IU vs. Louisville player ratings: Starters stumble, freshmen disappear, but bench saves day

Indiana had to dig deep late to avoid a disastrous trip to New York, gutting out a 74-66 win over Louisville in Monday's Empire Classic consolation game.

The much-maligned bench stepped up (namely Anthony Walker and Kaleb Banks) and the Hoosiers (4-1) got the win despite more awful 3-point shooting (1-for-11).

Player ratings on a scale of 1 to 10.

STARTERS

∎ Xavier Johnson — It was quiet first half, but give credit to the only Hoosier to hit a 3. He picked things up in the second half with some nice assists in transition and he was 9-of-12 at the free-throw line, including many late to help seal the win. He finished with 14 points, five assists and four rebounds. Rating: 5.5

∎ Kel'el Ware — It was a better performance than what we saw vs. UConn, but still not to the level he set in IU's first three games. He struggled with some foul trouble, but had a nice finish through contact after a missed lob to pull IU within one late. He had 12 points (5-of-11 shooting) with seven rebounds and two blocks. Rating: 5.5

∎ Malik Reneau — After fouling out so early against UConn, fouls plagued Reneau again in this one, limiting him to just 20 minutes. But he stepped up when IU needed him most, getting clutch baskets down low in crunch time to help turn the tide. He finished with 12 points (10 in the second half) and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, a nice luxury to have for a big. Rating: 6.0

∎ Trey Galloway — A rough day for the senior. He was 0-for-5 shooting in the first half, including 0-for-4 from behind the arc. His only basket was a layup in transition off a Kaleb Banks block. Likely because of his shooting woes, he passed up an open 3 late in the game and was called for traveling instead. He had more turnovers than points (3 to 2). He still played a team-high 32 minutes and was solid defensively. Rating: 3.0

∎ Mackenzie Mgbako — It looked promising to start, with a nice jump-pass for an assist on the first basket, then an early steal. But he picked up two fouls and was on the bench in less than 2 minutes. But hey, we've been knocking his effort, so at least this was better. In the second half, he opened the scoring with a nice jumper off a curl and added a strong rebound on the other end (his only board). He added three assists, but he continues to miss 3s (1-for-13 this season) and he's a defensive liability. It looked like Mike Woodson had seen enough after Mgbako got beat on back-to-back possessions, failing to box out on a put-back dunk and then falling asleep on a backcut alley-oop. He played just 9 minutes. Rating: 3.0

BENCH

∎ Kaleb Banks — He checked in less than 2 minutes into the game because of Mgbako's early foul trouble and responded with a really active first half. He had four points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 13 first-half minutes. He continued to provide energy in the second half and his block led to an easy transition bucket for Galloway. His activity created turnovers and he was IU's best rebounder with eight boards, including some strong work on the defensive glass. He added three assists, three blocks and three steals to his four points. His offensive game is still really raw, but his energy is vital. Rating: 7.5

∎ CJ Gunn — His aggressive on-the-ball defense has been a plus, but his jumper is still an issue. He had a dunk on a breakout and then had a nice baseline drive that gave IU a 34-24 lead. But he fumbled a pass on a breakaway at the end of the first half, that had he scored, would have kept IU's lead at 10. Instead, he turned it over, and Skyy Clark went down and hit a 3 at the buzzer to cut the lead to 34-29 at the break. He hit a smooth baseline jumper off in-bounds play, but then tried a fadeaway on next possession and missed. He had six points in 14 minutes, but didn't log a rebound or assist. Rating: 5.0

∎ Gabe Cupps — A spectator for most of the game, he played just 9 minutes (tied with Mgbako for fewest in the game). He had a nice entry pass for an Anthony Walker floater early on, but was a non-factor. Rating: 3.5

∎ Payton Sparks — Again, Sparks provides the muscle in the paint and did a good job gaining position down low. He blocked a shot in the first half that could have gone down as a steal because he just snatched it from the Louisville player. He was back in early in the second half due to Ware and Reneau foul trouble, and he had two jams that seemed to energize the Hoosiers faithful in The Garden, forcing Louisville to take a timeout as IU built a nine-point lead. He finished with nine points (on 4-of-5 shooting) and had three rebounds. But man, the free-throw shooting... Rating: 6.0

∎ Anthony Walker — The best the Miami transfer has looked in a Hoosiers jersey. He led IU with nine first-half points and showed a much-needed aggressiveness. He went to the basket with intent and scored an and-1, finishing through contact on a nice inbounds play. You could see his confidence rise with a nice spin-o-rama move on a runout that led to a foul and two free throws. He also worked hard on the glass — a previous criticism here — with four first-half rebounds. He finished with 11 points (a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line) and added seven rebounds. He was key to the bench's revival. Rating: 7.5

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana basketball beats Louisville: Player ratings for Hoosiers