What we learned from Indiana basketball's 94-61 exhibition win over Marian

BLOOMINGTON — After an exhibition win over UIndy that was a little closer than it should’ve been on Sunday, Indiana men’s basketball handily beat Marian, 94-61, on Friday.

In the first men’s game in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall since Bob Knight’s death, IU steamrolled the Knights. Headlined by a 20-point outing from sophomore Kel’el Ware, IU led for over 37 of the game’s 40 minutes.

Here are three takeaways from the Hoosiers’ last exhibition before starting the regular season against Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday.

This team can turn defense to offense in a hurry

Mike Woodson has emphasized pushing the pace since the moment he got to Indiana. The team displayed flashes of that in Woodson’s first two seasons, but a bevy of circumstances prevented the Hoosiers from being a consistent run-and-gun squad.

Since the second half began against UIndy on Sunday, IU has looked like a track squad. The Hoosiers had a 27-0 fast-break points advantage on Friday. The extra length on this year’s team has forced deflections which have quickly become offensive opportunities for IU.

“That’s a bonus, playing offense when you can get up in passing lanes and disrupt opponents with your defense and get steals then get out and run,” Woodson said. “That’s how the game should be played.”

Marian committed 15 turnovers Friday. Three IU players had multiple steals, and they did not wait to set up a play after those steals.

The most notable transition sequence of the night came off a missed shot. Ware snatched a rebound and threw a quick outlet pass to freshman Gabe Cupps. Cupps and CJ Gunn instantly ran a two-on-one fastbreak that ended in a soft lob to Gunn for a two-handed slam. The play gave Cupps one of his six assists of the game.

“Anytime I get the ball and see an open floor, I want to push it and try to get guys easy shots,” Cupps said. “That’s deflating for a defense, to give stuff up in transition. With our ball pressure and our anticipation on defense, we can get out and run a lot.”

Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal are the only players left on this team whom Woodson didn’t recruit. Woodson is getting to fully implement his ideal style of play, which means hurrying up the floor.

Drawing fouls will be crucial for this team

IU shot 25 free throws against Marian. Eighteen of those free-throw attempts came in the first half when the Hoosiers' starters players played the bulk of their minutes.

In 2022-23, Indiana had a 29.5% free-throw rate (per KenPom), well below the national average. Outside of star center Trayce Jackson-Davis, nobody on the team forced the issue enough to draw fouls in abundance.

Not shooting enough free throws limits how effective an offense can be. The only shot more efficient than a free throw is a wide-open layup or dunk. Getting to the foul line is critical, even for a team like IU that hasn’t shot above average at the charity stripe since 2016-17.

When Xavier Johnson suffered his season-ending foot fracture last December, the Hoosiers lost a tremendous foul-drawer. The sixth-year guard attempts 4.9 free throws per game in his career with a 76.8% success rate. While first-round draft pick Jalen Hood-Schifino excelled in Johnson’s absence, he never replicated Johnson’s innate ability to get to the line.

Johnson went 4-of-6 on free throws on Friday. His return — plus the added athleticism of freshman Mackenzie Mgbako at small forward — should mean more free throws this year for IU.

IU also has big men Malik Reneau, Ware and Payton Sparks (who missed Friday’s game with a lower-body injury). None of those guys are Jackson-Davis, but they are all tough to guard legally when they earn quality positioning in the lane.

This iteration of the Hoosiers should be much better at getting to the free-throw line. If they can do so, Indiana’s offense will reap the reward.

Indiana’s rebounding needs to improve

IU controlled most of Friday’s exhibition, but it still had trouble ending possessions on defense. Marian grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, and the Hoosiers only got seven. This comes after IU only snagged one more rebound (11 to 10) than UIndy on Sunday.

Ware did his part, as he complimented his 20 points with 11 rebounds (9 defensive). But the rest of the roster struggled to help the Oregon transfer on the glass.

The absence of Sparks made it harder for IU to secure rebounds. While the Hoosiers are playing good defense, it won’t matter unless they close out possessions.

Indiana’s first major nonconference test will come against No. 5 UConn on Nov. 19. The Huskies were 12th in the nation at 13 offensive rebounds per game last year. For Indiana to have a shot in that game in New York City, it should hone in on its rebounding in the first three regular-season contests.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What we learned from IU basketball's 94-61 exhibition win over Marian