we’re being technicaly, more than anything it feels like IU adjusted to the physical level of this game: how it would be called, what would be allowed, how to navigate screens, etc.
It helps that some 3s have fallen, but there’s also been a discernible collective uplift. As individuals have played better, they have lifted the team, and the team has responded. Been a full-bench effort getting this back where it is.
Mega 54, IU 54, 3:23 left 3Q: Conor Enright has five now, and Tayton Conerway has four. There’s clear frustration from IU’s bench in the difference between what Mega is being allowed to do right now and what Indiana is, particularly navigating screens. Enright just picked up his fifth on what felt like a 50/50 call as Enright fought around a screen.
Big minutes for Aleksa Ristic here, potentially.
Mega 53, IU 52,5:05 left 3Q: Because neither side is treating it like one anymore.
The 3s have started falling for Indiana, which tied the game briefly at 49-apiece. The deficit peaked at 44-21, so you can do the math from there on IU’s comeback.
Lamar Wilkerson just hit a tough triple to stem a brief Mega run. Both sides are emotional and into this game. Should be a fun 15 minutes.
Mega 49, IU 49-45, 8:09 left 3Q: IU opens the half on a 10-1 run, including made 3s from DeVries and Wilkerson, and the game is back in the balance.
Enright just drew an intentional foul and then got T’d up getting in his defender’s face. Then he hit both free throws. Indiana is down just four and very clearly running hot.
We have it unofficially as a 23-5 run for Indiana since Mega’s lead crested in the second quarter.
Will flesh some thoughts out in a second but wanted to go ahead and get the score in here. Second quarter was much better than the first for Indiana.
(Cont’d)
Much better in the second quarter, in all respects.
Indiana was better defending Mega’s size and side actions. Didn’t allow the same runout opportunities nearly as often. Looked much more confident in where to go for their offense, individually and collectively. And, frankly, even though the Hoosiers left some points at the rim, a few open shots finally went down.
More than once in that frame, IU looked like building a head of steam and managed to lose it to a turnover or a foul or a second chance. But they added up enough to win the quarter narrowly. Darian DeVries might not be pleased with the overall state of play. But he ought to feel good with the response he got from his team after a 5-7-minute stretch of real shakiness there in the first quarter.
I’ve said this more than once this week: The games are an important part of the overall preseason tour process, but not the only one. Tonight will not be the end-all be-all, whether Indiana comes back or not.
More after the break.
Mega 44, IU 27, 4:05 left 2Q: Reed Bailey giving Indiana a burst here, with six-straight points to force a timeout from the Mega bench.
On the evidence we’ve seen so far, Bailey has the ability to switch on an assertiveness with the ball that lets him play smaller than his 6-10 frame, with good handles and guard skills. When he gets into his go-to moves he’s tough to stop, and he has a good feel for game pace.
More of him looking comfortable like this is better for Indiana.
Mega 42, IU 21, 5:35 left 2Q: It won’t have been a surprise for Indiana coming down here, but the Hoosiers’ lack of size is going to be something DeVries finds remedies for between now and November.
There’s the raw lack of size obviously, and that’s shown up tonight. But there’s also the lack of good interior instincts at times. Players who go instinctively to their second jump. An ability to anticipate contact in traffic. Things good bigs just naturally have that aren’t in abundance on this roster.
The good news is there’s time to solve these problems. But it will remain a concern until it isn’t.
END OF 1Q: Mega 31, IU 16: An ugly opening frame for Indiana in a whole lot of respects.
The Hoosiers couldn’t get shots to fall with much consistency, leading to easy runouts and outnumbered transition situations. Mega leaned into its size advantage, with bigs that can move and stretch the floor, and it created foul problems.
And without wanting to oversimplify the analysis, 31 points in 10 minutes will never not be problematic.
There’s also an element of Indiana looking flustered with some elements of the international setting, namely the officiating and the 3-point line. But they have to adjust. Stemmed the bleeding just a bit in the last moments of the first quarter. Need to build on that.
Mega 29, IU 12, 1:06 left: Another DeVries timeout. The offense isn’t getting anything right now, and it’s giving a bigger, better-functioning Mega team easy runouts.
By my count (there are no official live stats available), all of Bailey, Enright and Wilkerson have two personal fouls. Indiana is struggling to adjust to the way the game is called in an international setting, and those shots aren’t falling.
DeVries is clearly pretty frustrated. IU is cycling rotations trying to find something that works. Nothing so far.
Mega 21, IU 10, 4:00 left 1Q: Darian DeVries calls a stop-the-bleeding timeout. Indiana doesn’t have the size to contend with Mega at a couple key spots, and it’s showing.
We don’t have live stats but Reed Bailey has at least one foul, which is obviously part of the problem. At the other end, good looks aren’t going down, so Mega’s getting some breathing room.
DeVries was pretty vocal in the timeout huddle. Clear he expects more than this.
Mega 14, IU 8, 6:20 left 1Q: Spirited game so far. Both sides clearly taking the competitive aspect of this game personally, which is leading to foul issues going both ways.
Mega’s size and athleticism are certainly going to test Indiana in ways Bayamon just couldn’t Wednesday. Hoosiers are also fighting it a bit from behind the 3-point line again. Playing with the international 3-point line might be a factor there.
Aleksa Ristic already in the game, with Enright carrying two fouls.
7:01 p.m.: Indiana rolls with the same five: Enright, Conerway, Wilkerson, DeVries, Bailey.
Markovic plays for Mega, so IU will see the Bucks draft pick tonight. Tipoff coming shortly.
5:58 p.m.: Checking in from courtside at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente.
No apparent lineup changes for Indiana, with everyone who was available Wednesday night warming up again here.
One note: There were some pregame rumors Bogoljub Markovic, the Serbian forward Milwaukee drafted this summer, might not play in tonight’s game. But at the moment, he’s warming up like a full participant, so best guess is the Hoosiers see him tonight.
Should be a fun game, in what’s a really cool facility. Has old-school NBA facility vibes, but with more modern amenities. Tipoff in about an hour. More updates to come.
The game against Mega Superbet tips off at 7 p.m. ET.
The event will not be televised or streamed.